After hearing of serious accusations about program violations, Dickinson State University is now mourning the loss of a notable figure.
Early Friday, the state board of higher education released the results of an audit that pointed to the improper awarding of hundreds of degrees. The audit states Dickinson State University ignored record-keeping rules and awarded degrees to foreign students who may not have earned them.
Most of the students were from China.
Since 2003, the school awarded degrees to 410 foreign students who were working to get dual degrees at Dickinson State and a University in their home country.
400 of those 410 students didn't have the credits or course work they needed to get a Dickinson State degree.
A News Conference at DSU Friday addressed the issue. While trying to clean-up matters, the University says it's going to focus on serving current students right now.
"Dickinson State University is a key university within the university system. We will not be in any way put into a state of doubt that we have a strong institution here," said William Goetz, North Dakota University System Chancellor.
The news conference was interrupted, when a lock down was ordered. Several hundred students were told to get to their dorm rooms or get off campus. A statement says the alert was due to a person missing for six hour and believed to have a weapon.
A body was later found off campus and identified as Doug Laplante. He was the dean of the College of Education, Business and Applied Science at DSU, which issued some of those degrees.
It appears he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
In addition to the death, we also have learned that several University heads stepped aside or resigned since the start of the controversy.
Original AP Story:
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - An audit report says Dickinson State University in North Dakota ignored record-keeping rules and awarded degrees to foreign students who may not have earned them. It says most of the students were from China. State university chancellor William Goetz and new Dickinson State President D.C. Coston are presenting the report later Friday. The Associated Press obtained an advance copy of the report, which depicts Dickinson State as a diploma mill for foreign students. It says since 2003, the school has awarded degrees to 410 foreign students who were working to get dual degrees at Dickinson State and a university in their home country. The audit says 400 of those 410 students didn't have the credits or course work they needed to get a Dickinson State degree.
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