Questions Persist About Manchin's Daughter's WVU Degree

The Charleston Gazette is among those reporting that West Virginia University will appoint a panel "to look into a disputed master’s degree for Gov. Joe Manchin’s daughter, Mylan Pharmaceuticals executive Heather Bresch."

After breaking the story, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette also examines this latest development. It observes that the three-member investigative committee will include someone from the Higher Education Policy Commission, and that Manchin appoints seven of that body's 10 members.

WBOY-TV asked WVU President Mike Garrison about the controversy during an interview earlier this week. Specific video clips are here and here. (The first clip touches on Bresch about two-thirds of the way though, just as the camera zooms in on Garrison's hands.)

Others reporting on the story include The Associated Press and Public Broadcasting, which also relays a Mylan statement in support of its chief operating officer. "Rather than relying on anonymous and unsubstantiated sources, Mylan has received confirmation from West Virginia University that Ms. Bresch received her MBA in December 1998," the statement said.

The head of the agency that gives final accreditation to the WVU program that awarded the degree, meanwhile, tells the Charleston Daily Mail that the controversy "has no affect" on its accreditation.

Update: The Sunday Gazette-Mail takes a step back to offer context to the story, by examining the role such a degree plays in the business world.

"If, for instance, Bresch lacked the skills implicit in an MBA, she would simply be at a loss to do her job as chief operating officer of a global, multibillion-dollar corporation like Mylan," the article said, citing comments from an authority on the topic.