national March 15, 1985 PAGE 9

 

Pedersen moves to a better partnership

VANCOUVER [CUP] - UBC
president George Pedersen re-
signed last Thursday as “‘a
strong personal statement of
concern about what is happen-
ing to the universities of this
province.’’

Pedersen told a hastily call-
ed news conference in Law 102
Thursday afternoon that ‘‘if
my resignation does nothing
more than dramatize to the
general public the plight of
our university system, it will
be an action worthy of the
taking.’’

Vice pfesident academic
Robert Smith becomes acting
president as of today, until
UBC’s board of governors
selects a permanent presi-
dent. The selection committee
will be chaired by UBC chan-
cellor Robert Wyman and will
include senate, board, faculty,
student and alumni represent-
atives.

Pedersen’s resignation
comes only one week before
the provincial government
budget is to be announced,
and three weeks before UBC’s

next fiscal year.

Pedersen said he has been
released from his contractual
obligations at UBC — he
served 20 months of a five
year term — to become presi-
dent of the University of

Western Ontario, likely before

Aug. 1.

Pedersen said he does not
debate the need for provincial
and federal restraint. ‘‘The
processes for achieving re-
straint are what | find imposs-
ible,’’ he said.

‘‘What is impossible, to be
more specific, is the uncer-
tainty and the complete lack of
planning that is going on in
this province as it relates to
our university system.”’

Pedersen said while UBC’s
next fiscal year is less than
three weeks away UBC still
does not know its new budget,
although universities have re-
peatedly asked for earlier and
more frequent financial infor-
mation.

“All we do is spend our
time reacting, and reacting in
atime frame that is in my view

Foolproof diploma

OTTAWA [(CUP]— U.S. resi-
dents have been buying fake
McGill and University of Tor-
onto degrees through a U.S.
“‘diploma mill,’’ the Federal
Bureau of Investigation has
disclosed.

The FBI, in Operation Dip-
scam, discovered that 20 U.S.
residents have fraudulent U of
T diplomas, and ‘‘an undis-
closed number’’ have fake
diplomas from McGill.

Dennis Gunter, an Oregon
entrepreneur operating Alum-
ni Arts, the diploma factory,
was sentenced Feb. 14 on two
counts of mail and wire fraud
in federal district court.

Gunter only offered fake
degrees from the two Canad-
ian universities, but sold de-
grees for up to 300 colleges
and universities in the U.S.
Evidence at recent U.S. Con-
gressional hearings suggest
more than 10,000 doctors
throughout North America
have fake medical degrees.

One Toronto pharmacist
bought a medical degree from
Medical Education Placement
Inc. for $10,000. He testified
to the Congressional select
committee on aging that if it
were not for his capture ‘‘l
would have made a good
doctor .’’

McGill registrar Jean-Paul
Schuller did not seem too al-
armed about the fake McGill
degrees. ‘‘McGill’s degrees
are well enough recognized
across North America that is
would take a good forgery to
trick someone,”’ he said.

“The incidence of people
_ trying to modify diplomas is

on the increase,’ Schuller
said. He blamed this on the
difficult economic — situation
and a ‘‘perceived increase in
competition’’ for jobs. Schull-
er said McGill investigates at
least one case involving a pos-
sibly fraudulent diploma every
month.

One big investigation last
year led to a U of T student’s
expulsion after the school dis-
covered he had tampered with
his McGill transcripts.

Schuller said Canadian uni-
versities regularly exchange
lists of people who may be
holding fraudulent degrees
through the association of
registrars in Ottawa. ‘‘We
sent notes saying ‘should they
receive an application for ad-
mission from so-and-so...this
may be an alias,’ ’’ he said.

Schuller said he feels the
crime is not so much those
with the fake diplomas but
those with real ones who may
be beaten out of a job by
someone with a faked record
that shows better grades.

He is surprised, however,
that Gunter’s operation was
selling diplomas, noting that
transcripts were the docu-
ments schools go by in North
America. ‘‘In the Third Wor-
Id, though, the diploma is
much more the thing that
opens doors,’’ Schuller said.

Asked whether he was flat-
tered that McGill diplomas
were being faked, Schuller
said he would ‘‘much rather
not get involved, even though
it is a sort of back-handed
compliment.’’

virtually impossible. ’’

He said: ‘‘If we get hit with
a five percent cut when that
budget speech comes down, |
do not honestly believe this
university can respond to
that.’’

Pedersen said he has too
much pride as an administrat-
or to remain in a situation
preventing him from provid-
ing strong leadership. He
outlined five suggestions for
improvement.

- the B.C. public must pay
much more attention to uni-
versities, because the pro-
vince’s future rests with edu-
cated young people;

- the provincial government
should acknowledge in positive
ways the importance of its
educational system, including
its universities;

- there should be serious

thought given to public policy
and the role universities can
play in improving our compet-

itiveness in a competitive
world;
- there needs to be thought-

ful, multi-year planning;

- the government should
exercise extreme caution a-
bout the extent to which it
chooses to intervene in the
direct operation of univer-
sities.

Pedersen said he did not ga
looking for a job but was
offered the new position, add-
ing he felt relationships be-
tween universities and gov-
ernment are more of a part-
nership in Ontario.

He said he suspected some
people will be disappointed
and angry about the decision
and its timing. ‘‘All | can say
to you is that | understand
those kinds of reactions as
very, human ones and can only
offer my regrets.

“However, | want to be sure
that you understand that | do
not apologize in any way for
my past performance, or for
my decision to leave.-

‘| believe that | have given
it the very best shot that | can,
often seven days a week,
frequently 16 to 18 hours a day
for the last two years, and |
have come to the conclusion
that it simply is a good time to
leave.’’

Renewal of restraint refutes recovery
in British Columbia - details at eleven

 

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