> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Deasy degree called into question - URL: https://www.smdp.com/deasy-degree-called-into-question/ - Published: 2008-09-16T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T21:01:58.000Z - Author: Guest Author - Tags: Education, Malibu, #archive-import *School board reserves judgement* *By DAILY PRESS STAFF* LOUISVILLE, Ky. The University of Louisville could face sanctions from its accrediting agency if an internal investigation shows former Santa Monica-Malibu Superintendent John Deasy was improperly awarded a doctorate degree. The Courier-Journal of Louisville reported last week that by awarding a doctoral degree to Deasy, who was enrolled for only one semester, U of L violated the rules of the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Belle S. Wheelan, president of the commission, told the newspaper that if U of L is found to be out of compliance, her agency could put the university “on warning or probation” or revoke its accreditation, although she said the last option would be highly unlikely. U of L President James Ramsey appointed a committee last week to investigate how Deasy, who left Santa Monica-Malibu in 2006 to become head of schools for Prince George’s County, qualified for the advanced degree, even though he apparently was on campus for only one semester. University rules specify a doctoral candidate must study for two years at U of L, including at last one year of full-time residency. The Courier-Journal and WHAS-TV reported this week that Deasy gave former education Dean Robert Felner’s research center a $375,000 contract in 2002. Felner was Deasy’s adviser and chairman of his dissertation committee. Felner resigned in June to take a job in Wisconsin, but withdrew from that position after news became public of a federal investigation into how he spent grant money. Felner did not respond to questions the newspaper relayed through his attorney. Deasy also did not respond to the newspaper’s phone calls or e-mails seeking comment. The accrediting commission’s next scheduled meeting is in December. Wheelan said she plans to contact Ramsey next week “to ask what happened and what the university is doing about it.” She said she also will request a written report. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education also will review the matter as it begins considering reaccredita-tion of the university’s College of Education and Human Development next spring, said James Cibulka, the group’s president. With rising test scores fueling a sense of academic progress in Prince George’s County schools, members of the county Board of Education praised Deasy’s record last week and said they would reserve judgment over questions about his doctorate. Deasy received his doctorate in education in May 2004 after he completed nine credit hours of work at the university — equivalent to one semester — in addition to 77 credit hours from other schools. Deasy was hired by the Santa Monica- Malibu school board in 2001. School board Chairman Verjeana M. Jacobs (At Large) said the board will contact the university to ensure that the inquiry’s outcome is received promptly. In the mean-time, she said, “we’re going to reserve judgment.” Several other board members said they share her view. Jacobs said the board discussed the situation with Deasy in closed session, but she declined to elaborate, according to the Washington Post. “Dr. Deasy has done good work in this county,” she told the newspaper. Two former board members involved in selecting Deasy as chief of the 130,000-student system said they found it unlikely that there are flaws in his record. “I have the utmost confidence in Dr. Deasy’s honesty and his integrity,” Judy Mickens-Murray, who voted to hire Deasy, told the Post. “I had no reason throughout the process to believe that he would put forth anything that was untrue.” John White, a spokesman for Deasy, said the superintendent would not comment further until the university concludes the investigation. The current board, which took office soon after Deasy became superintendent, very rarely criticizes him in public. Likewise, the superintendent is careful in his relations with the board. Although Deasy appeared to strongly disagree with a recent vote to spend $36 million for a new school system headquarters, the dispute remained civil. Deasy also quickly apologized for snapping at board member Rosalind Johnson (District 1) during a brief public exchange last year, according to the Post. By and large, board members express satisfaction with his leadership. Scores on the Maryland School Assessments have been rising steadily under his tenure. A board meeting last week in Upper Marlboro featured a lengthy discussion of information technology infrastructure, and the degree inquiry was not mentioned. “Our test scores, the programs that we’re putting in place throughout the county, the equity that we’re seeing in our programs for all of our students throughout the county — it’s very successful, and he’s leading our school system in a very successful manner,” said board member Amber Waller (At Large). Deasy’s annual evaluation will be completed in mid-October, board member Linda Thornton Thomas (District 4) told the Post. Thomas would not go into much detail, noting that the evaluation is “a personnel matter.”But she said she had questions about the school system’s communications with the public as well as a consortium Deasy formed to oversee county high schools. “I did not see last year how \[the consortium\] actually made a change,” Thomas said. “I don’t see, even right now, the plans for anything different.” In its last formal evaluation, issued in July 2007, the board gave Deasy a $16,666 performance bonus and a 5 percent raise, which pushed his annual base salary to $273,000\. A statement issued by the school system said that Deasy had received an overall score of 4.46, on a 5-point scale, in a rating of 106 indicators. The board has not made that evaluation public, calling it a personnel matter. But in a statement, it described his leadership as “excellent.” The Associated Press contributed to this report. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/091608-05_01.jpg) HAPPIER TIMES: Former Santa Monica-Malibu Superintendent John Deasy was all smiles during a farewell party Santa Monicans threw in 2006\. (Photo: Photo courtesy) *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 16, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/091608.pdf?ref=smdp.com)