Rutgers Business School has received a number of prestigious rankings for its placement success of its graduates.
But are the rankings legitimate?
Deidre White, the business school’s human resources manager, alleged in a whistleblower lawsuit that was filed last Friday, that the school’s MBA program has gone to great lengths to falsify data involving the hiring of its graduates – including giving them sham jobs at the university.
This story was first reported by Ted Sherman of New Jersey Advance Media.
White’s attorney, Matthew Luber, of McOmber McOmber & Luber in Marlton, said in the NJAM story that the school has committed fraud.
Rutgers, in a statement given to NJAM, denied the charge.
“We will say without equivocation, however, that we take seriously our obligation to accurately report data and other information to ranking and reporting agencies,” the university said. “The Rutgers Business School strictly follows the MBA Career Services & Employer Alliance guidelines in submitting MBA statistics and similarly follows the appropriate guidelines in submitting undergraduate statistics.”
This much is certain. The Rutgers Business School has been doing very well in national rankings of late.
In 2022, the school’s MBA program was ranked as the No. 1 public business school in the Northeast, according to Bloomberg Business Week, and the No. 1 public business school in the U.S. for salary percentage increase, according to the Financial Times.
The school lists dozens of honors here.
White is alleging these awards are built on falsified numbers – and that the school used an outside temp agency to hire the graduates for jobs at the school as internal hires are not allowed to be counted.
White, 54, is alleging she was the subject of retaliation over health and other issues aimed at forcing her resignation or termination.
