Saturday 5 May 2007

A Quick Vent

OK guys, I've been silent for a while but now I'm miffed, and have decided to postpone my Honors work while I vent a bit. If anyone's watching MIT, they know what has happened with the Dean of Admissions. I've read the stories, thought about the situation, and will be sending the MIT Admissions Office an e-mail with my complete thoughts tonight. I am however following the blogs, and the comments on the blogs. One of these is the new Dir. of Admissions, Stu Schmill. I opened the good ole' laptop the other day to find out that the blogs and comments had been re-opened, and that the first post was by Stu himself. The comments made were mostly expected, but then around 12:50, someone begins posting idiotic comments such as "Read the News." They then proceed with different names to insert the exact same thing into the comments, and/or to insult Mrs. Marilee. I'll say now I don't know Marilee, nor do I know anyone at the admissions office, but it's people who make comments like the following that make me mad. I'll post some and then respond:

"Please read the news:

Marilee Jones falsely bolstered her credentials to get a job with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and over the course of her career claimed to have earned degrees from three schools. MIT officials say now they have no evidence she ever graduated from college at all.

The school announced Thursday that Jones had resigned after acknowledging she had misrepresented her education when she started working at the university 28 years ago, and declined to correct multiple incorrect claims since then.

A senior MIT official said that by claiming degrees she had never earned, Jones could no longer lead an admissions office that occasionally rescinds the acceptance letters sent to applicants who are untruthful about their own accomplishments.

Jones was asked to resign because her actions go "against her being a model for integrity that an admissions director sets," Clay said. "It represents a very, very long deception, when there were opportunities to correct the record. This is not a mistake or an accident or an oversight."

_________________________________________________

Details:

MIT dean resigns over misrepresented credentials
POSTED: 12:15 p.m. EDT, April 27, 2007
AP) -- To stressed-out parents and students, MIT admissions dean Marilee Jones was a rare voice of reason in the high-pressure world of college admissions. With colleges demanding kids who play sports, run student government and take the heaviest course load they can, Jones shouted back the opposite: daydream, stay healthy, and don't worry so much about building a resume just to impress an elite college.

Yet it turns out that Jones was susceptible to pressure herself. She falsely bolstered her credentials to get a job with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and over the course of her career claimed to have earned degrees from three schools. MIT officials say now they have no evidence she ever graduated from college at all.

The school announced Thursday that Jones had resigned after acknowledging she had misrepresented her education when she started working at the university 28 years ago, and declined to correct multiple incorrect claims since then.

A senior MIT official said that by claiming degrees she had never earned, Jones could no longer lead an admissions office that occasionally rescinds the acceptance letters sent to applicants who are untruthful about their own accomplishments.

"We have to uphold the integrity of the institution, because that's what we've been trying to sell and she's our chief spokesperson on that," MIT Chancellor Phil Clay said. It's "regrettable, ironic, sad, but that's where we are."

Jones had become one of the most public voices urging parents, students and especially colleges themselves to "lower the flame" surrounding college admissions. She made the cause her own after growing alarmed at the increase in stress-related health problems among young people and has become a much-in-demand speaker at admissions events.

Last year, she co-authored a book: "Less Stress, More Success: A New Approach to Guiding Your Teen Through College Admissions and Beyond."

"We're raising a generation of kids trained to please adults," Jones told The Associated Press in an extensive interview last year. "Every day kids should have time when they're doing something where they're not being judged. That's the big difference with this generation. They're being judged and graded and analyzed and assessed at every turn. It's too much pressure for them."

On Thursday, MIT released a short statement from Jones in which she said she was "deeply sorry for this and for disappointing so many in the MIT community and beyond who supported me, believed in me, and who have given me extraordinary opportunities."

Clay said MIT was alerted to questions about Jones' credentials in a phone call, from someone he declined to identify, to another dean. An inquiry determined Jones had at various points claimed degrees from Union College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the Albany Medical College, all in New York, but in fact had no degrees from any of those institutions. Clay said MIT was not aware of Jones having any undergraduate or graduate degree.

Jones was confronted on Monday, acknowledged the misrepresentations and accepted a request to resign, Clay said.

Jason Gorss, a spokesman for RPI, said Jones attended that university as a part-time, non-matriculating student in 1974 and 1975 but did not receive a degree. Officials at the other two schools said she had never been a student there.

A number of people in the college admissions field said they were saddened by the news and hoped Jones would find another venue for continuing her cause.

"She's been such a high impact and good influence on all of these admissions conversations," said Bruce Poch, dean of admissions at Pomona College in California, who knows Jones well. "This hurts."

Clay said MIT now checks credentials of new hires but did not generally do so when Jones first applied to work there. The first job she applied for, as an administrative assistant, did not require a college degree, but Clay said Jones claimed to have one. He said she did not correct that claim during her appointment process as dean in 1997.

Jones was asked to resign because her actions go "against her being a model for integrity that an admissions director sets," Clay said. "It represents a very, very long deception, when there were opportunities to correct the record. This is not a mistake or an accident or an oversight."

Lloyd Thacker, the founder of the Education Conservancy, a group also trying to tone down the admissions process, said Jones "has had a very positive impact on the lives of many students and families and has brought inspiration to the professions." Her resignation "in no way discredits the value of her work," he said.

Posted by: Read the News on May 5, 2007 12:50 PM


HIGHER EDUCATION
MIT admissions dean resigns amid scandal

After admitting to falsifying her academic credentials, MIT Dean of Admissions Marilee Jones resigned yesterday.

"I misrepresented my academic degrees when I first applied to MIT 28 years ago and did not have the courage to correct my resume when I applied for my current job or at any time since," she said in a statement posted on MIT's website.

