ARTICLE
OPM Prohibits Diploma Mill Degrees

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is continuing to intensify its efforts to weed-out government employees who present academic degrees obtained through diploma mills.

On May 13, OPM Director Kay Coles James released a memo to federal managers putting an end to the use of credentials from diploma mills to qualify for federal jobs. Moreover, all tuition reimbursement to federal workers who take courses from these unaccredited institutions will be cut off.

"There is no place in federal employment for degrees or credentials from diploma mills," James wrote. "They may not be used to qualify for federal jobs or salaries. You may not send employees to diploma mills for degree training or any other form of education. You may not reimburse employees for tuition associated with these schools. You may not use your authority to repay student loans if the degree is from a diploma mill."

Under the new OPM policy, all institutions that are not accredited and award degrees based on "life experience" and not actual course work completed by the student, will be defined as a diploma mill.

James's memo comes on the heels of investigations by the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee (GSA) and the General Accounting Office (GAO) into the rise of diploma mills.

Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), chairwoman of the GSA, held a two-day hearing in March on this issue entitled, "Bogus Degrees and Unmet Expectations: Are Taxpayer Dollars Subsidizing Diploma Mills?" At this hearing the GSA heard testimony from several federal government representatives, including Robert Cramer, managing director of GAO's Office of Special Investigations. Cramer testified that they discovered that over $150,000 in federal funds was granted to unaccredited schools on the behalf of federal employees.

The GAO began an eight month investigation of diploma mills last year after Laura Callahan, a former senior director in the Department of Homeland Security's chief information officer's office, was placed on paid administrative leave following allegations that she had three questionable degrees from Hamilton University, a diploma mill based in Wyoming. Since the investigation Callahan has resigned.

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(Source: http://www.fcw.com)