Sept. 16

A Professor Without Her Claimed Degrees

Lan-Lan Wang has had a distinguished career in academic dance. She’s founded dance companies. She was one of the first American modern dancers to perform in China after the Cultural Revolution, and she promoted numerous exchanges with China. She won grants from top foundations. She taught at the University of Iowa and the University of California at Los Angeles and, since 1994, at Connecticut College, serving for much of that time as department chair. She may never have earned a degree — although she claimed two.

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“Institutional integrity is of paramount importance to Connecticut College, and so I have accepted her resignation,” said Roger Brooks, dean of the faculty, in an e-mail to students and professors. “I am deeply saddened because she has contributed so much to the college over many years. Lan-Lan Wang’s accomplishments in dance are very real.”

A spokeswoman for the college said that an associate dean at Connecticut received an e-mail that raised questions about Wang’s credentials, and that the college then investigated and “acted accordingly.”

A spokeswoman for Iowa confirmed Monday that Wang never earned any degrees there, although she worked there from 1980 to 1990, in a series of positions, including program assistant, project director, and visiting assistant professor. Iowa officials said that they could not determine whether, at the time Wang worked there, she led them to believe that she had a college degree.

Angelia Leung, associate professor of choreography and dance education at UCLA, said the circumstances of Wang’s departure from Connecticut were “shocking.” Leung and Wang worked together at UCLA.

Leung said that she didn’t remember if Wang claimed at that time to have degrees from the University of Iowa, and that “we didn’t necessarily check on these kinds of things.” The irony, she said, is that for positions in performance-related fields such as dance, UCLA and many other universities do some hiring based on candidates’ artistic experience — and that Wang could have been hired without a degree.

While some arts departments indeed do hire professors who lack the degrees of their colleagues in other departments, claiming degrees you haven’t earned is viewed by many (appropriately so) as a career killer in academe. Quincy Troupe, a noted poet, quit his faculty job at the University of California at San Diego in 2002 after it was revealed that he lacked the college degree he claimed. He was discovered after he was named California’s poet laureate and the honor resulted in a background check.

Also in 2002, Rev. Eugene R. Kole quit as president of Quincy University, in Illinois, after The Herald-Whig reported that he had never earned two master’s degree that had been listed in his biography when he became president and in university publications. Last year, admissions officers nationwide were shocked when a leader in their field — Marilee Jones — quit as dean at Massachusetts Institute of Technology after confirming that she had claimed degrees she never earned.

For Connecticut College’s dance department, long considered a strong program nationally, Monday “was a very sad day,” said David Dorfman, a professor who called off a planned sabbatical for this semester after he was drafted to become chair in the wake of Wang’s resignation. He described his former colleague as “incredibly energetic, someone who inspired students and gave them a lot of time and knowledge.” He said she was especially known for her “very rigorous modern dance technique class.”

Dorfman and other professors met with 75 students Monday afternoon to talk about what had happened. “We’re a very close department,” he said, adding that the discussions should remain private. “It was quite intense and complicated and it just can’t be summed up.”

— Scott Jaschik

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Comments

...Everybody Wang Lueng Tonight...

Are “credentials” really necessary for dance? Talk about credential inflation. I guess everybody wants to rule the world...of dance.

dundermifflin, at 8:30 am EDT on September 16, 2008

Not the Point

The point is not that she did not have credentials. She’s probably the most qualified person for the position or any of its type. However, the fact that she carried on a masquerade of having several degrees she did not earn, is too serious of a matter to ignore.

I don’t understand why someone (and the article lists several noted former academics) would want to make up this stuff. Do you do it once, and then it snowballs? It doesn’t make sense. If she had ‘fessed up before her last position, maybe she wouldn’t be in the stew she is in now.

