University mistakenly offers 5,500 students Platinum Presidential Scholar Award
Oakland University mistakenly offered their highest scholarship award to approximately 5,500 students on Jan. 4.
Below is a statement The Post received from Director of Media Relations Brian Bierley detailing what happened.
“Yes, it is true that Oakland University had mistakenly sent out scholarship notification emails in early January. Here is what happened.
On January 4, Oakland University learned that, due to human error, our undergraduate student application system sent some 5,500 admitted students email notifications that they were entitled to receive Oakland University’s Platinum Presidential Scholar Award, our highest award. The award is worth $12,000 per year for four years.
Unfortunately, the students who received the message do not meet the eligibility requirements for this award, but have qualified for varying levels of OU scholarship awards. While the emails were sent in error, OU notifies students of scholarship awards through official scholarship award letters sent to students via United States mail.
An immediate correction update was sent within two hours to the students who received the scholarship messages in error. Our Undergraduate Admissions team also scheduled phone calls to explain the situation for those who contacted us. Oakland University is very transparent with the criteria for our scholarship opportunities, and while many families were disappointed, there were also many students and families who have been understanding and eager to learn more about the OU award they did earn.”
The university followed up by notifying the affected students and apologizing for the error with the following message:
“We wanted to follow up with you personally regarding the Undergraduate Admissions Platinum Presidential Scholar email that was mistakenly sent to you yesterday.
Unfortunately, due to a human error, the email was inadvertently sent to you and others who had not received Presidential Scholar awards. Please know we take this unfortunate mistake very seriously and would like to sincerely apologize.
We know the college application process is an extremely stressful time and we are sorry for the added confusion and disappointment this email has caused. While we know that this message will not make up for our mistake, we wanted to share our deep regret that this error occurred, and our deep compassion toward all those affected.
The University notifies students of scholarship awards through official scholarship award letters sent to students via United States mail. The email that you received was only intended for those students who had already been sent notice of their Presidential Scholar award through an official scholarship award letter.
We have examined our email data extraction procedures to ensure that this doesn’t happen again. We feel very badly that you received this incorrect communication, and we hope you will still consider attending Oakland University.
The Undergraduate Admissions team is available to talk to you and help you understand your current university scholarship, as well as other scholarship opportunities at OU. If you have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly at [email protected] or [email protected].
Again, we apologize for this error, and we look forward to welcoming you to the Golden Grizzly family.”
Remarkably, Central Michigan University made a similar error at the beginning of January, notifying 58 students of full-ride scholarship rewards that they weren’t eligible for.
CMU’s admission director is no longer with the university following the error, though it is unclear at this time whether they were removed from their position or resigned. Additionally, CMU offered those 58 students the equivalent of the scholarships they were wrongly offered.
The Post asked Bierley whether OU planned on taking any additional measures to make good with students who were affected by this error.
“It was a regrettable error to send that email to be sure, but we sent the correction email two hours later and an apology letter the next day explaining to those students in order to respond as quickly as possible to clarify the situation,” Bierley said. “Oakland has told those students who got the email by mistake that we are honoring the various levels of scholarships the students qualified for and are encouraging them to submit updated transcripts and test scores before they start the fall semester so they can be considered for any other scholarship awards they might qualify for this fall.”
Natalie B. • Feb 2, 2022 at 10:21 AM
In 2019 OU financial aid game me over $500 in refund money. In NOVEMBER when the semester was practically over, they called me back telling me it was a mistake and that I owed them $500 and asked if “I still had the money”. I had to pay them that money back that I used on books and new laptop to replace my broken one.
How many “human errors” is OU financial aid going to make…
Yousef • Feb 4, 2022 at 8:33 AM
We have one of the worst type of administrator as our president. Pescovitz to my understanding was a hospital administrator. She made a living out of overcharging insurance companies and stiffing patients with exorbitant bills. It is not a surprise to me that someone who would screw grandma with cancer over with a massive bill would also screw over students with bit and switch gotcha tactics.
I am not a lawyer but what OU seems fraudulent but definitely slimy. You should see if you can sue them.
Me, Hosital Admin Pescovitz or HAP
HAP: SO grandma i see that you went into the emergency room for a laceration from a kitchen knife
Grandma: yes hey said it wasnt serious and sent me home with out stiches. The nurse came in and gave us some antibiotics and changed the bandage
HAP: *thinking* we have a minimum charge on nurse time, facility charge, she technically sat in the waiting room for 3 hours and in the ER room for 5 minutes so round up and charge 4 hours, and lets see how much we can hype the cut on her hand up on the billing codes
Grandma: *Gets bill*
Statement of Charges:
ER Facilities charge $3500
Physician Time: $500
Bandage and Antiseptic: $350
ER severity billing: $5000 for major trauma to Hand
Grandma: *thinking* i sat in the waiting room for a couple of hours, a nurse switched my band aid and cleaned it with rubbing alcohol, and they sent me home with 5 days of antibiotics…what?
