Friday, October 09, 2009

Earned Degree

I always wondered what happened to Sonny Bass - if he ever got his "earned" degree from UofL. Apparently so.

The Bass story was a mere blip on the radar screen following the Felner debacle, which led to the Deasy embarrassment - or at least, UofL should have been embarrassed.

At Page One, Jake reported in September 2008,

Mr. Bass was offered an honorary degree...but he wasn’t satisfied. He wanted an actual, earned degree. So...the College of Education enrolled him in a fast track program that would give him credit for life experience...

A student was assigned (and paid) to assemble a portfolio for Bass but eventually grew to be uncomfortable with the arrangement. At one point, after complaining, she was reportedly offered more money to appease her worries but eventually backed out of the process. A new student was then assigned.

According to professors...Bass never showed up to classes...never did any of the work required of him. And professors were uncomfortable giving grades to him– that he didn’t earn– since he was never in their classes.

Now Jake has updated the story, or at least a different story.

A special celebration Oct. 6 at 3 p.m. will mark the one year anniversary since the opening of the Gladys and Lewis “Sonny” Bass Louisville Scholar House Campus...Lewis "Sonny" Bass is a Louisville philanthropist who with his wife, Gladys, donated $1 million to the project in Oct. 2007

He wonders aloud if this may have motivated UofL to "come after" Page One and suspects "it all makes sense now."

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