Is there anyway to verify a friend/coworkers Degree?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Ultimale, Jan 11, 2005.

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  1. Ultimale

    Ultimale New Member

    This has come up many times over the years. Friends, coworkers, etc. claims to have graduated from some top tier school, yet they can't even recognize their name in printed form.

    Is there anyway for a layperson to verify if a person graduated from a school?
     
  2. Jack Tracey

    Jack Tracey New Member

  3. plumbdog10

    plumbdog10 New Member

    Why would you want to. If you're doing your job, what someone else's qualifications are should not be of concern to you.
     
  4. Ultimale

    Ultimale New Member

    We don't live in a bubble

    Having worked in the past in a sales environment, and having to listen endlessly to some JackA$$ about how smart he is, how much smarter he is then the rest of the sales force, etc. At some point, it would be nice to call these morons out. When someone acts like an authority on everything, yet they can't back anything up. The act gets old.
     
  5. galanga

    galanga New Member

    Yes, and all it takes is a phone call to the registrar of the school in question. The registrar is allowed to answer yes or no to the question "Did you award such-and-such a degree to this particular individual?" without obtaining permission from the purported degree holder.

    Yes, I have done it, and yes, I did ask the registrars if they were allowed, in general, to answer such a question.

    G
     
  6. jerryclick

    jerryclick New Member

    Another way is to see where they "Graduated" from, then check here. At my previous job, my immediate Manager had a Bachelor's in Engineering from Hamilton U. His boss had a Ph.D. from St. Regis U. They denied me tuition reimbursement to pursue an MBA from Heriot-Watt, claiming "....it's not a real school..." <er,hunh?>
    I don't work there any more. :D
     
  7. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Re: Re: Is there anyway to verify a friend/coworkers Degree?

    Yes, such information is considered "directory information" under FERPA, and is not protected unless specifically requested by the student. (Few actually do.) They can tell you whether or not someone graduated, when, which degree, and in what major.

    Yes, I've done it, too.

    Some degree mills advertise confidentiality to their customers. I wonder why?
     
  8. adireynolds

    adireynolds New Member

    Re: Re: Re: Is there anyway to verify a friend/coworkers Degree?

    I'm intrigued. You don't have to request in writing -- they'll just do it over the phone? Wouldn't they normally ask why you want the information (I would), or they just provide the information, no questions asked?

    Cheers,
    Adrienne
     
  9. marcuscarey

    marcuscarey New Member

    I will try this out today. I've always wondered about this.
     
  10. jugador

    jugador New Member

    Oh PUH-LEEZE! You've really struck a nerve with that one. Any number of people can do a specific job, but if the job calls for a degree, and the co-worker falsifies same, it is unfair to the whole organization. (not to mention the people who "played by the rules" in applying for the ill-gotten job). Bogus degree holders are not harmless little fuzzballs. They are liars who harm the reputations of companies/agencies and create a climate of distrust and low morale.
     
  11. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Is there anyway to verify a friend/coworkers Degree?

    Not needed in writing.
    Yes, over the phone will do.
    No, they won't normally ask why you need it; they won't want to know. Remember, it's not private information, the information is public. Your motivations should not matter.
     
  12. adireynolds

    adireynolds New Member

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Is there anyway to verify a friend/coworkers Degree?

    Cheers, Rich.

    Adrienne
     
  13. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    Make sure when you call the school that you have the name spelled correctly.

    Just like in the movie "Meet the Parents"

    Sometimes people use short name, for example Joe Wiseman

    Is actually Joseph Weissemann.
    ;)



    Some schools have the year book on their web site.

    I was able to locate a long lost friend on the University of Michigan web site, they have year book and search capability to locate graduates.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 12, 2005
  14. marcuscarey

    marcuscarey New Member

    You will possibly need their SSN. I called yesterday and the institution will tell you however they asked for the SSN.
     
  15. stock

    stock New Member

    yes, just call up the registrar / dean and all they can tell u that a person named did graduate. However how does one ensure that there have not been 2 persons with same name would require u to give more info for correct information..
     
  16. aic712

    aic712 Member

    I have verified quite a few degrees for UOP. I usually have to ask who is calling per company policy, but I wouldn't turn them down if they didn't verify who they were. Like Rich said, it's public information, as is:

    the student's name
    date and place of birth
    home address
    phone #
    photograph
    e-mail address
    dates of attendance
    dates of admission
    program of study
    degree completion dates
    types of degrees earned
    grade level (senior, junior, etc.)
    most recent previous institutions attended and degrees earned

    (taken from the FERPA quick reference guide)
     
  17. -kevin-

    -kevin- Resident Redneck

    Not unless you have complied with the portion that requires you to notify the student of directory information and the student has an opportunity to provide or deny the release. I received a bunch of emails generated by the release of directory information that I had specifically stated I did not want released. The absolute last thing that anybody wants to do is flood a government entity with unsolicited emails. The biggest problem with the incident was that many students in the DL environment are international. Can you imagine the issues when I started receiving emails from classmates in a part of the world that is a hotspot. My government email was provided for the school to use not for other students. (However, as a nice aside I have apparently won 10 million dollars form some prince in Nigeria.)

    http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html

    "Schools may disclose, without consent, "directory" information such as a student's name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, honors and awards, and dates of attendance. However, schools must tell parents and eligible students about directory information and allow parents and eligible students a reasonable amount of time to request that the school not disclose directory information about them. Schools must notify parents and eligible students annually of their rights under FERPA."
     
  18. plumbdog10

    plumbdog10 New Member

    Understand this, I'm in no sense advocating lying on a resume or application. I'm just not sure why an employee would be that interested in the qualifications of a fellow employee. I can't help but feel that someone who wants to investigate their co-workers is a person who feels insecure about their own abilities. I would suggest performing your job better and leaving the investigations to you personel department.
     
  19. jerryclick

    jerryclick New Member

    Example A: A woman with a bogus degree in Psychology set herself up as a Company Psychologist, administering various tests, Aptitude, Personality Profiles, etc. She also obtained much personal information from this, using it to manipulate matters to her personal benefit.
    Example B: A Manager at a large automotive firm had a bogus degree in Engineering. He was put in the position of Manager of Quality Engineering. Many parts of questionable quality were approved by him. There were widespread rumors of kickbacks, payoffs, and other financial and personal skullduggery (none proven.) Just checking out if the college they claim to have a degree from matches what programs that school actually offers can sometimes be very revealing. And if it is your boss you are checking on, be prepared to change employment.
     
  20. Ultimale

    Ultimale New Member

    get a clue

    I've been the #1 salesperson for 7 consecutive years. I wonder what you think I must do to perform my job better? Maybe you have some tricks you could teach me, as apparently you are an expert? Your comments reak of someone who hasn't spent much time in the real world.

    I have trained well over 1,000 people how to increase their sales, quicker and in less time. I have written 3 sales manuals that are still used as the core training materials.

    I emphasize ethical selling as opposed to the traditional churn and burn approach that is prevelant in the selling industry.

    Plumbdog, you don't have a clue about what you are talking about. Best for you to stop while your behind., as the more you type, the more you remove any doubt as to how little you know.
     

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