MBA Cat

The Chronicle of Higher Education reported yesterday that a cat recently earned an MBA.

A jet-black cat with short hair received an M.B.A. from an online university a few months ago, on the basis of its several semesters of course work and an impressive 3.5 grade-point average. Now the cat's owner -- Kathryn H. Silcox, of the Pennsylvania attorney general's office -- has organized a civil lawsuit against the university, alleging both consumer fraud and illegal e-mail marketing.

Colby the cat, who just turned 6 years old, contributed to the investigation by applying for a $299 bachelor's degree from Trinity Southern University, based in Plano, Tex.

Ms. Silcox, a deputy attorney general, helped Colby with his self-evaluation, for which the cat listed working in retail-sales, being an Eagle Scout, and completing three courses at a community college.

A few days after submitting his application, Colby heard back from the university. His life experience was sufficient for not only a bachelor's degree but also an M.B.A. (for an additional $100).

"We were very proud of him," said Ms. Silcox, who agreed to pay $99 more for a copy of Colby's transcript. When she received the diploma and transcript a few weeks later, she was pleased to discover that her cat had taken four semesters' worth of business classes, including management accounting, organizational behavior, and total quality management.

Posted by Tom on December 09, 2004