Latest: Panel says Bresch didn't earn degree, according to report

MORGANTOWN -- West Virginia University's chief academic officer has the results of an investigation into whether Gov. Joe Manchin's daughter received a master's degree she didn't earn, but it's unclear how soon that report will be made public.

Provost Gerald Lang said Monday he had received the report on Heather Bresch and her disputed executive master's of business administration degree. The document now must be reviewed by the general counsel's office to ensure it complies with federal privacy laws designed to protect students' academic records, he said.

"We will move as quickly as possible to have the report to WVU's Board of Governors," Lang said. After that, the report will go to the 114-member Faculty Senate, then be made public.

Alex Macia, WVU's vice president for legal affairs and general counsel, was out of the state Monday and could not immediately be reached for comment.

Macia was believed to be in Michigan, where attorneys were taking the deposition of former WVU football coach Rich Rodriguez for the lawsuit over an unpaid $4 million buyout clause in his contract.

The committee that conducted the investigation will not comment on its report, said Roy Nutter, the panel's chairman.

"The Panel will of course continue to be observant and will be watching the unfolding of future events," Nutter said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

Bresch, chief operating officer of Canonsburg, Pa.-based Mylan Inc., a generic drug producer, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The investigating panel consisted of WVU professors Roy Nutter and Michael Lastinger, and three outside educators: Art Centonze, a dean emeritus of Pace University in New York; Lori Franz, former provost at the University of Missouri-Columbia; and John Burkoff, a law professor at the University of Pittsburgh.

The group began its work in February, trying to determine not only whether Bresch had earned the required credits for her 1998 EMBA, but also how the university administration responded when questions about the validity of the degree arose last fall.

The chairman of Mylan is a major benefactor of Bresch's father and WVU, and Bresch is a friend and former classmate of WVU President Mike Garrison.

But she has insisted she earned her degree fairly, substituting work experience for her final 10-credit semester with the blessing of then-program director Paul Speaker. She also recalls attending graduation and seeing her name in the program.

Speaker, however, says he does not recall ever allowing outside work to replace classroom work and told the AP his requirements were strict.

Latest: Panel says Bresch didn't earn degree, according to report

MORGANTOWN -- West Virginia University's chief academic officer has the results of an investigation into whether Gov. Joe Manchin's daughter received a master's degree she didn't earn, but it's unclear how soon that report will be made public.

Provost Gerald Lang said Monday he had received the report on Heather Bresch and her disputed executive master's of business administration degree. The document now must be reviewed by the general counsel's office to ensure it complies with federal privacy laws designed to protect students' academic records, he said.

"We will move as quickly as possible to have the report to WVU's Board of Governors," Lang said. After that, the report will go to the 114-member Faculty Senate, then be made public.

Alex Macia, WVU's vice president for legal affairs and general counsel, was out of the state Monday and could not immediately be reached for comment.

Macia was believed to be in Michigan, where attorneys were taking the deposition of former WVU football coach Rich Rodriguez for the lawsuit over an unpaid $4 million buyout clause in his contract.

The committee that conducted the investigation will not comment on its report, said Roy Nutter, the panel's chairman.

"The Panel will of course continue to be observant and will be watching the unfolding of future events," Nutter said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

Bresch, chief operating officer of Canonsburg, Pa.-based Mylan Inc., a generic drug producer, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The investigating panel consisted of WVU professors Roy Nutter and Michael Lastinger, and three outside educators: Art Centonze, a dean emeritus of Pace University in New York; Lori Franz, former provost at the University of Missouri-Columbia; and John Burkoff, a law professor at the University of Pittsburgh.

The group began its work in February, trying to determine not only whether Bresch had earned the required credits for her 1998 EMBA, but also how the university administration responded when questions about the validity of the degree arose last fall.

The chairman of Mylan is a major benefactor of Bresch's father and WVU, and Bresch is a friend and former classmate of WVU President Mike Garrison.

But she has insisted she earned her degree fairly, substituting work experience for her final 10-credit semester with the blessing of then-program director Paul Speaker. She also recalls attending graduation and seeing her name in the program.

Speaker, however, says he does not recall ever allowing outside work to replace classroom work and told the AP his requirements were strict.