Marilee Jones, the former dean of admissions of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), resigned after twenty-eight years as an administrator in the admissions office. The dean for undergraduate education received information questioning Ms. Jones’s academic credentials. Her résumé, used when she was hired by MIT, indicated that she had degrees from Albany Medical College, Union College, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. In fact, she had no degrees from any of these schools or from anywhere else. She had attended Rensselaer Polytechnic as a part-time non-matriculated student during the 1974–75 school year, but the other institutions had no record of any attendance at their schools.
When Ms. Jones arrived at MIT for her entry-level position in 1979, a degree was probably not required. However, she did progress through the ranks of the admissions of- fice, and, in 1997, she was appointed dean of admissions. She explained that she wanted to disclose her lack of degrees at that point but that she had gone on for so long that she did not know how to come clean with the truth.
Answer the following:
1. If she had not resigned, would you have been in favor of firing Ms. Jones? Why or why not? What ethical principle from your reading are you following in making your decision? Would Bentham agree with you? Would Kant? Would John Rawls? Would Ayn Rand?
2. Is there a rationale for allowing Marilee Jones to retain her position after this discovery.? Is there a lesser "punishment" that would be acceptable to you?
Be certain to discuss your class readings and cite them, in particular the ethical theories discussed in class and in your readings.
3. In your opinion, are there resume "misstatements" that should not lead to termination? What would these be?