Why the Free Press decided to verify Michigan lawmakers’ education credentials

The Free Press set out on a challenge: verify the educational credentials of all 148 state lawmakers in Michigan.

The idea was inspired by high-profile stories revealing leaders at the national and local levels had lied about their resumes. And it seemed especially important in Michigan, where the lawmakers have placed an emphasis on education — from passing a state budget that temporarily expands a tuition-free path to higher education to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's move to establish a new education department with an emphasis on lifelong learning.

More: Free Press review surfaces errors in degree claims by 2 state lawmakers in bios

Embattled U.S. Rep. George Santos, R-New York, lied about his education and other aspects of his resume. In Michigan, the state's education department launched an investigation into the former East Lansing High School principal who resigned after revelations that he lied on his resume and fabricated transcripts showing he earned a doctorate from Wayne State University.

There is no requirement that lawmakers hold a higher education credential, but many claim one. Was it possible any Michigan lawmakers were lying about their credentials or perhaps exaggerating them?

Why verify education credentials?

Most Michigan lawmakers have earned a higher education degree, according to the Free Press’ review.

On its face, verifying education credentials seemed simple. It's an ostensibly straightforward part of a lawmaker's resume to vet and see whether any were fibbing to voters.

But verifying the degrees claimed by lawmakers entailed reaching out to colleges and universities — including public institutions — that could provide information to the Free Press.

How easy was it to verify lawmakers' degrees?

Michigan has 38 state senators and 110 state representatives.

Some attended the same schools. For instance, 27 lawmakers claimed degrees from Michigan State University, including some who were also among the group of 19 lawmakers who claimed degrees from the University of Michigan. Still, the Free Press had to navigate a lot of different educational institutions during its verification process. In total, the Free Press reached out to more than 70 educational institutions.

What reporters encountered was a patchwork system for verifying lawmakers' credentials.

Some colleges and universities quickly provided information confirming whether a Michigan lawmaker attended and received a degree from the school. Others were slow to do so.

Institutions were, in some cases, barred from releasing any information about former students who asked that it be kept confidential or required the permission of a former student in order to release information.

The Free Press was able to verify that state Rep. Phil Green, R-Millington, had a bachelor's degree and master's degree from Pensacola Christian College only after Green gave his written permission for the college to release the information, for example.

One school refused to provide information. Valparaiso University, a private university in Indiana, refused to verify a degree claimed by state Rep. Regina Weiss, D-Oak Park. Cassie Hopkins, a spokesperson for the university, initially cited a federal law that protects the release of student educational records as the reason she could not confirm anyone's attendance to the university. When a reporter pointed out that they were not requesting records of any kind, just confirmation that Weiss received a degree, Hopkins wrote, "University policy is to not release this information without consent."

After the university denied the request, the Free Press reached out to Weiss who provided a photo of her degree. The Free Press was also able to verify her degree by obtaining personnel records from when Weiss was a teacher through a Freedom of Information Act request.

In a handful of cases where universities declined to provide information, the Free Press asked lawmakers for copies of their degrees and compared them to publicly available examples from the universities.

Confusion over national clearinghouse

Multiple universities attempted to refer reporters to the National Student Clearinghouse's DegreeVerify system, which subsequently declined to provide information to reporters.

Kathy Dugan, a spokeswoman for the clearinghouse, wrote that only employers and schools are permitted to use the system, suggesting that reporters contact university media offices, the very offices they'd first contacted.

These restrictions mean neither voters nor reporters can legally access the national database for verifying people's degrees.

What we learned

Most lawmakers provided accurate information to voters and constituents about their degrees, a Free Press review found. But the exercise underscored how difficult — and time-intensive — it can be to verify basic details about candidates and elected officials.

While reporters — including those at the Free Press — attempt to background check candidates as much as possible during election seasons, scrutinizing the resumes of every candidate on every ballot in Michigan is a monumental task. Voters are often asked to trust candidates with no way to verify key parts of their background.

Ahead of statewide elections, the Free Press asks candidates to self-report relevant biographical information in its voter guide, which contains information about hundreds of office-seekers at the state and local levels.

Contact Clara Hendrickson: chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on Twitter @clarajanehen.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan lawmakers’ education, verified