Trustee Issues Apology Over Claim of Degree

The chairwoman of the California State University Board of Trustees on Wednesday issued a formal public apology for misstating her educational credentials and offered to meet with a powerful Senate committee next month to discuss the matter.

“I would like to apologize for any confusion which may have resulted from references in my resume to my attendance at Long Beach City College,” Marianthi Lansdale said in a prepared statement issued Wednesday through the CSU chancellor’s office.

“It was never my intention to mislead anyone regarding my community college record, of which I am quite proud. However, because of questions which have been raised, I will be contacting Sen. (David A.) Roberti’s office to discuss the desirability of meeting with the Senate Rules Committee immediately after the first of the year.”

Senate President Pro Tem Roberti (D-Los Angeles), who chairs the Rules Committee, said he is willing to meet with Lansdale, a gubernatorial appointee, but still believes she should resign.

“I appreciate the apology, but it strikes me that the misinformation was carefully crafted,” Roberti said.

The Times reported Tuesday that Lansdale, 57, misstated her educational credentials when she listed an Associate of Arts degree in literature from Long Beach City College in 1959. She gave the information to Gov. George Deukmejian’s office when she was being considered for an appointment to the board in 1985. The false information then was forwarded to the Senate for her confirmation hearing.

College records show that Lansdale attended the school for 13 semesters between 1957 and 1967. And she conceded Tuesday that she never received her degree.

In her statement on Wednesday, Lansdale said she attended the college “at night over a number of years while working full time and raising a child. During that time, I amassed a considerable number of academic units in anticipation of transferring to a four-year university and pursuing my baccalaureate degree.”

A spokesman for Deukmejian, who received more than $100,000 in contributions from Lansdale and her husband during his 1982 gubernatorial race, said the governor had no comment.

As chairwoman, Lansdale heads a 24-member board that makes policy decisions for one of the largest public four-year university systems in the world.