Mr Barry McSweeney

galwayjanus

I am in total agreement with Druid. It doesn't matter what achievments the man has had in the past, it now seems that his 'PhD' is a complete sham. I had to listen to him speak at a conference last year and tell us all the importance of hard work and research. Then it turns out his is nothing more than a piece of paper. It makes a mockery of what every PhD student in this country is doing, spending 4 years to a get the qualification.

Now I see that he is speaking at the same conference this year, I hope that everyone in that room gets up and walks out when he takes the podium.

Syke

galwayjanus wrote:

I am in total agreement with Druid. It doesn't matter what achievments the man has had in the past, it now seems that his 'PhD' is a complete sham. I had to listen to him speak at a conference last year and tell us all the importance of hard work and research. Then it turns out his is nothing more than a piece of paper. It makes a mockery of what every PhD student in this country is doing, spending 4 years to a get the qualification.

Now I see that he is speaking at the same conference this year, I hope that everyone in that room gets up and walks out when he takes the podium.

I met Barry McSweeney and i've always found him an amicable man. That said, Im pretty shocked by the recent revelations.

It seems rather interesting that he recently spoke and supported reforms in funding for 4 year PhDs in science when it only took him a year to get his own.

Seriously though. Having never been through the same process and review procedure as so many people who have spent 3-7 years doing PhD work and then defending their thesis orally, he is not the person to dictate funding and research strategies reguarding PhD training and funding imho.

many people without PhDs have fantastic careers in science and are very well respected. However I don't recall any of them taking out an uncredited PhD to further tehir careers.

jd

i came acrosss this in the sunday times

Martin asks state’s science adviser about ‘bogus degree’Richard Oakley
THE Irish government’s chief science adviser has been asked to provide Micheal Martin, the enterprise minister, with details of his doctoral thesis following allegations that he was awarded it by a bogus university.
Barry McSweeney has been “given the opportunity” to prove the degree was earned correctly and awarded for a suitable body of work, according to government sources, following accusations he bought it from a “fee for degree” institution.
Last week McSweeney defended his PhD from the unaccredited Pacific Western University (PWU) in Los Angeles which he received in the early 1990s through distance learning.
He has also explained the circumstances in a phone conversation with Martin, and the enterprise department has defended his appointment last year as chief science adviser. But he is expected to meet officials and the minister in a bid to end the controversy.
McSweeney is understood to have told the department that the university was reputable when he was awarded his doctorate. But doubt has been cast on the status of any qualifications from PWU by an expert on American “diploma mills”.
PWU administrators are unable to provide a copy of McSweeney’s thesis and have even refused to release its title.
John Bear, an FBI consultant and an author of a guide to distance-learning colleges, described a qualification from PWU as a “ticking time bomb on a person’s CV”.
He said: “This man seems to have got himself into an embarrassing situation. I would have told him to steer clear of that university. The qualifications they give to people are not credible and in some states in the US it’s illegal to use them.” Bear said less than 1% of university registrars in America would recognise a qualification from PWU. An American television programme claimed some years ago that its campus in Hawaii was an empty office and its reporters were awared a degree in nine days. PWU denied this, but no legal action was taken. It is being sued by officials in Hawaii for breaches of consumer protection laws.
“It will be interesting to see if [McSweeney] presents his PhD and makes it public,” said Bear. “It is embarrassing to have a qualification from this university and to use it to call yourself a doctor.”
Steve Bonica, the president of PWU, said: “We are operating properly and the degrees we confer are legal.” He was unable to provide a copy of McSweeney’s doctorate, however. “We may or may not have a copy. We should have one, somewhere,” (!!!!!!) he said.
He said he needed permission to give the title of McSweeney’s paper.
Bear said this was typical. “It is almost laughable that a university not only cannot supply a copy of a doctoral thesis, but will not even reveal its title,” he said.
A spokesman for McSweeney was quoted in The Irish Times last week as saying that his doctorate took two years to obtain. She said it was based on research on the development of a biotechnology-based multi-research centre. The Labour party is to seek further clarification of McSweeney’s qualification this week. Jan O’Sullivan, its education spokeswoman, said: “We want more information on specific questions including the nature of the ‘substantial research’.” Last week the minister said McSweeney’s appointment was not made on the basis of his doctorate but on his experience. He has a biochemistry degree from University College Cork and a masters from Trinity College Dublin. He has worked as the director general of the European commission’s Joint Research Centre.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-1838760,00.html

Bonobo

Given that the Minister says he is looking into this McSweeney/Pacific Western University issue, I am sure he would welcome feedback and comments from people on it, particularly from those people who are working hard or have worked hard to obtain legitimate research qualifications from reputable universities.

