Detroit Zoo Apology
Resume fraud by public and semi-public figures crops up in the news fairly often. You have to wonder what they were thinking. Details about education, degrees and prior job experience are not that hard to check, so it is a cinch that someone in a high profile position who fudges the record will get found out eventually. For that matter, even people in not-so-high-profile positions run a huge risk of getting tripped up—by Google, if nothing else. So never pad your resume, Apology Index readers!
That said, I really was named Time magazine "Person of the Year" for 2006, just like it says in my little bio over there to the left. I am absolutely putting that on my resume. You should too.
But one person who might hesitate to claim that accolade is Dr. Ron Kagan, Director of the Detroit Zoo.
No, wait. Actually, he is non-Dr. Ron Kagan, Director of the Detroit Zoo. It seems that Mr. Kagan never quite finished up the requirements for his Ph.D in zoology from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, though he has claimed the doctorate on his resume for years. A case of low cunning and deception by a fiendish fraud exposed at last?
Not quite.
Kagan told the Free Press last week that he finished his coursework and wrote a dissertation at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, but that one of his advisers never signed off on the dissertation. He said he returned to Israel twice to try to clarify the matter, but couldn't and eventually quit trying. (freep.com)
I had something like that happen once in college. A professor miscalculated my final grade in a course. It was holy heck trying to track him down, get him to recognize his error and submit a corrected grade. That would have been even more difficult had my professor been on the other side of the world. I can see how Kagan would be tempted to just throw up his hands. He did, after all, do all the work for his degree. He was just missing a signature.
Still, it was a misrepresentation to say he had the degree once he realized that he didn't. (You know, my university actually give you a degree you can frame ... so you pretty much know if you have it or not.)
So how did this come to light?
His academic qualifications became an issue June 21 after the board received an anonymous fax stating there were misrepresentations on Kagan's resume. (MyFoxDetroit.com)
Ok, that's just low. Obviously someone had it in for Ron Kagan, but lacked the guts to come forward with what they knew. So they decided to do him in with an anonymous fax. Hey, real classy, Anonymous Loser!
Still, Kagan is the head zoo keeper. Maybe he has a history of feeding his enemies to the bears and the Anonymous Loser felt that preserving his or her identity was necessary. But I'm skeptical.
Anyway, the Zoo board was obligated to question Mr. Kagan about this allegation and launch an investigation of his background. Kagan admitted the lie and the investigation confirmed that he does hold a bachelor's in zoology from the University of Massachusetts and a master's from Hebrew University in 1980.
Now his fate rested with the 43 board of the Detroit Zoological Society. Naturally, they fired him, right?
Wrong.
Zoo board Chairman Gail Warden said Kagan will be ordered to forfeit one month's pay and issue a public apology on the zoo's Web site. (MyFoxDetroit.com)
This is where the story veers into Frank Capra territory.
Detroit Zoological Society Chairman Gail Warden, who said the board was disappointed that Kagan had misrepresented his qualifications, but impressed with the way he has run the zoo for almost 15 years.
"Ron has done a great job ... and I stand by him today just as I did when I reappointed him in 2002," he said.
Wow. Is he that good?
"There have been many wonderful exhibits developed under his leadership and the tough decisions he made on animal welfare," Warden said. "The board realizes the important role he played to the zoo and the zoological society and the work today toward permanent funding for the zoo and the tax referendum."
...
Kagan is credited with bringing innovative exhibits to the zoo including a National Amphibian Conservation Center and a polar bear exhibit. (freep.com)
Polar bears! I love polar bears!
So, yes, resume fraud is wrong. But if you do an outstanding job — and bring in polar bears — you might not get fired when someone sends in an anonymous fax questioning your credentials. (Take that, Anonymous Loser!)
Now for the apology:
He also knows several polar bears who would be very angry if the mean Board made their friend go away.
Happy ending! Parade! Hooray!
One last piece to this story. Who hates Ron Kagan so much that they would send that anonymous fax in the first place? A possible clue:
APOLOGIZER: Ron Kagan, Director of the Detroit Zoo
APOLOGIZEE: Detroit Zoological Society staff, volunteers, members, donors, guests, the community, and all who love and support the Detroit Zoo
FOR: Misrepresenting credentials.
That said, I really was named Time magazine "Person of the Year" for 2006, just like it says in my little bio over there to the left. I am absolutely putting that on my resume. You should too.
But one person who might hesitate to claim that accolade is Dr. Ron Kagan, Director of the Detroit Zoo.
