No employees at Dickinson State University will be immediately disciplined for awarding hundreds of degrees to foreign students who didn’t earn them, TIME is reporting. The news was confirmed by the chancellor of North Dakota’s university system, William Goetz. The vice president in charge of overseeing the program in which the students studied at Dickinson State, which is located in Bismarck, resigned after the audit confirming the news was released.
The school’s vice president for academic affairs, Jon Brudvig, will serve in a yet-to-be determined role while he looks for another job, Goetz said. Since the audit didn’t mention Brudvig, his resignation wasn’t requested. Goetz said Brudvig decided on his own not to continue with his responsibilities.
The news also comes with the apparent suicide of university administrator Doug LaPlante. Since the audit didn’t mention him by name either, it’s unclear whether his death was connected to the audit. But LaPlante led the business program where many of the affected students studied.
Many school officials were informed of the audit before it was released on February 10, 2012. “I won’t draw any conclusions at this time.” Goetz said. He added he won’t discipline any employees yet, as “We certainly want to make certain issues are handled appropriately.”
Written by: Karen Benardello