Anyone who would like to assist the Minister with his consideration of the matter would be most welcome, I'm sure, to email his private secretary. Her email address is

Bridget_flynn@entemp.ie

toString

barry.mcsweeney@c-s.ie

paddy61

At the time Barry did his PhD he provided opportunities for Irish scientists to do PhDs in Bioresearch Ireland. Most of these posts are just purist crap, the only one who lacks courage are those who aren’t defending him. He was and is ahead of his time. paddy

Saoi

Those who have earned their doctorates the hard and honest way have every right to be angry.( Discussions of honorary doctorates and well known and ancient practices like the Trinity MA/M Phil distinction are red herrings.)

To make the claims B Mc Sweeney has made is to bring PhDs into disrepute. How bizarre when national policy is now to double our output of PhDs and to meet strict requirement of the Irish Universities Quality Board and adhere to good practice in research ethics. Shameful.

gmfreeman

toString wrote:

barry.mcsweeney@c-s.ie

It would be worth asking him the subject of his PhD dissertation and from where a copy of the dissertation can be obtained.

Anyone with a real PhD should have no worries about answering this question promptly and accurately.

Hope this helps

GMF

edanto

The Irish Times site has just announced that he no longer has the job as Chief Science Advisor. He's moving to a new post in the Dept Comms, Marine & Natural Resources and his old job will be filled by public competition.

Ouch.


EDIT: Maybe 'resigned' isn't such a good title. The breakingnews.ie site reports it as him being moved.

Either way, I guess it came back to bite him in the ass after all. I think it's a bit of a pity, he was doing a good job and probably would have done just as good as job if he called himself Mr. McSweeney.

But he didn't, he put the 'Dr.' flag up and got shot down. Hope the next one is as enthusiastic.

Saoi

Hey there,

I am so sure if the odinary proles like myself were caught out in such a cover up I would not have the luxury of being 'moved; I would be bloody-well fired. I am so glad for my current (and past) PhD students that they have some confirmation that ethical behavior and gruelling hard work and standards really do matter. Most of them will never reach Mr Mc Sweeney's level of income or status, but I hope they will always know that their work was valid, honourable and will stand the test of time and peer reviews. I hope for all of them that they exceed him in achievement and rewards.

cruiserweight

Trevor Sergeant brought up Mr McSweeneys appointment to a new role this morning on leaders questions and the debate getting quite heated! My favourite bit was when John Gormley said something across the floor to Bertie and Bertie replied "what would you know about science ......... what would you know about anything for that matter"!

bonkey

Looking at this thread, its noteworthy how many of the posters have a postcount < 3.

i71jskz5xu42pb

bonkey wrote:

Looking at this thread, its noteworthy how many of the posters have a postcount < 3.

Noteworthy why exactly?

edanto

Maybe some of them are friends that were equally upset and found out about boards at the same time? It is striking though - I suppose some of them could be the same person with two accounts; would it make much difference though?

I wonder if they'd like to comment on whether their motivations are political or just anger at the perceived deception? By the way, IMO, there was no deception, he never hid PWU - but I can understand the feelings of those that are working hard towards PhDs.

I hope that the push towards a well-funded 4th level that McSweeney started last year keeps up it's momentum. The Irish University Association published a policy doc last month incorporating a lot of his recommendations.

He was able to rock the boat since he had such a long time out of the country and didn't have many politico-scientific allegiences to worry about it. I'd be a bit worried that the next person in the job won't have the same freedom - no matter how 'good' their academic qualifications.

ishmael whale

http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/1116/mcsweeneyb.html
The Tánaiste has defended the Government's decision to appoint Barry McSweeney as the Government's chief scientific advisor. Mary Harney said a doctorate was never a requirement for the post. Speaking at a conference in Dublin today, she said Mr McSweeney had enormous experience managing 2,000 people and a budget of €5-6bn at EU level. ….Ms Harney said it had brought the office into disrepute. She added that the Government felt the fairest thing to do was to retain his talents in the public sector but to remove him from his post as the chief scientific advisor.

It looks simple enough, really. Either the whole business about the doctorate isn’t a problem, in which case there’s no need for him to go, or the whole business about the doctorate is a problem in which case there’s hardly a pressing need to create a new job at the same salary.

cruiserweight

ishmael whale wrote:

It looks simple enough, really. Either the whole business about the doctorate isn’t a problem, in which case there’s no need for him to go, or the whole business about the doctorate is a problem in which case there’s hardly a pressing need to create a new job at the same salary.

I think that it is not a problem in so far as his ability to actually carry out the job as chief science advisor. I think where the problem arises is that in academic circles what he has done is completely unacceptable and as he is dealing with a lot of academics he may not get the same level of respect or cooperation that he previously received.

So it seems to me that the government sees him as a key civil servant, but because of difficulties that he may encounter, or embarassment which he (Barry McSweeney) or the government might receive it was deemed a wise move to move hime somewhere else!

Jackz

I know another dodgy doctor

Wikipedia:

Paisley's use of the title 'Dr.' derives from an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree awarded by Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina.

OT but ah well.