Sheriff candidate bought a phony degree, cited credentials he lacked

By REBECCA BARRETT
Gazette-Times reporter

A candidate for Benton County sheriff bought a fake bachelor’s degree from an uncertified degree mill and made misleading and false statements about his educational background to voters, to the Benton County Sheriff’s Office and to the state police academy, the Gazette-Times has learned.

Public records from the state Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, the Corvallis School District, Linn-Benton Community College and Sgt. Jack D. Burright’s personnel file with Benton County reveal discrepancies about his schooling dating back to when he was first hired as a police officer by the Cannon Beach Police Department in 1991.

On Wednesday, the 13-year veteran of the sheriff’s office said he never intended to mislead anyone about his education and said mistakes he’s made about communicating his educational background weren’t intentional.

“I apologize for the errors,” Burright said.

The discrepancies were discovered by the Gazette-Times during a routine check of public records on candidates for local, state and federal offices in the November election.

The implications for Burright as an individual, as a candidate for public office and as an employee of Benton County are unknown at this time. But several of the agencies to which Burright misrepresented his credentials are opening their own investigations.

In Burright’s personnel file, which is maintained by Benton County Human Resources Department and was made available upon request, are his diploma and transcript from Farington University, showing that he earned a 3.9 GPA in his studies.

But, said Alan Contreras, administrator of the Oregon Office of Degree Authorization, “Farington University does not exist.

“That is to say there is someone out there that sells degrees under the name Farington University,” Contreras said. The Oregon Office of Degree Authorization monitors the certification of academic institutions and works with the U.S. Department of Education.

“Certainly it is illegal under Oregon law to use this kind of degree as a credential,” Contreras said.

Degree mills, including Farington, are places where people can buy bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, even law and medical degrees, with no questions asked, on payment of fees of anywhere from $1 to several thousand dollars.

Burright acknowledged that the Farington degree he purchased in July 2003 from a degree mill is not valid. Burright said he was the victim of false advertising. He said he didn’t know it was against the law to use false academic credentials.

“It seemed like a simple way to get things done,” he said.

Conteras said the state Office of Degree Authorization intends to send a “cease and desist” order to Burright, notifying him to stop using his Farington degree as an academic credential.

Attempts to contact Farington University were unsuccessful.

On a candidate’s filing form submitted to the Benton County elections office last year, Burright said he completed 12th grade at Corvallis High School. But school district records indicate Burright withdrew the spring of his junior year, re-enrolled the fall of his senior year, and withdrew later that winter without graduating.

Burright said he didn’t graduate from Corvallis High School in 1985. He said he received a GED after dropping out of school when his high school sweetheart became pregnant.

In 1991, on an application to the state Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, Burright said he graduated from Corvallis High School. He put two “x” marks next to the statement that said “high school graduate,” left blank the line that said GED, and wrote Corvallis High School under the name of school attended.

In 1992, when he applied to the sheriff’s office to become a deputy, Burright signed an application verifying he had a diploma or equivalent, the minimum job requirement. On two subsequent applications, in 1997 and in 2001 when he was promoted from deputy to corporal and then to his current rank of sergeant, Burright said he had a degree or certificate from Corvallis High School.

Burright said he didn’t read the candidate filing form, the application to the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training or the two Benton County job applications carefully before he answered that he had graduated from Corvallis High.

He said that he intended to let people know that he was a member of the class of 1985, not that he graduated from CHS in 1985.

“I was a smart, bright kid, but I made mistakes. I’m admitting to all of this. I didn’t pay close enough attention,” Burright said.

On a number of his job applications, Burright says that he has an associate’s degree “pending” from Linn-Benton Community College. Burright is an instructor at LBCC, where he teaches criminal-justice courses.

According to Debbie Zeller with LBCC’s registration and records office, Burright first enrolled at LBCC when he was 17, in September 1984. He left in June 1985, and then attended again from September through December 1986.

From September 1988 through June 1991 he attended, majoring in criminal justice.

Zeller said Burright has not received a degree or certification from LBCC. A student would need to have applied for graduation and to be enrolled and taking courses to complete that degree to be considered to have a degree pending, she said.

Burright’s LBCC transcript shows that he has earned 90 credits, the same number of credits required to complete an associate degree. However, those credits do not fulfill all the requirements for a criminal-justice degree. The transcript shows Burright had a 2.43 GPA at LBCC.

Fifteen years after he left LBCC as a student, Burright maintains that his degree is pending. He also included that information on his candidate filing form along with another “pending” degree.

That additional pending degree is from Southwest University, a recently accredited distance-learning institution based in Kenner, La. Burright said he is one class and a paper away from completing requirements for a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Southwest.

“What I’m trying to say is I’ve got the credits for those degrees,” Burright said, both from LBCC and from Southwest.

The registrar at Southwest confirmed that Burright is enrolled and is a student in good standing.

The Oregon Office of Degree Authorization confirmed that Southwest University is an accredited institution.

Burright’s actions could jeopardize not only his candidacy but also his career in law enforcement. Marilyn Lorance, supervisor with the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training certification and records division, said an investigation is being considered.

“Falsification of records provided to DPSST may result in the revocation of credentials or certifications,” Lorance said.

Benton County Human Resources Department manager Libet Hatch said she would meet with Sheriff Jim Swinyard and county counsel to discuss “how this might be relevant to (Burright’s) job.”

The Oregon Secretary of State Elections Division said it would open an investigation if any registered voter files a written complaint regarding false statements made by a candidate on a filing form.

Supplying false information on the form is a class C felony punishable by up to five years in jail and a $125,000 fine, according to the Oregon Secretary of State Elections Division.

Swinyard, who is retiring this year and who has endorsed Burright’s opponent, undersheriff Diana Simpson, said he would meet with county counsel and the Benton County district attorney to consider turning over information about Burright’s educational background for investigation.

“What I would say right now is I’m very disappointed that a member of the sheriff’s office has placed himself in a position to discredit the whole organization because that’s the way it works,” Swinyard said. “We all are painted with a broad brush. We are only as good or as bad as the least of us.”

Swinyard said he felt badly for Burright.

“It’s a very embarrassing thing for him. But I’m more concerned for all of the people in the agency,” he said. “It’s an embarrassment to me personally.”

Rebecca Barrett covers public policy and education for the Gazette-Times. She can be reached at rebecca.barrett@lee.net or 758-9510.

To view Jack Burright's Farington University diploma and transcripts, click on the link below.

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