People walk past the Fox School of Business on the Temple University campus in Philadelphia, Friday, April 16, 2021. Moshe Porat, former dean of the school, was sentenced for falsifying data to boost the school's rankings, drawing more students and vastly increasing its revenue. PHILADELPHIA — A former dean of Temple University’s business school was sentenced Friday to a year and two months in prison in a scheme to falsely boost the school’s rankings.
Moshe Porat, 75, asked U.S. District Judge Gerald Pappert to spare him a prison term so he could care for his ailing wife,Pappert instead cited Porat’s lack of remorse and cited his obsession with driving the Fox School of Business to the top spot as “maniacal,” noting it caused real harm to master’s students who thought they were paying substantial money for a top-ranked degree.
In a statement issued Friday, Temple said it respects “the justice system and the judge’s sentencing decision.”Prosecutors have said he boosted the university’s online MBA program to the top spot on the U.S. News & World Report rankings for four years in a row. With help from two subordinates, who are also charged, they said Porat submitted false information about student test scores, work experience and other data.
The elevated rankings helped the university draw more students and vastly increased the Fox School of Business’ revenue under Porat’s tenure. An attorney for Porat, Michael A. Schwartz, had argued at trial that although made mistakes, Porat did not commit a crime.Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.
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