Dateline: May 10, 2004. Extract from CBS News, presenter, Katie Couric. The report opens with: "They are safety engineers at nuclear power plants and biological weapons experts. They work at NATO headquarters, at the Pentagon and at nearly every other federal agency. And, as CBS News correspondent Vince Gonzales reports, they're employees with degrees from phony schools."

The report continues: "Assistant Secretary of Defence Charles Abell has a Master's from Columbus University, a diploma mill Louisiana shut down. Deputy Assistant Secretary Patricia Walker lists among her degrees, a Bachelor's from Pacific Western, a diploma mill banned in Oregon and under investigation in Hawaii."

There is more still: "We found employees with diploma mill degrees at the new Transportation Security Administration, the Defence Intelligence Agency and the departments of Treasury and Education, where Rene Drouin sits on an advisory committee. He has degrees from two diploma mills, including Kensington University. Another Kensington alumnus, Florida State Rep Jennifer Carroll, just stepped down from the National Commission on Presidential Scholars.
"Both Carroll and Drouin say they worked hard and thought their degrees were legitimate."

Sounds familiar? If no, let me refresh your memory. For the moment though, remember the names of these two institutions - Pacific Western and Kensington University - and that they are classified; degree mills.

In response to his being 'outed' by Nationwide, Omer Thomas, up until recently head of RADA and formerly executive director of the Jamaica Bureau of Standards and a man who revelled in being called 'Doc' or Doctor Thomas, placed an ad in last Sunday's Gleaner. His hope was that the ad would separate myth from fact and assist in restoring integrity to his severely battered image. It didn't help, of course, that on that same Sunday a column written by me titled, 'End the fuss. Show those degrees now Omer Thomas' appeared in the Sunday Observer.

In the Directory of Jamaican Personalities (2001-2002) is the following on the man who allowed others to refer to him as Dr Thomas for over 20 years. Thomas, Dr Omer S Lloyd, PhD 1987; MSc 1980; BSc 1978; Virologist/Pathologist. Born St Catherine January 22, 1955. Educated McGill University; University of New Brunswick; Kensington University; Sir George Williams University.

Because he was a candidate for the JLP in the September 2007 general elections, on the JLP's website the same academic qualifications are given, except for the Sir George Williams University. Why?

Since Sir George Williams University merged with Loyola College in 1969 to become Concordia University, Omer Thomas would have had to be there before he reached 14 years of age! Did the JLP know this?

As far as I know, those were the general qualifications which were accepted by all who employed Mr Thomas, including the supposedly reputable body, The Jamaica Bureau of Standards. And at no stage did Mr Thomas publicly reject those impressive academic credentials.

Overdosed on myth

After perusing the ad he placed in last Sunday's Gleaner, I have no problem in recognising that Mr Thomas is not a very bright man. After having been embarrassingly exposed, as a public man who did quite well for himself on questionable academic credentials, one would have expected him to crawl away to a quiet, dark place to pray for forgiveness and to cling closely to his loved ones.

Based on the 'steamrolling' attitude he employed over the years in interfacing with those who called him 'boss' and the ease with which he dismissed 'humility' as a desired trait, it was also expected that he would have had a quiet conversation with his conscience in the hope that it would begin an expression of apology to all who he may have harmed in the pursuits of their career.

Neither Cliff Hughes from Nationwide nor I wished to bury him. But, of course, with his ad opening up more questions than answers provided, his continued failure to show any media house even his JSA certificate earned between 1974 and 1976 and certainly, with his claims of winning the Biology prize at McGill without a show of that citation, and him stating that, "I had an exemplary record at McGill", without any supporting evidence of that record, it is incumbent on me to attempt to fill in some of those yawning gaps in his Gleaner advertisement.

When we met with his lawyer in early April he had effectively accepted the academic qualifications as put out in the Directory of Personalities and on the JLP's website.

First, it was not some ghost or co-conspirator who gave the Jamaican Directory of Personalities the McGill and New Brunswick credentials.
When we met, he handed to me the MacDonald campus (part of the McGill University) 'clan of '78' yearbook with his name and picture in it. Why did he do this if not in an attempt to convince me that he was a graduate of McGill? The yearbook was printed early that year, but an updated one was eventually reprinted.

