Uva president Scott Beardsley’s sketchy “doctorate”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I honestly know very little about him but I know one of his whole things is his non-traditional background, and I think he was clear that the education degree was about stamping a required box and not his primary study or qualification.

Ah, yes, the meritocracy at work!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Academic here: the best college administrators are not always the best scholars. Managerial skills and brilliant scholarship are not one and the same; often they don't co-exist. I can be as snobby about degrees as the next person, but for me the key to a great university president is not what they've published but how they handle students, faculty, parents, fundraising, community-building, etc

True, which is why not every Nobel prize winner should pursue admin…in fact, they should prob just stick to research. (Some of them prob shouldn’t teach)

That said, in the t25 and esp the Ivies, they want the whole pkg. The respected scholar who also has good admin experience as a provost or a dean usually. That’s part of why Jennifer Mnookin’s appt is lauded at Columbia, she has sig admin experience (dean at ucla law before wisconsin prez) AND she’s a top notch scholar. Ditto Drew Gilpin Faust at Harvard previously, esp.

Once in awhile you do have someone with an sig record of public service who wasn’t an academic, like Janet Napolitano at the UCs and John King who heads the SUNYs. (Interestingly, both systemwide vs institutional presidents)…so there’s an exception of you were a former cabinet secretary, which is kinda a big deal. Same as the prez at William and Mary, cabinet secretary, though he has a legit PhD from Yale. Recently you have the new president of USC, who is not an academic (former general counsel) but of course has a Harvard undergrad, Harvard JD. He also has the public service record, though not cabinet secretary level. But USC is kinda Hollywood (vs UVA “public ivy”/wants to be compared to the Ivies).

The article’s point seems to be that Beardsley presents his advanced degree as a “doctorate,” which it technically is, but any real academic wouldn’t call a two year executive program a real doctorate.

[Anonymous]

Another issue is that seeing Beardsley’s credentials as high quality or credible kind of relies on the public’s ignorance of what type of program he actually got his “doctorate” from. Maybe it was box checking, but I’m not sure someone who sees a “doctorate” as just a box to be checked off on the road to power really gets academia.

The Cav Daily said he (SB) applied to the presidency of Yale and another Ivy when he just had a MBA and no higher ed experience. That’s white man confidence for ya! Anyway, box checked and now he gets $8 mill if they fire him.

[Anonymous]

Dr Science

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paywalled but basically his “doctorate from Penn” is a two year Ed.D. from a cash cow, pay to play program

https://richmond.com/opinion/column/article_a6df09e0-5d84-411c-a780-c6416e28ddd3.html

There’s already a lot of prejudice towards ed schools and EdDs in elite academia (as in, the EdD is not the terminal degree unless it’s from Harvard Ed school or Columbia Teachers College) but a two year program made up of classes once a month, plus a week or two per summer, seems pretty skimpy. Definitely sets him apart from the presidents of the actual Ivies, AAU, or T20 schools. Not a great for UVa, besides all of the political issues with the appointment.

Another poster envious of UVA and grasping at straws. Give it a rest.

I’m not the OP. But any decent academic institution is led by someone who has experience doing true academic research and has been established academically.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VT president had a PhD in engineering from Berkeley.

Rocket scientists don’t necessarily make the best administrators.

But he actually does, so…
DP

[Anonymous]

No dog in this race as I'm not DMV. I agree that Ed.D. is weak sauce for a t25 president. Most public high school principals have Ed.D., at least where I'm at (Midwest). And his career experience is nothing extraordinary. UVA can do a lot better than that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VT president had a PhD in engineering from Berkeley.

Rocket scientists don’t necessarily make the best administrators.

At least he had a real degree.

