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German Science Minister Stripped of Her PhD
An anonymous reader writes "In a move likely to have major political implications, the University of Düsseldorf has revoked the doctoral degree of Germany's science and education minister, Annette Schavan. The committee investigating allegations of plagiarism came to the conclusion that she 'systematically and deliberately claimed as her own intellectual achievements which she had in fact not produced herself.' Schavan wants to appeal the decision in court and has not resigned from her post so far."
Having a PhD in germany is a status symbol more than anything. I expect this type of thing to happen more often since plagiarism is the easiest way to achieve this status symbol.
"Annette Schavan stripped"
do NOT want!
"A university committee yesterday evening confirmed accusations, first aired last May, of plagiarism in Schavan’s ethical-philosophical dissertation entitled ‘People and conscience — studies on the conditions, necessity and requirements for formation of conscience today’."
Naturally!!
Nothing interesting to say...MUST...NOT...REPLY...ohtheheckwithit.
Pics or it didn't happen... Ohh la la.
Come on, I can't be the first one to think of this joke....
If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.
Until she can copy off someone else's letter of appeal.
No one wil ever say it better!
The great Tom Lehrer
hmmm.
Romania's prime minister, Victor Ponta, was also accused of blatant plagiarism and it was all over the TV. His paper was nothing more than copy-pastes. So what happened? Well, there was this committee that was investigating these things and they were supposed to give their opinion on whether it was plagiarism or it wasn't. Two hours - TWO HOURS - before they were to give their response, the committee was officially dismantled. That didn't stop them from saying that it was plagiarism of the worst kind, but their response had no legal value. Welcome to Romania.
What a coincidence and what good luck the prime minister had... /s
It is now a smear campaign to point out someone is a cheater and a liar?
She has had many years to admit this. She chose not to.
When the University officially strips you of your degree, it's moved from "smear campaign" to "substantiated charges".
Defense Minister Guttenberg resigned from his post for the exact same reason a while back. Getting a PhD in Germany is a hardship and I can well imagine that some people would like to "cut some corners" to reach their goal.
Society doesn't value lying, cheating and deceptive practices for political carriers. At least not openly. Be careful of what you want. It's not because it's all commonplace behind the scene, that you want it to become the new normal, as it will just make it another grade worse.
current Committee on Science, Space and Technology member Paul Broun...
" embryology, evolution, and the Big Bang are "lies straight from the Pit of Hell ... lies to try to keep me and all the folks who are taught that from understanding that they need a savior."
former Committee on Science, Space and Technology member Todd Akin...
"If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. "
on Evolution - "I don’t see it as even as a matter of science, because I don’t know if you can prove one or the other."
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I'd love to see that kind of zeal put on the backgrounds of US politicians.
There are some very interesting articles on the "bribes-for-PhD" scam in Germany: In 2008 Time Magazine reported on an investigation into around 100 cases of bribes for PhDs: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1919339,00.html. One blogger claims 500 to 700 PhD's are illegitimately "purchased" each year by aggressive career-climbing German lawyers, managers and politicians. The blogger provides numerous citations: http://ktwop.wordpress.com/tag/guttenberg-fraud/. In 2011, the DW German news outlet called some German PhD's "cut and paste": http://www.dw.de/academic-consultants-target-phd-wannabes/a-14852460-1.
'Plagiarize, Let no one else's work evade your eyes, Remember why the good Lord made your eyes, So don't shade your eyes, But plagiarize, plagiarize, plagiarize... Only be sure always to call it please "research".'
It was a meta joke where OP was lying about the public not liking being lied to, to make the humorous point that the public likes it.
I LOLed at both the post and your response that missed the point, but it would have been much funnier if OP merely cut and pasted some historian or philosopher writing about the same subject, seeing as that was the whole point of the story.
Something like "It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles." other than Machiavelli probably could never have predicted he'd be quoted WRT a chick (formerly) with a PHD.
Churchills "A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on." would be a hilarious companion to the verbiage about "stripping" this woman.