From Ivy League to no league in one day

In his ad, Thomas states that he never claimed to have a BSc from McGill. Thomas not only slaps us in the face with this major bit of national disrespect and strikes the superlative in incredulity, but does it with such ease that we are left totally mind-boggled. Here is a quote from the ad: "I have never, at any time, whether on my CV or in verbal discussion claimed to have a BSc from McGill University."

He then goes on to explain that Canadian legislation suddenly changed, and with only six credits left to complete the BSc he found himself unable to afford the cost to complete his studies.

In the mid-1970s countries like Canada and the US were more into facilitating rather than hindering students from so-called Third World nations in completing their studies. The information I have on Thomas' time at McGill indicates a performance towards the end of the spectrum opposite to 'exemplary' as he makes it out to be. And for a man who claimed that while he was at McGill, "I was awarded the Biology Award for Virus and Disease Research, which led to the discovery of virus disease in Sugar Maple in Canada", what problem could he have had in securing a scholarship to fund a mere six credits left to complete his BSc? Or was there some other reason behind him leaving the Canadian Ivy League university whose motto is, 'By hard work, all things increase and grow'. A question seeking an honest answer.

Omer Thomas states in his ad, 'My academic records/certificates have always been readily available as proof of the BSc and MSc degrees I was awarded from Pacific Western University, a distance learning institution based in California.' As far as I know, one journalist from the Gleaner, one from CVM TV, Cliff Hughes from Nationwide and one newspaper columnist, I, have requested these records/certificates and have not, to date, seen them.

He continues: 'Prior to enrolling, and during my time at Pacific Western between 1978 and 1980, I was NEVER aware of any accreditation issues surrounding the university and at no time had reason to question the institution's credibility or the validity of the degrees it awarded.'

I am plainly stunned that Mr Omer Thomas expects sensible people to believe this. When young persons are embarking on a course of study in the hard sciences and engineering, medicine and law, the quality of the tertiary institution is of paramount importance.

Some years ago, someone presented to me a signed booklet which was supposed to represent his Master's Degree thesis in an area in sociology. I read snippets of it as he sat in my living room across from me. It was awarded by some obscure university in Nigeria, and although I had seen better essays from bright 11th grade students, in my embarrassment I said, 'Hmm, interesting, startling work here.'

The point I am making is, for Mr Thomas, a man fresh out of non-completion of course work in an Ivy League university to make the claim, by more than inference, that he did not know that Pacific Western was a degree mill is similar to asking us to believe that sardine roe is similar to beluga caviar.

Two degrees in two years?

In his ad, Mr Thomas opens a can of worms by saying that after leaving McGill with only six credits left to complete his BSc, 'I later completed those six credits at New Brunswick University where I began my post-graduate studies.' Hmm, interesting, startling!

Omer Thomas did not take a BSc from McGill, but he left from there to New Brunswick in 1978/1979 where, from my investigations, he took 18 hours (credits transferred) from McGill and 14 hours from Concordia in unassigned electives and cell biology, physics, plant anatomy, introduction to plant physiology and introduction to Calculus 2.

When we consider that he also took a total of 24 hours of credit from the JSA, it is difficult to believe that he was a student entering New Brunswick University only six credits shy of a BSc at McGill.

And a computer run on April 15, 2008 indicated that he was accepted at New Brunswick for a BSc course in Biology 'On Probation' and not as he states in his ad, 'where I began my post-graduate studies.'
Let me ask the goodly gentleman this. How could he have enrolled in New Brunswick in 1978/1979 'where I began my post-graduate studies' and yet he states that he was enrolled at Pacific Western, a 'distance learning institution' by his description; a degree mill by official determination; between 1978 and 1980 where he took both a BSc and an MSc?

Which tertiary institution of any credibility allows a non-graduate to begin post-graduate work? Mr Thomas, 'post-graduate' means after graduating with at least a first degree.

Such a busy man he was and such conflicting dates. First JSA in 1975 to 1977, then McGill sometime in 1977, then Concordia, then New Brunswick in 1978/1979 and before he went on to Kensington University, another degree mill by official determination, Pacific Western 1978/1980, a dubious institution.