Ken, at 8:56 am EDT on September 16, 2008

Dunder, it’s not whether you need a degree to teach dance

...it’s whether you will spend your career lying in order to get jobs and pay increases. There are plenty of artists-in-residence at colleges and universities; many don’t have degrees or advanced degrees in their fields. But Ms. Wang has apparently lied to enhance her ascent up the career ladder. Whether or not those lies were necessary for her to get her various jobs, but the fact is she apparently falsified her credentials to gain credibility.

ljackson@ksu.edu, at 9:00 am EDT on September 16, 2008

Foreigns like Ms Wang who lie about their credentials need to also be aware that their actions could have deeper consequences than merely losing the immediate job. Depending on the visa used, and the documents backing up the request, someone lying about their credentials could be guilty of immigration fraud.

stm60, at 9:20 am EDT on September 16, 2008

“She was one of the first *American* modern dancers to perform in China after the Cultural Revolution ...” (emphasis added)

Just because a person has a foreign-sounding name does not make her “a foreign.”

SteveN, at 10:10 am EDT on September 16, 2008

Assumption of “foreign"ism

stm60, way to go on the bias for assuming she was a “foreign.” Did you notice the second sentence of the article that stated she is an American dancer that works with China. You comment says much more about you than it does about her.

Michele, Watch your assumptions, at 10:20 am EDT on September 16, 2008

I agreed, ljackson, lying for the money and position is much more problematic than the (god forbid) no-credential argument. She was qualified up to the credential-how many credentialed people do nothing at all, or take credit for (steal?) their graduate students’ work, or received “work credit” toward a graduate degree (something I favor, but it goes against the almighty credential). I am not implying the credential is not meaningful, not at all, just suggesting perspective.

Nancy, at 11:30 am EDT on September 16, 2008

Tongue in Cheek

Yes, I agree what she did is serious! Deceit and fraud are always serious. In her case the college made the appropriate move.

I was speaking to the larger issue in a somewhat tongue in cheek fashion. Would she really have needed the degrees to be successful? Unfortunately she concluded yes, enough to lie about it.

As for me, when I witness a dance recital I can’t tell the degreed from the non-degreed. I can tell greed when I see it though.

Also, I agree with the comment that credentials are public and meant to be checked. What was she thinking? In addition to deceit, she showed poor judgement. Of course they are kissing cousins.

The academy needs to always insist on integrity and real achievement.

dundermifflin, at 12:35 pm EDT on September 16, 2008

What is complicated here. Lying is lying. Foolish people did not check to see whether she actually could produce a transcript. They were wrong and incompetent. I have heard it all before. Just as a having a degree does not make one a genius, NOT having a degree (umm, for example a barefoot doctor in Mao’s China) does not make one a brilliant physician). I can think of nothing to recommend a person who, having no degree, lied to say otherwise.

a person with credentials, at 12:35 pm EDT on September 16, 2008

Extremely sorry for the type.

SteveN and Michele,

First and formost, thanks for pointing out my typo. (BTW, you had one too, Michele.)

On a more minor note, I am sorry that you missed my point, which is that lying about a degree can do more than just keep one from reaching tenure. It can effect other equally or more serious aspects of your life.

A lawyer who lies, for example, can be reviewed by the bar. People can lose security clearences and, if used to obtain a job that is the basis of a visa, can get one in trouble with ICE.

These comments aren’t from a bias or should be seen as anti-foreignER. They are things people should think of before stretching resumes.

Oh, BTW, Ms. Wang was born in Taiwan and needed some kind of visa to end up here. I have no idea whether or not the visa used for her final clearance had any connection with “enhanced” degrees, but I guess you can understand where the connection with ‘visa’ and foreignER came from.

stm60, at 1:05 pm EDT on September 16, 2008

While we can and never should condone dishonesty, it would appear that the talented individuals mentioned in the article felt compelled to “acquire” false credentials to “legitimate” themselves in academe instead of claiming they were still talented enough to contribute to the academic milieu we call “higher education". Their acts point not only to their own shortcomings but the shortcomings of the hiring process at the institutions at which they were employed. How can an academic institution appoint an individual to its faculty or any other position without confirming that what is listed in the curriculum vitae is correct, especially with regard to receipt of academic degrees. As a former assistant dean for academic and facutly affairs at a medical school, one of the things that had to be verified for any academic appointment was the individuals degrees. Any faculty appointee had to sign a release of information form which allowed our office to contact each institution from which a degree was received to actually confirm receipt of the degree. Thus, no surprises. One would think that such a simple procedure would save both the individual and the institution from considerable embarrassment.

