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Science 31 January 2003:
Vol. 299. no. 5607, p. 659
DOI: 10.1126/science.299.5607.659c
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Random Samples

Bogus education. There's a new "scientist" in Congress--if you don't look too closely at her credentials.

Last year, Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) asked the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) to investigate diploma mills and shed light on their unsavory practices. So GAO bought Collins an undergraduate degree in biology and a graduate degree in medical technology--all for only $1515. "It was easy as pie," says GAO's Robyn Stewart, who chose the fields "to show how easy it is for someone to get a science degree."

The institution of which Collins is now alumna--Lexington University of Middletown, New York-- is nonexistent. But Degrees- R-Us, the company that "educated" Collins, not only has a Web site (lexingtonuniversity.org) but also a telephone answering service to handle credential checks from not-too-diligent potential employers.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)