He states that Pacific Western awarded him BSc and MSc degrees between 1978 and 1980. Another question for he who says he studied at this 'distance learning institution'. Mr Thomas, where did you do the extensive lab work and field studies that would be required of such a course if you studied at a 'distance learning institution'?

Another. Must we now accept the knotted, crudely compacted and convoluted pile of 'facts' as put out in your ad and forgive you?
This nation deserves nothing less from Thomas than a national apology. But it doesn't appear that that will be forthcoming, not when he has insisted that taking out an expensive ad is the best substitute for soul searching, remorse and repentance.

Pacific Western University (PWU), California operated between 1977 and 2007 and also ran another 'campus' as PWU, Hawaii. PWU California, the entity Thomas took both his 'degrees' from, changed its name to California Miramar University and is now listed as 'an unaccredited private university'.

Based on the year he enrolled at PWU, he would have had to be among the very first batch of 'graduates'. How very thrilling for him that must have been. Such a pioneering effort!

It certainly must speak to the depth of hypocrisy and intellectual passivity existing among known and highly influential academics at the UWI Mona campus that for so many years when they were rubbing shoulders with Mr Thomas they were laughing among themselves but kept their mouths shut.

That said, no one, apart from Thomas himself, is making comment on his competence or lack of it. That is not the point. The principle that ought to be espoused in any overview of Omer Thomas is whether he is parading academic degrees from non-accredited universities.
'There are allegations that Kensington University is a Diploma Mill - a term I had never heard of until recently,' said part of his advertisement.

Are we really expected to believe that Mr Thomas was such an intellectual virgin to the point of his never having heard the term 'Diploma Mill?' I leave readers to make that judgment.

Having said that, he lapses into a stereotyped response in the ad; "Like most disciplined students I studied long and hard for my degrees and honestly earned them. If 24 years later, the integrity of the institution is being questioned, then I am as much a victim as the countless other past students all over the world who studied long and hard for their academic credentials at these institutions."

Let us revisit the response of the two Americans who were 'outed' as Kensington alumni - Rene Drouin, Advisory Committee member, the departments of Treasury and Education; Florida State Rep Jennifer Carrol, member of the National Commission of Presidential Scholars. "Both Carroll and Drouin say they worked hard and thought their degrees were legitimate."

Remember now, it took the combined effort of Cliff Hughes and myself to drag these 'confessions' out of Thomas. He did not do it of his own volition. Based on this, it is fair to assume that Thomas will have to be prodded to give additional information - like the geographical spot where Kensington University campus is and the name of his supervising professors who offered guidance through the 'PhD' course.

Who researched him after Samuda challenged?

It is difficult to determine at what stage Thomas' Pacific Western University segued into degrees from McGill and University of New Brunswick (UNB).

In 1979 he found himself in the Eastern Caribbean where he told some persons about his PWU and UNB 'qualifications'. To some it didn't add up.

He worked in Monsterrat and, of all places, Barbados. According to someone close to operations at the time, "He had a frosty time at best in both places with most people wanting to see the back of him."

How did he pass the due diligence of the strict Bajans?
Some years ago in the House, Karl Samuda challenged then Minister Paulwell on Thomas' stewardship at the Bureau of Standards (BOS) and also suggested that Thomas' academic accreditations were suspect. Minister Paulwell ordered a probe and Thomas was given a clean bill of health.

Question: Who was the officer responsible for the probe?
What sort of a result on Thomas was reported back to Paulwell?

Was the minister led astray by officers just below ministerial level?
Some years ago, employees at the BOS who had either left their jobs there or were fired or forced into resignation wrote a petition protesting against the management style of Thomas and other matters. Among the places they sent this petition was 'a certain media house' where it died a natural death. Why?

Considering that many in the JLP knew at least as much as I knew in January about Thomas, what was it about Mr Thomas that allowed him to seamlessly leave working under the PNP at the BOS (2000 to 2006) to actually running as a candidate for the JLP and then securing the important RADA post under a JLP Government?

What was it about Omer Thomas that so disempowered those he came into contact with, PNP and JLP ministers, UWI academics and board members of important national organisations?

More importantly, who assisted him in opening the gate that very first time?

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