Academic Dishonesty: A Crisis on Campus

The recent corporate accounting scandals at Enron, WorldCom, Adelphia Communications, and Tyco International, as well as the largest American embezzlement of taxpayer funds of a school district, in Roslyn, NY, have compelled academics to review the ethical training of students. Many of the corporate executives involved in the fraudulent acts were trained in some of the most prestigious schools in the US. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the accreditation agency for business schools, can play a significant role in the handling of academic dishonesty by requiring that all accredited schools have strict academic dishonesty policies that are not only in place, but enforced. Some may question whether such extreme measures are warranted. This is something that the profession needs to consider carefully. Promoting and enforcing academic honesty is in the best interest of honest students -- who earn their grades, as opposed to the cheaters. Students compete for the best jobs, and employers compete for the best students.