Throughout her time at MIT, Jones was believed to have received degrees from Albany Medical College, Union College and Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), when in fact none of the three institutions had conferred a degree on her, MIT Chancellor Phillip Clay explained in a statement.

An RPI official confirmed that Jones had been a part-time student at the Troy, N.Y., school during the 1974-75 academic year, though she did not officially matriculate. Albany Medical College and Union College had no records in her name.

Jones started work in the MIT admissions office in an entry-level position that did not require a college degree, Clay said. By the time she was under consideration for the position of dean of admissions, Jones had already become a central figure in the office, holding the positions of assistant dean and associate dean. Thus, MIT did not make any effort to check her credentials at that time.

About a week and a half ago, however, MIT received information that threw Jones' credentials into question. Several days of investigation were enough for the institution to ask for her resignation Monday.

Posted by: News from Princeton on May 5, 2007 12:57 PM


I found this on MIT web site last Saturday.
It is a joke that Marilee Jones claimed herself to be a scientist ...

____________________________________________

Marilee Jones is Dean of Admissions at MIT. A scientist by training, she joined the MIT Admissions Office in 1979 to lead the recruitment efforts for women.

Source: www.mitadmissions.org/Marilee.shtml ·

Posted by: A Joke on May 5, 2007 01:01 PM


Dear news guys and jokers, I'm pretty sure that we've all read the news by now, and have been reading this stuff for the past week that we have known about this. How about respecting the feelings of the MIT staff, current students, and prospective students by just dropping it and letting them move forward like they are trying to do. We know what's happened and is happening, and it has taken bravery for MIT to be so open about all of this. Allow them at least a bit of peace as they are trying to move along. They're proving themselves strong in a time of trial, can you say that you could do that?

Posted by: De Petagma Saru on May 5, 2007 01:05 PM



Yes. I agree:

"It represents a very, very long deception, when there were opportunities to correct the record. This is not a mistake or an accident or an oversight."

Throughout her time at MIT, Jones was believed to have received degrees from Albany Medical College, Union College and Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), when in fact none of the three institutions had conferred a degree on her, MIT Chancellor Phillip Clay explained in a statement.

An RPI official confirmed that Jones had been a part-time student at the Troy, N.Y., school during the 1974-75 academic year, though she did not officially matriculate. Albany Medical College and Union College had no records in her name.

Posted by: Opinion on May 5, 2007 01:11 PM


We are in America! We have the freedom to express our opinion.

We are upset at Marilee Jones, not MIT's admission office or students. As a matter of fact, MIT is the victim of Jones' deception.

Posted by: A Joke on May 5, 2007 01:21 PM"

Notice the genius double-post. This is very annoying. It's idiots like these that make America a horrible place at times. There's "A Joke" who'd probably yell "Bomb" in a classroom to express his "free speech" who apparently has forgotten that Marilee doesn't work at MIT anymore, hence the word "resigned," and continues to post insults to her which extend to those who feel for her, and who are her friends. Then there's the News boy, and Opinion man [who I assume are the same person, and the same as A Joke {all that he truly is}] who apparently aren't smart enough to stop parroting themselves, or others. Baka. I'm assuming they're mad because they are students who weren't admitted [let's all feel pity for the idiot who didn't get admitted]. To them now, I say, "IDIOTS! YOU ARE A FARCE TO ALL PEOPLE WHO HAVE EVER APPLIED TO MIT, AND I AM GLAD THAT YOU WERE DENIED, BECAUSE WITH THAT FORM OF REACTION TO ADVERSITY, YOU DON'T BELONG THERE ANYWAY!!!" OK, now I shouldn't talk, because I'm a backwoods redneck, applying to MIT with a hope and a dream, and compared to people I know, I probably don't stand a chance of admission, but I feel I have a pretty OK character, and I can at least understand the general concept of compassion for others in a time of need. MIT has been strong and brave to be so open about all this, and if A Joke, News guy, and Opinion boy are so mad, they should go whine to someone who cares. MIT is moving forward, with or without their idiotic and impolite comments whether they want them to or not. If ya'll are still reading this post, thanks ^_^ v I'll probably update every now and then. Jya' Ne all.

3 comments:

tom sheepandgoats said...

I wonder if the real lesson doesn't go deeper than the obvious always-tell-the-truth mantra. Maybe the real lesson is: what good are all these silly credentials if a woman without any of them can rise to the top of her field?

Maybe such credentials serve only to eliminate the innovative and clever in favor of the plodding and the dull.

LyDia said...

holaa
good, I leave a small commentary here you. I hope that you also write me to my, so that my blog is poor. I wish best the LyDia kisses you

Michael said...

Ok, so I'll leave a good comment, kk? First off, thanks a ton for linking to my blog from yours, I appreciate it! Second, you are well on your way to getting into MIT. Every single comment of yours that I read on the MIT blogs is true, well written, and respectable. MIT admissions officers read these blogs, don't let anybody tell you they don't. I chatted with Ben Jones, Sam, Laura, Matt, Nance, and a bunch of others at CPW and all of them get an e-mail for every comment they get, and read them all. You're in good shape, just don't mess up, because them reading comments can be a double-edged sword (keep doing what you're doing, being smart).

Also, you said you were a redneck, definitely talk about that in your app essay. It's what sets you apart, it's what I wrote about.

So now, I finish off my comment with a few words of advice (which may or may not help you get into MIT, but it's what I put on my application and they let me in!)

-Donate blood to the red cross a lot.
-Adopt-a-road
-Do speech team
-Finish your essay with "Q.E.D."
-Throw a "OMG" or :) into your essay as well, because even Marilee uses emoticons in official letters!
-Humor is important!

Most of all, keep up this blog, because they look at these things when you apply to be an MIT blogger (which you are going to do, just a heads up).

That's all, have a nice day!

-Snively-