The release of over 9,000 names this week in the well-publicized Washington diploma mill case was like dropping a stone in the middle of a lake.

The ripples have extended all over the U.S. and into international waters as well.

According to recent news reports, the long list of fake degree purchasers is being forwarded to the state attorney generals of all 50 states so that investigations may continue. They especially want to focus on those who may have compromised the safety of the general public by using fake college degrees to obtain jobs or promotions.

Others on the diploma mill list may also lose their jobs due to the seriousness of listing fraudulent information on their job application.

But hopefully, there has been a lesson in this for those who are contemplating taking a dishonest step to obtain a bogus college degree: Don’t do it. It isn’t worth it in the long run.

For awhile, perhaps no one will be the wiser. But one day, most likely when all is going well, everything will topple as the dark, past deed comes to light.

If you really want  a college degree, find an accredited online degree program and do the work. Take the classes, burn the midnight oil and earn the college degree through diligence and discipled study.

Then, when you receive your college diploma, it will mean something. And no one will be able to take it away from you; because you will truly own it.

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Yale University was hit by a $50 million lawsuit from a top South Korean university for reportedly erroneously confirming that an art history professor earned a Ph.D. there. 

This is an unexpected twist in the ongoing fake college degree scandal and the ensuing police investigations that have recently plagued South Korea’s education system. 

Two previous blogs, South Korea Battles Fallout from Fake Diploma Scandals and  Military Officers Involved in South Korea Diploma Mill Scandal give an overall view of what has been happening.

But following is a compilation of specifics that relate to the Yale lawsuit:

• Shin Jeong-ah, 36, falsified the college degrees on her job application and was hired as an art professor by highly-regarded Dongguk University after they reportedly confirmed with Yale’s grad school associate dean that Jeong-ah’s Ph.D. was legitimate.  
• Jeong-ah’s teaching position at Dongguk, along with a heavily padded resume, contributed to her coveted job appointment as co-director of the 2008 Gwangju Biennale, an internationally renowned event in the contemporary art world. This appointment gave her widespread recognition and prestige throughout South Korea.  
• Jeong-ah’s appointment to this position was enhanced by her affair with the married Byeon Yang-kyoon, 58, who was the Senior Secretary for Policy Planning  as well as the Budget Minister for then President Roh Moo-hyun.
• Later, when allegations arose that Jeong-ah’s degrees were bogus, Dongguk contacted Yale again and received a diferent reply stating that Jeong-ah did not receive a Ph.D. from Yale. 
• Yale then reportedly denied making the earlier confirmation error. 
• Shin Jeong-ah fled South Korea amidst the revelations of her false credentials, then returned to face criminal charges.
• Yale’s denial reportedly contributed to a series of unfortunate circumstances that left Dongguk University with a tarnished reputation, a loss of revenue, a drop in student applications and job losses among its employees. 
• Yale acknowledged and apologized for the earlier confirmation error.
• Byeon Yang-kyoon resigned from his high-level government position for abusing his power to help her receive the Gwangju Biennale appointment. He received a one-year prison sentence, which was reportedly suspended, and must perform 160 hours of community service.  
• Shin Jeong-ah was sentenced to a year and a half in prison for falsifying her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Kansas and her Ph.D. from Yale, and for embezzling funds from an art museum.
• Dongguk University sued Yale University for $50 million for erroneously confirming Jeong-a’s doctoral degree and then denying it.

This unfortunate situation in South Korea is not unique. Its notoriety is due to South Korea’s commitment to excellence in education and the government’s determination to get to core of the problem and fix it.

Fake degrees rest in dry ink on innumerable resumes and job applications throughout the world, including the United States. Diploma mills, businesses that sell fake degrees, make profits in the hundreds of millions each year, yet remain in business due to the ignorance or greed of their customers.

Yale University made a mistake. Dongguk University made a mistake. But Shin Jeong-ah made a choice.

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Imagine being treated by an emergency medical technician (EMT) arriving on the scene of an injury-accident. And suppose you later find out that the EMT who worked on you obtained the job using a fake college degree from a known diploma mill.

Unfortunately, as the New York Times reported, that is exactly what could have happened recently in New York City.  However, the diligent efforts of the NYC Fire Department spared the populace when it detected six suspicious employment applications.  

Further investigation revealed that the six used fake college degrees — two from infamous diploma mill, Belford University — to apply for jobs as EMTs, fire fighters, and a clerical position. Four of the six boldly used bogus high school diplomas as well. They were all arrested and charged with falsifying business records.

The zero-tolerance policy of the NYC Fire Department (FDNY) is to be commended and should be held high as a beacon to fire departments and law enforcement agencies across the nation.  Leniency in these matters has failed as a deterrent to those who wish to skirt the law, lower competency standards and demean the efforts of those who truly earned their accredited college degrees.

Hopefully, private businesses and other employers will follow suit by improving the detection of deceptive job applications and educational qualifications, helping to safeguard the public.

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Beware of supposed colleges and universities that offer “accredited life-experience degrees”. Their online or print information emphasizes that there is no need to study or take exams. The degrees are based 100% on life experience – any life experience. There is just one problem: These are diploma mills selling fake degrees.

These so-called “universities” may even offer a degree verification service where an employer can either call or e-mail to verify credentials. And often, a grade point average and year of graduation can be specified by the purchaser of the fake degree.

The accrediting agencies listed among the ‘college’ attributes are as tarnished as the fake degrees and should be checked against those recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The websites for these “schools” may be impressive or authentic-looking; but the ploy is the same: Give us the money and we will give you a certificate of graduation with no academic work involved.

Those who know better, but who still end up with one of these worthless certificates, will be looking over their shoulder the rest of their career lives. So the question is: With so many legitimate accredited online degree programs available, why make a fool’s bargain?

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