Provost resigns over academic records - West Chester, Pa - Teta V. Banks claimed degree from Oxford - Brief Article

Black Issues in Higher Education, Jan 3, 2002

WEST CHESTER, PA.

A top administrator at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania has resigned following questions about her resume -- specifically her claims to have earned a doctorate from Oxford University.

Teta V. Banks resigned last month from her position as the historically Black university's interim provost and vice president for academic and student affairs, a job that paid $83,000 annually.

The school released a brief statement without further explanation last month.

"On December 6, 2001, Teta V. Banks submitted her resignation from employment at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, effective immediately," the statement read. Banks could not be reached for comment.

Cheyney President W. Clinton Pettus and Vice President of Institutional Advancement Sharon Cannon declined to elaborate on the circumstances of the resignation.

Banks claimed to have earned a doctorate in English from Oxford University's Exeter College in 1982. Calls to Oxford and Exeter in England revealed no record of her earning a degree there, however.

Banks had been the subject of faculty suspicions over her qualifications since she was appointed interim provost in 2000.

In a November interview, Banks blamed computer and clerical errors for her omission from the British university's records. After publication of the suspicions in a newspaper report, Banks was placed on paid administrative leave and was given a Nov. 30 deadline to prove she had earned the degree.

Pettus said Banks brought transcripts, letters and other documents to his office on Nov. 29 in support of her academic record. Those documents were under review Dec. 1 when she requested and was granted unpaid leave.

The university is seeking a replacement in national and local advertisements.