MIT admissions dean resigns over resume fraud. Ouch!

<p>In academia, ANY sort of intellectual dishonesty are capital offenses. One cannot have a top officer at a university who was intellectually dishonest. The same would go if she had plagiarized.</p>

<p>You are right Cavalier. How ironic. :o</p>

<p>From the link posted by mootmom:</p>

<p>"Jones warned against "making up information to present yourself as something you are not." She wrote, "You must always be completely honest about who you are.""</p>

<p>Some thoughts:</p>

<p>According to the Globe article, the university chancellor says that she claimed to have degrees from RPI, Union College, and Albany Medical College (!?!). In fact, she had none of them. MIT became aware when they received a phone call questioning her credentials. </p>

<p>I expect that the 'investigation' was short. It's not hard to imagine how it came about: a prominent, outspoken admissions official (and best-selling author) claims to be a graduate of your school. If she's in your age group, perhaps you go to a yearbook. "Did I know her?" you might ask. The truth dawns; you make a phone call. </p>

<p>In reality, it's a wonder it took this long. RPI is not a small school.</p>

<p>Also, Ms. Jones must have known this day was coming. What a way to live--waiting for your world to cave in.</p>

<p>I don't condone what she did. The world, however, will provide scorn and punishment enough, I don't think we need to pile on. But, I do thank her for all the compassion and humanity she has offered. Her presence will be missed.</p>

<p>Shelf life and Cavalier302 are closer to the truth about this episode.</p>

<p>Marilee Jones has sat in judgment - selecting and rejecting 17 and 18 years olds based on a system of tests, grades, EC's, evaluations, recommendations etc. for at least 9 years!</p>

<p>Further, she has published and lectured based on her position on the subject that she herself has lied about for her entire porofessional career at MIT.</p>

<p>I will save any sad feelings for those students who were rejected by a system controlled and managed by a Liar and a Cheat.</p>

<p>The Liar and Cheat are capitalized precising because Jones capitalized on her lies to set herself up as a 'model' and as an 'advocate' when her ethical measure has been shown to be non-existent.</p>

<p>I wonder who the person that might have been selected as MIT's Director in 1998 feels about Jones. I wonder if Jones has been involved on MIT's campus on any Ethics questions? I wonder if she has fired anyone from Admissions in the past 9 years?</p>

<p>Her deceit has multiple ramifications and could have effected many lives. She deserves no sympathy, has earned no respect, she is a phony who placed herself in a judging role, controlling the aspirations, hopes and dreams of thousands of young lives.</p>

<p>wow!</p>

<p>I can't believe you people are cheering for her.</p>

<p>Al Mujahid for debauchery</p>

<p>No sympathy for these hypocrites. At least she earned her living for 30 years and wrote a book.</p>

<p>Don't worry, Abhi, the harsh criticism will start after the shock is over with. I'm a bit mad over this issue, and I think everyone else is too.</p>

<p>Per the Globe:

[quote]
Jones listed on her resume that she had degrees from Albany Medical College, Union College, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, but she had no degrees from any of those schools, said MIT chancellor Phillip Clay.</p>

<p>Jones started at MIT as an administrative assistant.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I recall hearing her introduced as someone with a science background. Why would someone with three degrees (including ones from RPI and Albany Medical) be hired as, or take a job, as an administrative assistant?</p>

<p>Marilee gave me a pip. Can we say schadenfreude here?</p>

<p>I don't understand why so many people find Marilee Jones to be "nice". She may be warm and presentable in person, look you in the eye and speak well. But I find her approach to admissions anything but nice.</p>

<p>MIT knows full well that it will not admit most applicants. Fine. But the warm and fuzzy "share your feelings, share your passion, yes you have a chance because you are just so extraordinarily interested in science" schtick sets up false hope, and worse, false intimacy. It is just very unprofessional in my opinion.</p>

<p>And now we learn that Marilee Jones is, quite literally, unprofessional. We learn that there never was any honesty. It makes so much sense to me now.</p>

<p>To sit in judgment on thousands of applicants every year and decide who shall enter and who shall not. To fashion herself as a spokesperson and write books and make speeches around the country about honesty and integrity in the admissions process. To earn large sums of money doing this and then be found to be dishonest and a liar.</p>

<p>Only one word - chutzpah.</p>

<p>^ pip?</p>

<p>(Has a lot of potential meanings, but I have no idea what you mean in this context...)</p>

<p>Moreover, we now know why MIT relied so much upon subjective criteria opposed to objective criteria in admissions, and (this is controversial) why MIT so warmly welcomes women, and has a 30% female admissions rate compared to a 10% male admissions rate. Marilee Jones set it up so that the ideal applicant is, that's right, herself -- a female with average objective credentials.</p>

<p>Pure hypocrisy. Everything she did was to benefit people like herself.</p>

<p>One word: NARCISSIST</p>

<p>I think these last couple of messages are taking things a bit far, no?</p>

<p>
[quote]
To sit in judgment on thousands of applicants every year and decide who shall enter and who shall not. To fashion herself as a spokesperson and write books and make speeches around the country about honesty and integrity in the admissions process. To earn large sums of money doing this and then be found to be dishonest and a liar.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I can only marvel at her guts.</p>

<p>And she didn't resigned voluntarily! She resigned when someone found out and phoned MIT. Had that not been case, she would have enjoyed the rest of her tenure.</p>

<p>
[quote]
**I think these last couple of messages are taking things a bit far, no?

[/quote]
**</p>

<p>Have you no respect for professional ethics? Too far? ** I think NOT. ** In my opine you have hardly begun to hear the direct comments about this type of fraud.</p>

<p>hazmat, I was referring to the sweeping claim that Marilee has rigged admissions to favor average applicants, specifically average female applicants. I don't think that's a very fair statement, that's all.</p>

<p>It was merely a (rather bold) hypothesis. I think it's a fair hypothesis, though, if you really consider it. Is it not? Is it not strange that Marilee Jones was made out to be a perfect applicant?</p>

<p>My hispanic friend who had perfect scores (SATs, APs) got denied. I was puzzled about this (as I've spoken about it on other threads), but now I know why. He was too perfect... MIT would rather have a hispanic person who has lower SAT/AP scores because that's how Marilee Jones is: without objective merit.</p>

<p>It amazingly all makes sense now.</p>

<p>Thanks for the clarification....at this point in time I have NO real world experience to know what sway she had with folders. How many did she work with and how did their process work? I think much more might come to light. I think this isn't over. </p>

<p>I would certainly like to know more.</p>