College Makes Changes After CBS2 News Discovery Of Degree From Diploma Mill

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — West LA College is making some changes, its president said, after a discovery that one of its instructors claimed a master's degree from a school known to give out fake diplomas.

"We made a mistake," President James Limbaugh said. "I don't want students to feel misled, and it won't happen again."

A CBS2 News investigation found teacher Verej Isanians claimed he had a master of public administration degree from PCU San Diego, a nonaccredited school that was shut down. And the college put it in its bio without ever checking.

And he's not alone.

CBS2 Investigative Reporter David Goldstein obtained a database of thousands of people in California who got degrees from nonaccredited schools, also called diploma mills.

Limbaugh said Isanians does have the credentials to teach the class, but now the community college is checking everyone teaching at the school.

"Since you guys were kind enough to bring it up to us," Limbaugh said, "now what we're doing is making sure that every time someone submits a credential for any position, we verify it."