And he happens to be an excellent administrator.
https://www.president.vt.edu/index/biography.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Academic here: the best college administrators are not always the best scholars. Managerial skills and brilliant scholarship are not one and the same; often they don't co-exist. I can be as snobby about degrees as the next person, but for me the key to a great university president is not what they've published but how they handle students, faculty, parents, fundraising, community-building, etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Paywalled but basically his “doctorate from Penn” is a two year Ed.D. from a cash cow, pay to play program

https://richmond.com/opinion/column/article_a6df09e0-5d84-411c-a780-c6416e28ddd3.html

There’s already a lot of prejudice towards ed schools and EdDs in elite academia (as in, the EdD is not the terminal degree unless it’s from Harvard Ed school or Columbia Teachers College) but a two year program made up of classes once a month, plus a week or two per summer, seems pretty skimpy. Definitely sets him apart from the presidents of the actual Ivies, AAU, or T20 schools. Not a great for UVa, besides all of the political issues with the appointment.
[b]

Gee, OP, maybe if you had given your post a thought before posting …. Or bothered to research the people and issues involved.. you might have realized you had it wrong:

1) the article you cite is not the opinion of the paper (and just a Richmond paper at that) but an editorial by a single guest author.

2) this author is a professor of education (yes, same degree you are making of) and has an axe to grind because her field is the diminishing one of race, diversity and DEI in education.

3) As a young academic, she needs to make herself relevant so wrote this trash to keep current with publications. Note it’s in a Richmond paper, not even Charlottesville or a national paper.

4) if you had bothered to even read up on Scott Beardsley’s background you would know he has: (direct from Wikipedia) “Beardsley graduated from Tufts University, where he earned a BS in electrical engineering. He subsequently earned an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He earned an EdD in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania in 2015. As of 2024, he is completing a part-time master of studies in practical ethics (artificial intelligence) in the Department of Philosophy at Pembroke College, University of Oxford.”

5) the info in wiki is old. I believe Beardsley the Oxford MPhil degree now -so he has a hard science undergrad and three graduate degrees.

6) had you bothered to check in what people at UVA think (where I am now), you would have learned that the Presidency of any University is primarily that of fund-raiser and that Beardsley is renowned for what he has already accomplished in that area at UVA. No one is unhappy with his pick. Now you might find some liberal Spanberger types who try to trash him but so far nothing has stuck - and they are uniformly off grounds people (like the author of this piece) who don’t know what they are talking about.

7) the article you cite is old and was never picked up by any major publication for the reasons given above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paywalled but basically his “doctorate from Penn” is a two year Ed.D. from a cash cow, pay to play program

https://richmond.com/opinion/column/article_a6df09e0-5d84-411c-a780-c6416e28ddd3.html

There’s already a lot of prejudice towards ed schools and EdDs in elite academia (as in, the EdD is not the terminal degree unless it’s from Harvard Ed school or Columbia Teachers College) but a two year program made up of classes once a month, plus a week or two per summer, seems pretty skimpy. Definitely sets him apart from the presidents of the actual Ivies, AAU, or T20 schools. Not a great for UVa, besides all of the political issues with the appointment.
[b]

Gee, OP, maybe if you had given your post a thought before posting …. Or bothered to research the people and issues involved.. you might have realized you had it wrong:

1) the article you cite is not the opinion of the paper (and just a Richmond paper at that) but an editorial by a single guest author.

2) this author is a professor of education (yes, same degree you are making of) and has an axe to grind because her field is the diminishing one of race, diversity and DEI in education.

3) As a young academic, she needs to make herself relevant so wrote this trash to keep current with publications. Note it’s in a Richmond paper, not even Charlottesville or a national paper.

4) if you had bothered to even read up on Scott Beardsley’s background you would know he has: (direct from Wikipedia) “Beardsley graduated from Tufts University, where he earned a BS in electrical engineering. He subsequently earned an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He earned an EdD in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania in 2015. As of 2024, he is completing a part-time master of studies in practical ethics (artificial intelligence) in the Department of Philosophy at Pembroke College, University of Oxford.”

5) the info in wiki is old. I believe Beardsley the Oxford MPhil degree now -so he has a hard science undergrad and three graduate degrees.

6) had you bothered to check in what people at UVA think (where I am now), you would have learned that the Presidency of any University is primarily that of fund-raiser and that Beardsley is renowned for what he has already accomplished in that area at UVA. No one is unhappy with his pick. Now you might find some liberal Spanberger types who try to trash him but so far nothing has stuck - and they are uniformly off grounds people (like the author of this piece) who don’t know what they are talking about.

