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If degrees were not a discriminator for hiring, would lying about degrees still be a serious offense?

Zhigang Suo's picture

I'm saddened by the recent resignation of Marilee Jones, the dean of admissions at MIT. By all accounts she has been an excellent employee, but she lied about her degrees when she first applied for an entry-level job 28 years ago.

I do think that lying is wrong, and I can't blame the administration of MIT for taking actions. However, I'm uneasy about the general practice of employment.

Our universities are really doing well as a business. We get money from many sources, including parents, taxpayers, and donors. We provide a service in the best way we know how. The society has taken us so seriously and made us a de facto monopoly on education: many jobs require degrees.

I have no doubt that universities are an excellent place to educate most people, but excluding other modes of education seems wrong. A job applicant should be judged on the basis of her ability to perform the job, rather than her degrees, gender, age, or race.

Now that race is not a discriminator for hiring, perhaps lying about your race should not be a serious offense. (Philip Roth's Human Stain comes to mind.)

If degrees were not a discriminator for hiring, would lying about your degrees still be a serious offense?

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