Broadcom SVP fired for faking degree
By siliconindia   |   Friday, 05 December 2008, 01:02 IST   |    61 Comments
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Broadcom SVP fired for faking degree
New Delhi: Broadcom, the maker of chips for phones and consumer electronics, has fired its Senior Vice President Vahid Manian, who oversaw global manufacturing at the company, for faking academic degrees in his profile, reports Bloomberg. Though Broadcom's site says Manian has bachelor's and master's of business administration degrees from the University of California at Irvine, the school's registrar Mark Fonseca says Broadcom's VP attended the school between September 1979 and August 1983 but wasn't awarded any degrees. The company said in a regulatory filing that it is now scouting for his replacement. Manian's departure follows the retirement of MGM Mirage Chairman and CEO Terry Lanni, who stepped down last month after similar questions surfaced about his MBA from the University of Southern California. "Manian attended classes for four years but didn't graduate," said Fonseca. He also said he isn't allowed by law to disclose why Manian didn't receive a degree. The school had no record of Manian studying for an MBA, Fonseca said. Manian also serves on the board of STEC with Microsemi Chief Executive Officer James Peterson, who faces separate questions about his credentials. Peterson, who lists degrees from Brigham Young University in government filings, never received them from that school, said Carri Jenkins, a university spokeswoman in Provo, Utah. Peterson attended classes there from 1978 to 1980, Jenkins said. Manian joined Irvine-based Broadcom in 1996 as director of operations after a stint at Silicon Systems. Microsemi's Peterson said he had vetted and hired Manian when the two worked at that company. Meanwhile, Peterson said that he "categorically denies" misrepresenting degrees from Brigham Young University. "I am working directly with the university to clarify this situation," Peterson said in a statement. "I have every reason to expect that Brigham Young will investigate this allegation shortly and officially confirm my degrees."

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