Duke Works to Stem Fuqua Fallout

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Teamwork Is Key

"Students do believe that people who are really successful in our society couldn't have possibly gotten where they are honestly," says John Knapp, director of the Southern Institute for Professional & Business Ethics at Georgia State University's Robinson College of Business. "That kind of thinking could lead one to rationalize and say, 'This is just what you have to do. Everybody is doing it.'"

Another issue clouding the discussion is the nature of the B-school experience. At Duke, for example, students complete the majority of their assignments in teams (see BusinessWeek.com, 5/14/07, "Cheating—Or Postmodern Learning?").

"This team environment does give people much closer contact with their classmates. So many times they will think—sometimes acting on an impulse—to consult a classmate on a practical issue. That's where the questions could arise," says Arthur Kraft, chairman of AACSB International, the primary accrediting association for business schools in the U.S., and dean of Chapman University's George L. Argyros School of Business & Economics. "As a result, some may see these people on teams almost as an extension of themselves."

Not a Deal-Breaker

Still, Duke's Hemmerich says, students are expected to know where to draw the line between collaboration and solo work: "We do have a very collaborative, team-oriented environment, but the rules are very clear when it is time to work on an individual basis."

So far, it seems that the incident isn't a deal-breaker for some admitted Duke MBAs. Matt Schaar, 26, an engineer for an aerospace company in Seattle who has been accepted to Fuqua's Cross-Continent MBA program, says he was impressed by the school's quick reaction to the incident. He is still considering whether to attend Fuqua next year, but says the cheating case will not influence his decision.

"I don't hold the fact that 10% of the entering class decided to cheat against the school itself," Schaar says. "Their only job is to evaluate the people who will fit in best. I don't think it's possible that you can determine whether a person will cheat or not by a 21-page application and interview. You just can't glean that."

Saleem Hussain, 26, a consultant in the Boston area who received his bachelor's degree from Duke four years ago and was recently admitted to Fuqua says he has spent the past few days closely following the reaction to the scandal in online chat rooms and forums. "It has only encouraged me to support Duke more and to continue going there to show that I do actually go there for the academics and the teaching and everything that Duke actually stands for," he says.

Damast is a reporter for BusinessWeek.com.