Penn Dean Resigns Over Doctoral Degree Lie

The vice dean of the University of Pennsylvania's School of Education has resigned after a newspaper reported that he did not obtain a doctoral degree from Columbia University

The vice dean of the University of Pennsylvania's School of Education has resigned after a newspaper reported that he did not obtain a doctoral degree from Columbia University.

Doug Lynch, 47, had been placed on administrative leave earlier this week after the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that he had falsely claimed to have received a Ph.D. from Columbia in 2010. Kat Stein, a spokeswoman for the graduate school, told the paper that Lynch initially claimed that he did not know that he had not completed all the requirements for the degree.

Despite this, the paper reported that Lynch had cited the nonexistent degree on his resume, and both his faculty Web page and Wikipedia page recorded it as fact. Lynch's faculty Web page has since been removed and his Wikipedia page has been changed to reflect the latest revelations.

The Inquirer also reported that Lynch had lied about when he had obtained his master's degree from Columbia, after the university told the paper that he had received the degree in 2010, not in 2005, as he claimed.

Lynch had worked at Penn since 2004. At the time of his hiring, he claimed to have a bachelor's degree from Arizona State and an M.B.A. in international finance from New York University.

As vice dean, Lynch was responsible for overseeing executive and continuing education. He was also responsible for marketing, outreach, admissions, financial aid, and the development of new programs.

Columbia says that Lynch is eligible to complete his doctoral program through the 2012 spring semester.

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