Monday, Oct. 7, 2002 | 11:09 a.m.
An instructor who had been teaching at the Community College of Southern Nevada for the past two years used phony credentials to get his job and received thousands of dollars in extra pay as a result, according to documents and sources at the college.
McTheron Jones, who taught study skills classes at CCSN, resigned Thursday in light of the allegations.
The attorney general's office is looking into possible fraud charges due to the involvement of state funds, Greg Smith, the attorney general's deputy chief of investigations, said.
Jones was an emergency hire in August 2000, a practice that allows institutions to circumvent the competitive search process to help schools fill a critical shortage in staff or faculty.
The use of the practice during the tenure of former CCSN President Richard Moore came under fire as resulting in favoritism. It resulted in quick promotions for 17 staff and faculty members over a five-year period.
Jones was hired permanently this year for a tenure-track position after a national search. His resume, transcripts and diploma on file at the college show he holds a doctorate in counseling psychology from San Diego State University -- a degree that would allow him to earn $61,595 a year.
Because Jones claimed to hold a doctorate, he received up to $8,500 more a year than an instructor with a master's. The attorney general's office is calculating exactly how much more he made as part of its inquiry.
College officials now say they believe Jones does not hold a doctorate -- a charge that Jones has denied.
"(I have) a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from SDSU," Jones said.
An official at the university's registrar's office said there is no record that Jones ever received a doctorate there.
In addition, Fred Hornbeck, chairman of SDSU's psychology department, said the university has never offered a doctorate in counseling psychology.
"Is that so?" Jones said when told by a reporter. "Well, this is a matter my lawyer advised me not to talk about."
Documents obtained by the Sun show several other inconsistencies in Jones' degrees.
The transcript has names of classes misspelled, and instead of "doctor of philosophy," his diploma reads, "philosophy of doctoral" -- a phrase that academics at San Diego State University say is never used on a diploma.
Jones does hold a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's in rehabilitation counseling.
There are also inconsistencies with the dates that Jones received his doctorate. His diploma says he graduated on June 1, 1976, the same date documents say he received his doctorate.
Community college President Ron Remington said he could not comment, because the issue is a personnel matter.
The situation has caused some to question how the community college could have hired someone without noticing such inconsistencies in the records.
"Somebody did not do the job they were supposed to do," said Regent Tom Kirkpatrick, who has taught in higher education for more than 30 years. "I would question the selection committee. Almost invariably the person who was hired as an emergency hire wound up getting the job. It's rotten."
Jones was hired at the urging of an official with the Minister's Alliance -- a nonprofit group made up of representatives from dozens of churches throughout Clark County.
According to a 1999 letter obtained by the Sun, Willie Davis, president of the Minister's Alliance, sent a list of seven alliance members that he wanted Richard Moore, then president of the college, to hire.
"Needless to say, it is sad that you have chosen to take the position of ignoring myself and the Ministerial Alliance ..." Davis wrote. "Please provide me with a status report of the following applicants as we discussed at length in the meeting on August 31, 1999."
The list that followed included Jones' name.
CCSN has since cut its ties with the Minister's Alliance.
College officials say the hiring procedure is clear even under an emergency hire: The institution must first establish that there is a need to expedite the hiring process, and applicants must have their credentials, references and degree checked before being hired.
It is not known whether Jones would have been hired with a lesser degree, officials said.
But administrators are trying to close any potential loopholes in their personnel screening process, Patty Charlton, vice president of finance and administration, said.
"Unfortunate situations come up such as this," Charlton said. "We will be working very diligently to shore up those processes and ensure that we have a more stringent review process in the future."
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