Degrees devalued because of school's president?
@above31rubies (1863)
United States
May 2, 2008 6:04pm CST
As Oral Roberts University prepares to hand out diplomas to its Class of 2008, Anna Siebring, a junior, will be mailing out applications to transfer to another school. Siebring, a government major, is among many students having second thoughts about staying at Oral Roberts after six months of scandal at the evangelical Christian university.
She and others fear the furor will reduce the value of any degree they earn there. Some graduates worry that they will have to try twice as hard to market themselves to potential employers after Saturday's commencement.
"The reputation of the school means a lot," Siebring said. "I want to be proud of the school that I went to, but I could definitely not say that about the school right now."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080502/ap_on_re_us/oral_roberts_scandal
Do you think that the behavior (or rather misbehavior) of the president of the school really has much to do with how an employer is going to view an applicant's degree from said school? Does the behind the scenes shenanigans of the president have any bearing whatsoever on the quality of education the students receive?
I suppose it has some bearing on their quality of life at the school...if he was spending money that should have been spent on maintenance, upgrades, etc. And if he was the main decision maker.
But is their concern that their degree will hold less merit really a valid one?
2 responses
@Ldyjarhead (10241)
• United States
6 May 08
Hmmm.
I don't know if the degree would be worth less to an employer, but human nature being what it is, it certainly is possible. When it comes down to comparing candidates for a position, all other things being equal, a pigskin from one school may carry more weight than another. I don't suppose it would be any different than someone opting to hire someone from their alma mater rather than a rival school. Doesn't make it fair, but life rarely is.
When facts are laid out, it probably wouldn't make a difference. In someone's mind, it's a whole different story. When people remember a school, town, large corporation, etc, they'll always remember the negative first. Sad, but true.
1 person likes this
@rosettaresearch (1285)
• United States
2 May 08
Umm, it's Oral Roberts University. It's not like the degree had that much value to begin with. Face it, those who have even heard of the school know it is an evangelical Christian school. That means it comes with its own baggage. Sounds like she is just trying to find an excuse for her own poor choice in schools.
Trust me, school presidents come and go, no one holds who the president was at a particular time against the students.
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