No, wait. Actually, he is non-Dr. Ron Kagan, Director of the Detroit Zoo. It seems that Mr. Kagan never quite finished up the requirements for his Ph.D in zoology from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, though he has claimed the doctorate on his resume for years. A case of low cunning and deception by a fiendish fraud exposed at last?
Not quite.
Kagan told the Free Press last week that he finished his coursework and wrote a dissertation at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, but that one of his advisers never signed off on the dissertation. He said he returned to Israel twice to try to clarify the matter, but couldn't and eventually quit trying. (freep.com)
I had something like that happen once in college. A professor miscalculated my final grade in a course. It was holy heck trying to track him down, get him to recognize his error and submit a corrected grade. That would have been even more difficult had my professor been on the other side of the world. I can see how Kagan would be tempted to just throw up his hands. He did, after all, do all the work for his degree. He was just missing a signature.
Still, it was a misrepresentation to say he had the degree once he realized that he didn't. (You know, my university actually give you a degree you can frame ... so you pretty much know if you have it or not.)
So how did this come to light?
His academic qualifications became an issue June 21 after the board received an anonymous fax stating there were misrepresentations on Kagan's resume. (MyFoxDetroit.com)
Ok, that's just low. Obviously someone had it in for Ron Kagan, but lacked the guts to come forward with what they knew. So they decided to do him in with an anonymous fax. Hey, real classy, Anonymous Loser!
Still, Kagan is the head zoo keeper. Maybe he has a history of feeding his enemies to the bears and the Anonymous Loser felt that preserving his or her identity was necessary. But I'm skeptical.
Anyway, the Zoo board was obligated to question Mr. Kagan about this allegation and launch an investigation of his background. Kagan admitted the lie and the investigation confirmed that he does hold a bachelor's in zoology from the University of Massachusetts and a master's from Hebrew University in 1980.
Now his fate rested with the 43 board of the Detroit Zoological Society. Naturally, they fired him, right?
Wrong.
Zoo board Chairman Gail Warden said Kagan will be ordered to forfeit one month's pay and issue a public apology on the zoo's Web site. (MyFoxDetroit.com)
This is where the story veers into Frank Capra territory.
Detroit Zoological Society Chairman Gail Warden, who said the board was disappointed that Kagan had misrepresented his qualifications, but impressed with the way he has run the zoo for almost 15 years.
"We do trust him. We feel he is the person who is best to provide leadership to the zoo going forward," Warden said. (freep.com)
"Ron has done a great job ... and I stand by him today just as I did when I reappointed him in 2002," he said.
Wow. Is he that good?
"There have been many wonderful exhibits developed under his leadership and the tough decisions he made on animal welfare," Warden said. "The board realizes the important role he played to the zoo and the zoological society and the work today toward permanent funding for the zoo and the tax referendum."
...
Kagan is credited with bringing innovative exhibits to the zoo including a National Amphibian Conservation Center and a polar bear exhibit. (freep.com)
Polar bears! I love polar bears!
So, yes, resume fraud is wrong. But if you do an outstanding job — and bring in polar bears — you might not get fired when someone sends in an anonymous fax questioning your credentials. (Take that, Anonymous Loser!)
Now for the apology:
July 2, 2007
I want to sincerely apologize to the Detroit Zoological Society staff, volunteers, members, donors, guests, the community, and all who love and support our Detroit Zoo for my mistake. While an apology won't correct it, I do want everyone to know that I'm truly sorry.
I'm grateful to our Board for accepting my apology — I offer no
excuses — and for inviting me to stay on as Executive Director. I
accept the Board's sanctions with the seriousness with which they're
given, and hope that my performance going forward will reinforce that
they made the right decision.
Sincerely,
Ron Kagan
He also knows several polar bears who would be very angry if the mean Board made their friend go away.
Happy ending! Parade! Hooray!
One last piece to this story. Who hates Ron Kagan so much that they would send that anonymous fax in the first place? A possible clue:
[Kagan] is perhaps best known for his controversial decision to send the zoo's two aging elephants to a California sanctuary. Kagan argued that the zoo didn't have adequate space to properly care for the animals.
The decision irked many zoo visitors and officials at other zoos that
keep elephants, but it made him a hero to many in the animal welfare
community. (freep.com)
I suspect the Elephant Mafia.
DATE: July 2, 2007APOLOGIZER: Ron Kagan, Director of the Detroit Zoo
APOLOGIZEE: Detroit Zoological Society staff, volunteers, members, donors, guests, the community, and all who love and support the Detroit Zoo
FOR: Misrepresenting credentials.
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