The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee recently held a
meeting with federal and state officials to figure out how
to stop government employees from using fake degrees to
obtain employment and promotions.
“Phony degrees devalue the legitimate credentials earned
by millions of individuals through hard work, persistence
and achievement. Such degrees also may pose security and
other risks by helping unqualified individuals secure
sensitive positions, and that’s a risk we can’t afford to
take,” said Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Chair,
Susan Collins, R-Maine.
Representatives from the Department of Education, the
Office of Personnel Management, the General Accounting
Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Federal Trade
Commission attended the summit and reached a consensus
with the committee that DoE should create an authoritative
database of accredited institutions easily accessible over
the Internet, according to a press release from the committee.
GAO is set to publish a report on the use of diploma mills
and the committee is considering holding additional
hearings about that report and the use of faulty credentials
in general, said the committee.