7) the article you cite is old and was never picked up by any major publication for the reasons given above.

Are you with the Jefferson Council?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Paywalled but basically his “doctorate from Penn” is a two year Ed.D. from a cash cow, pay to play program

https://richmond.com/opinion/column/article_a6df09e0-5d84-411c-a780-c6416e28ddd3.html

There’s already a lot of prejudice towards ed schools and EdDs in elite academia (as in, the EdD is not the terminal degree unless it’s from Harvard Ed school or Columbia Teachers College) but a two year program made up of classes once a month, plus a week or two per summer, seems pretty skimpy. Definitely sets him apart from the presidents of the actual Ivies, AAU, or T20 schools. Not a great for UVa, besides all of the political issues with the appointment.

What do you expect when the MAGAs picked him? The faculty are not happy! This alum isn’t either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paywalled but basically his “doctorate from Penn” is a two year Ed.D. from a cash cow, pay to play program

https://richmond.com/opinion/column/article_a6df09e0-5d84-411c-a780-c6416e28ddd3.html

There’s already a lot of prejudice towards ed schools and EdDs in elite academia (as in, the EdD is not the terminal degree unless it’s from Harvard Ed school or Columbia Teachers College) but a two year program made up of classes once a month, plus a week or two per summer, seems pretty skimpy. Definitely sets him apart from the presidents of the actual Ivies, AAU, or T20 schools. Not a great for UVa, besides all of the political issues with the appointment.
[b]

Gee, OP, maybe if you had given your post a thought before posting …. Or bothered to research the people and issues involved.. you might have realized you had it wrong:

1) the article you cite is not the opinion of the paper (and just a Richmond paper at that) but an editorial by a single guest author.

2) this author is a professor of education (yes, same degree you are making of) and has an axe to grind because her field is the diminishing one of race, diversity and DEI in education.

3) As a young academic, she needs to make herself relevant so wrote this trash to keep current with publications. Note it’s in a Richmond paper, not even Charlottesville or a national paper.

4) if you had bothered to even read up on Scott Beardsley’s background you would know he has: (direct from Wikipedia) “Beardsley graduated from Tufts University, where he earned a BS in electrical engineering. He subsequently earned an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He earned an EdD in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania in 2015. As of 2024, he is completing a part-time master of studies in practical ethics (artificial intelligence) in the Department of Philosophy at Pembroke College, University of Oxford.”

5) the info in wiki is old. I believe Beardsley the Oxford MPhil degree now -so he has a hard science undergrad and three graduate degrees.

6) had you bothered to check in what people at UVA think (where I am now), you would have learned that the Presidency of any University is primarily that of fund-raiser and that Beardsley is renowned for what he has already accomplished in that area at UVA. No one is unhappy with his pick. Now you might find some liberal Spanberger types who try to trash him but so far nothing has stuck - and they are uniformly off grounds people (like the author of this piece) who don’t know what they are talking about.

7) the article you cite is old and was never picked up by any major publication for the reasons given above.

If no one is unhappy why did the faculty write a letter?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paywalled but basically his “doctorate from Penn” is a two year Ed.D. from a cash cow, pay to play program

https://richmond.com/opinion/column/article_a6df09e0-5d84-411c-a780-c6416e28ddd3.html

There’s already a lot of prejudice towards ed schools and EdDs in elite academia (as in, the EdD is not the terminal degree unless it’s from Harvard Ed school or Columbia Teachers College) but a two year program made up of classes once a month, plus a week or two per summer, seems pretty skimpy. Definitely sets him apart from the presidents of the actual Ivies, AAU, or T20 schools. Not a great for UVa, besides all of the political issues with the appointment.

[b]Gee, OP, maybe if you had given your post a thought before posting …. Or bothered to research the people and issues involved.. you might have realized you had it wrong:

1) the article you cite is not the opinion of the paper (and just a Richmond paper at that) but an editorial by a single guest author.

2) this author is a professor of education (yes, same degree you are making of) and has an axe to grind because her field is the diminishing one of race, diversity and DEI in education.

3) As a young academic, she needs to make herself relevant so wrote this trash to keep current with publications. Note it’s in a Richmond paper, not even Charlottesville or a national paper.