Fannie Brown, at 1:35 pm EDT on September 16, 2008

Hey Conn College, I been known to cut a rug! Hire me! Lan Lan’s experience and dedication is far more impressive and valuable then a piece of paper. Her Natural talent and the many accomplishments has way more integrity then some snooping jealous person doing a back round check. I will make sure my kids, my friends, and others to never consider such a superficial college. Ex. of this fear driven society. Let people shine!!

Dan, at 8:40 am EDT on September 17, 2008

Lan Lan Wang’s sudden departure is a very sad event. We must see how we are all involved in the making of this tragedy, primarily for Ms. Wang. Here is a gifted woman whose contributions are exceptional. What pressures must a dedicated woman feel that she needed to make that early mistake and then never revisit it until it exploded on her and her community. One would wonder why after so many years and such an early mistake, that Ms. Wang did not feel safe enough to admit this error along the way. This is an unfortunate error in judgment on her part and a societal reminder of the emphasis we place on degree and paperqualifications.

Deborah Raptopoulos, at 4:55 pm EDT on September 17, 2008

But All She Wanted To Do Was Dance, Dance, Dance...

... all over the heads of her competitors.

Scrawed, at 8:25 pm EDT on September 17, 2008

Professors claiming they have degrees but, in fact, they do not

I can’t even imagine that colleges and universities do not verify this information. I was required to supply transcripts for virtually every job I have held (I am an accountant who graduated in 1980.) 4 year university tuitions are $40,000 and up per year. Families are struggling (as are the students with years of student loan payments ahead of them) to finance the college education of their children. Verifying this information is not time consuming. Consumers are entitled to get what they paid for, especially at these prices!

linda, at 7:15 am EDT on September 18, 2008

Getting your foot in the door

There are whole industries in the US built around the presumption that if one lies about having certain job requirements and can justify/defend themselves in the interview process and on the job, then the job candidate is qualified for the job — of course, other than having the job requirements that were required in the first place. Confused? How about this one? If the all jobs, for which I am technically (academically) qualified, require job experience and I don’t have job experience, I won’t get the job. So, how will I ever get a job? Unfortunately, many young ‘uns are deceived by employers/recruiters to create an “innoncent” white lie to get their foot in the door. On the other hand, it is easy to be self-righteous and say that a lie is a lie is lie, but rest assured if you get hungry enough, jobless enough and frustrated enough while trying to follow the high road, at breaking point a person just has to do what they have to do to survive. Of course I am assuming that the Professor in question would not have been hired to the initial position, irrespective of her other credentials.

Leslie Warner, IT consultant, at 11:45 am EDT on September 19, 2008

Leslie, And what industries are those? They certainly are not academe. Everyone knows how you get into academe.

Larry, at 5:40 pm EDT on September 19, 2008

Over the past few months I have randomly met parents whose children are in the dance program and she gets unanimous accolades. Professor Wang and did the right thing by resigning and CC did the right thing in “accepting” her resignation but now Wang should re-apply and CC should rehire her because she is a professor who is a cut above and a proven success.

Ken Colabella, CPA at Colabella, CPA’s, PC, at 12:05 pm EDT on September 23, 2008

Getting your foot in the door ...

Larry, I would have to pull out the entire standard industry classification — and YES it happens in ACADEMIA too. It’s just one of those bizarre paradoxes about America (and probably everywhere else in the civilized world) — it’s a demand and supply thing — School A only wants to pay $40K for a full-time professor, Person B aka Prof B has been looking for a job to match his/her pedigree for a year but to no avail — “Hey, School A can’t be too serious if they’re only willing/able to pay $40K and you know what, I’ll even add Degrees A, B and C just to make sure... guess what I got the job!!!”

Leslie Warner, at 5:52 pm EDT on September 23, 2008