In 2005 the University of Konstanz used a passage in their dissertation rules to pull the doctorate out from under him: a doctoral title can be rescinded when the behavior of the person after obtaining the doctorate demonstrates that the person is unworthy of bearing such a title. Schön objected on the grounds that his dissertation was okay, the fakes only came after.
It has taken the university 5 years to decide to stand by their decision. While I applaud the decision, I do wonder if it really needed five years for this.
Schön's only recourse now would be through the court system, and that may take even longer. Spiegel reports that in a recent case involving the University of Bonn, it took the courts eight years to decide in favor of the university rescinding a doctoral title.
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I also think the university is right, but I can understand that the legal issue is tricky.
ReplyDeleteAfter all, rescinding a doctorate for bad bahaviour after having obtained it is extremely rare, so it could be considered a "dead letter", and as an ad-hoc penalty applied unfairly in just this one case. Making a watertight case against such attacks does not seem so trivial to me.