Yousef • Feb 1, 2022 at 12:37 PM
Adult Learners Headline
https://www.oakland.edu/futurestudents/adult-learners/
The headline implies there is a distinction between adult learners and other learners. This goes to show what those at the top really think of undergraduates from high school; as adolescent children learners. It shows how disconnected the OU admins are from reality.
Shanna • Jan 31, 2022 at 4:59 PM
I vote no. And I vote with my feet. There are too many better choices out there. Bye!
Jerome • Jan 30, 2022 at 7:47 PM
Be me, OU admins:
Admins: you won the presidential student scholarship!!!
Student: really that is awesome. I am gonna attend OU!
Admins: psych. Gotcha we were just kidding. But we are sorry if we hurt your feelings.
Students: okay then…. What is that hall you’re building? How many administrators do you have? How big the the presidents mansion? She posted a YouTube video flaunting it around TG right?
Admins: we have admins and vice admins with provosts and vice provosts. The presidents mansion is huge you should see YouTube. Oh yeah we also have a 17 million dollar increase in the net position of the university. We saved a ton of money by shafting the faculty!
Student: (thinking) good thing OU was a back up choice…
James C. • Jan 29, 2022 at 9:14 AM
It is clear to me that nothing is going to stop the trainwreck that OU is experiencing short of a complete house cleaning. The entire administration, the Board of Trustees, every last one of them, needs to resign or be replaced. Oakland has become a laughing stock. A black eye on higher education. And they have entirely lost the confidence of the students, the faculty, other educational institutions, and the greater Rochester community, not to mention guidance counselors and prospective students across the country. It seems the only entity which does have confidence in the OU Administration is the banking industry, but they aren’t playing with their own money. They are playing with ours.
I urge everyone in the Rochester area, students, faculty, business leaders, financial supporters of OU, alumni, to join me in calling for the resignations of the ENTIRE OU Administration, including the board of trustees, on the grounds of gross incompetence and breach of trust. Should they refuse, everyone who is able to do so without undue hardship should join the growing exodus and transfer to another university. Pull the financial rug out from under those who think themselves above accountability. Our money is the only tool we have, so we must be willing to use it. If we don’t, nothing here will ever change for the better. It will only get worse.
DeAnn • Jan 29, 2022 at 1:26 AM
It is called setting a good example, and doing the right thing. CMU is doing that. OU is not.
It is all about leadership, ultimately. CMU is demonstrating what positive leadership is all about. Accountability, and putting students first. No exceptions. No waffling on standards. No shirking of duty.
I can get a good education anywhere. What has OU done to demonstrate that it deserves me (4.0 gpa) and my money???
Sorry, OU…you are fired. After this semester I will be hiring another university to finish my education. One with integrity. One with ethical standards. One more capable of behaving like an adult than a ten year old.
Anonymous • Jan 28, 2022 at 11:12 PM
Such bewildering incompetence. OU should promptly fire Josh Merchant and four or five other pointless administrators and distribute the savings to these poor students.
James C. • Jan 29, 2022 at 8:51 AM
If they fired 4 or 5 administrators they *could* give everyone a scholarship! Especially if they started with the source of all the problems, Ora and the board of trustees. The board somehow must believe she isn’t making a disasterous mockery of this university and higher education in general, or they simply don’t care, otherwise they would have given her the boot already, so they are equally culpable.
G. Russi • Jan 28, 2022 at 10:45 PM
Central Michigan: Erroneously offers 58 students full-ride scholarships, apologizes, and offers scholarships anyway.
Oakland University: Hold my beer …
Embarrassed Alum • Jan 28, 2022 at 10:35 PM
Well, we know there’s no such thing as “accountability” at OU, but can we at least take away Dawn Aubry’s executive vehicle stipend until she learns how to do a proper mail merge?
Anon • Jan 28, 2022 at 10:20 PM
Twenty bucks says the university’s solution to this mishap will be to spend $50,000 on a consulting firm to help us hire an Executive Vice President of Email Proofreading.
If Ora’s good at anything, it’s hiring executives!
Angry Anon • Jan 29, 2022 at 10:11 AM
And that new VP will purchase a $100,000 /year bit of software that everyone at the university will have to learn & use for every single email we send out. Faculty have multiple, overlapping accountability measures : T & P review, annual merit reports, student evaluations of teaching for every class, sabbatical reviews, etc….and Oakland just bought new software that faculty will have to waste countless collective hours learning and using for these reports…when is admin accountable for a single damn thing?
OU Incompetence • Jan 28, 2022 at 10:08 PM
Gee, we sure run a tight ship here. OU executives really work hard for those vehicle stipends.
Maybe as an addendum to the apology, Ora should send the students a link to her Thanksgiving video to let them know how much they’re appreciated?
Ken Mitton • Jan 28, 2022 at 7:16 PM
Might be nice to give them all an extra one time 5% on their actual award for the error?