Stanford dismisses von der Leyen report
October 12, 2015
Stanford University dismissed an article published over the weekend suggesting Ursula von der Leyen, the German defense minister, wrongly included the school's name on her CV, the Defense Ministry said in a statement on Monday.
Von der Leyen's website lists an extended stay at Stanford from 1992 to 1996, which includes a period in which she participated in activities at the Graduate School of Business and the Stanford Health Services Hospital Administration.
An interview with a university spokesperson published in the German newspaper "Welt am Sonntag" suggested the inclusion of these activities on her online CV was misleading, since they didn't earn her any academic credit.
But the university gave the government a clarification on Monday - which the Defense Ministry published - calling the media reports over the weekend exaggerated and wrong. The ministry says it wants the German Press Council to investigate the matter.
Von der Leyen is already under pressure in Germany over allegations she plagiarized parts of her dissertation. She has denied the claims and asked an independent committee to review her work.
blc/bk (AFP, dpa)