4) if you had bothered to even read up on Scott Beardsley’s background you would know he has: (direct from Wikipedia) “Beardsley graduated from Tufts University, where he earned a BS in electrical engineering. He subsequently earned an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He earned an EdD in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania in 2015. As of 2024, he is completing a part-time master of studies in practical ethics (artificial intelligence) in the Department of Philosophy at Pembroke College, University of Oxford.”

5) the info in wiki is old. I believe Beardsley the Oxford MPhil degree now -so he has a hard science undergrad and three graduate degrees.

6) had you bothered to check in what people at UVA think (where I am now), you would have learned that the Presidency of any University is primarily that of fund-raiser and that Beardsley is renowned for what he has already accomplished in that area at UVA. No one is unhappy with his pick. Now you might find some liberal Spanberger types who try to trash him but so far nothing has stuck - and they are uniformly off grounds people (like the author of this piece) who don’t know what they are talking about.

7) the article you cite is old and was never picked up by any major publication for the reasons given above.

+1. Beardsley did a wonderful job at Darden, which is why he was picked. He’s a brilliant administrator and five-raiser.

He’s a 2026 candidate for a masters in A.I from Pembroke College, Oxford

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paywalled but basically his “doctorate from Penn” is a two year Ed.D. from a cash cow, pay to play program

https://richmond.com/opinion/column/article_a6df09e0-5d84-411c-a780-c6416e28ddd3.html

There’s already a lot of prejudice towards ed schools and EdDs in elite academia (as in, the EdD is not the terminal degree unless it’s from Harvard Ed school or Columbia Teachers College) but a two year program made up of classes once a month, plus a week or two per summer, seems pretty skimpy. Definitely sets him apart from the presidents of the actual Ivies, AAU, or T20 schools. Not a great for UVa, besides all of the political issues with the appointment.

Gee, OP, maybe if you had given your post a thought before posting …. Or bothered to research the people and issues involved.. you might have realized you had it wrong:

1) the article you cite is not the opinion of the paper (and just a Richmond paper at that) but an editorial by a single guest author.

2) this author is a professor of education (yes, same degree you are making of) and has an axe to grind because her field is the diminishing one of race, diversity and DEI in education.

3) As a young academic, she needs to make herself relevant so wrote this trash to keep current with publications. Note it’s in a Richmond paper, not even Charlottesville or a national paper.

4) if you had bothered to even read up on Scott Beardsley’s background you would know he has: (direct from Wikipedia) “Beardsley graduated from Tufts University, where he earned a BS in electrical engineering. He subsequently earned an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He earned an EdD in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania in 2015. As of 2024, he is completing a part-time master of studies in practical ethics (artificial intelligence) in the Department of Philosophy at Pembroke College, University of Oxford.”

5) the info in wiki is old. I believe Beardsley the Oxford MPhil degree now -so he has a hard science undergrad and three graduate degrees.

6) had you bothered to check in what people at UVA think (where I am now), you would have learned that the Presidency of any University is primarily that of fund-raiser and that Beardsley is renowned for what he has already accomplished in that area at UVA. No one is unhappy with his pick. Now you might find some liberal Spanberger types who try to trash him but so far nothing has stuck - and they are uniformly off grounds people (like the author of this piece) who don’t know what they are talking about.

7) the article you cite is old and was never picked up by any major publication for the reasons given above.

If no one is unhappy why did[b] the faculty write a letter?

Why do “some” not “all” faculty get involved where they are not wanted every time there’s an issue on any camous? Because they are protesters by nature and because they never have all the facts. You haven’t heard from that segment of the faculty since then, right? Of course not, they’ve gone off to protest something else. Also many were turned off by Ryan’s embarrassing self-serving 12 pages of excuses and whining. I was embarrassing for him. He actually admits in it that he shoukd not be held responsible for the discrimination at the Medical School in hiring and firing. Post the SCOTUS case. If not him, the. Who? That was his job. It was his job to deal with DOJ on the five discrimination cases but he failed to do that too. And he failed to bring UVA in line post-SCOTUS.

Go read the articles by the Jefferson Council. That’s actually what happened.