Now back to work, all of us, as Stevenson said "On the plains of hesitation lie the blackened bones of countless millions who at the dawn of victory lay down to rest, and in resting died. "
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
Plagiatsvorwürfe gegen Merkel!
http://www.titanic-magazin.de/typo3temp/pics/b08249c126.jpg
Cryonics - Keep cool and carry on.
How does a university not know a dissertation is full of plagiarism? Only by wearing blinders!
Dissertations are supposed to be carefully checked by at least 3 professors. Her major professor and committee was at best rubber stamping her work without bothering to check anything. Or they were so incompetent or lazy that none were aware of whole areas of work in their field? How else to explain a failure to recognize plagiarism? And how could they not notice that a student's ability and knowledge had wide gaps? Shop talk should have exposed her as a fraud long before she got anywhere near graduation. Also, she may have a history of cheating, unless she earned a B.S. and M.S. honestly, and only resorted to cheating for the PhD? I suppose that could happen-- someone who had an easy time in school and never experienced failure might be tempted when facing it for the first time.
So how could this happen? They were deliberately overlooking serious problems because it suited them in some way. If it wasn't outright bribes and implied threats, as in, her family was a large donor who might not wish to donate any more if she didn't receive the degree, it could be that the department or school was too eager to boost their numbers.
This kind of crap is a black mark for everyone who legitimately earned a PhD.
Intellectual Property is a monopolistic, selfish, and defective concept. It is "tyranny over the mind of man"
Well, at least she doesn't have a PhD anymore, so better take the jobs you can get. If that means keeping the current one, then all the better.
and B. the profound irony re. matters of ethics/"conscience"!
Schavan’s ethical-philosophical dissertation entitled ‘People and conscience — studies on the conditions, necessity and requirements for formation of conscience today’.
Looks to me like she is now better than ever qualified for the job.
What accused? She's already been found guilty. The summary alone specifically says her PhD has been revoked.
Since this is now the 7th member of the ruling coalition that has been stripped of his or her title (beginning with defence minister Von Guttenberg), something like that seems like non-news to Germans like me.
I'm sure she deserved her doctorate as much as Dr Ian Paisley deserved his.
Whether she's doing a good job has relatively little to do with any titles she might now not hold any more.
Generally speaking, you're right.
But there are a few more details to take into account:
- She is the secretary of education. If she does/did not conform to the standards, how can one expect the current students and faculty to do so?
- She criticized a former colleague when he lost his PhD under similar circumstances.
- Like him she would not lose the job as a secretary for loosing the PhD, but due to lying during the whole affair instead of admitting guilt.
All of this, obviously, only if the appeals court comes to the conclusion that she was rightfully stripped of her PhD. Which is very likely, as so far German courts always (?) upheld such decisions from Universities.
Yes, people from her party claimed that the University didn't handle the case properly.
Just as people from opposing parties said the opposite.
This is just the usual politics.
The decision to strip her of her title was made by a commission with 15 or 16 members, with 2 opposing and 1 abstention.
So far, the German courts always upheld such decisions from Universities.
Mrs. Schavan has the right to appeal the decision. Doesn't mean she will get the result she's looking for.
Whether she's doing a good job has relatively little to do with any titles she might now not hold any more.
Oh yes, it does. She's the minister for education and science.
I could accept someone in that position who doesn't have an academic title. It would be a bit odd, but hey, we've had defense ministers who didn't go to the army (back when military service was still compulsory).
But one who had acquired an undeserved academic title through intentional deceit? Sorry, that's a slap in the face for everyone who worked hard on their titles, and such a person can not be the one in charge of the educational system and academia.
Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
Unfortunately this situations are increasingly. The students are losing the references and the teachers are losing the good reputation.
It is now a smear campaign to point out someone is a cheater and a liar?
She got her doctor title 30 years ago, not last week. You might not call it a smear campaign, as it is based on truth, but I find it always rather iffy when something that somebody has done 30 years ago counts more then all that which he has done since then. It's not like it was noticed that she cheated because of incompetence at the job, but just because it's currently a trend to dig through old doctor thesis of politicians in Germany.