Complete Engineering and Ethics Easy Assignment

Case 21: Late Confession

In 1968, Norm Lewis was a 51 – year old doctoral candidate in history at the University of Washington. While taking his final exam in the program, he excused himself to go to the bathroom, where he looked at his notes. For the next 32 years, Lewis told no one. At age 83, he decided to confess, and he wrote to the president of the university admitting that he had cheated and that he had regretted it ever since.

Commenting on the case, Jeanne Wilson, president of the Center for Academic Integrity remarked, “I think there is an important lesson here for students about the costs of cheating. He has felt guilty all these years, and felt burdened by this secret, believing that he never really earned the degree he was awarded.” Wilson’s position is that the University of Washington should not take action against Lewis, given his confession, his age, and the fact that, after all, he did complete his coursework and dissertation.

But, she added, “On the other hand, I think an institution might feel compelled to revoke the degree if we were talking about a medical or law degree or license, or some other professional field such as engineering or education, and the individual were younger and still employed on the basis of that degree or license.

Discuss the ethical issues this case raises, both for Dr. Lewis and for University of Washington officials. Evaluate Jeanne Wilson’s analysis, especially as it might apply to engineers.