MORGANTOWN -- West Virginia University's release Feb. 2 of a consultants' report detailing recordkeeping deficiencies and its commitment to pursue best management practices brought, in general, a wave of relief to campus.

"This was money well spent," said Parviz Famouri of the $40,000 review. He is a professor of computer science and electrical engineering and a former Faculty Senate chairman.

"All along we knew there were problems with record keeping," Famouri said. "Now they told us the extent to which the problems exist and what are the best practices and how we can make use of technology to make sure that things like that don't happen."

Uncertainty last year surrounding the records of former executive MBA student Heather Bresch led administrators to award her a degree retroactively in a rushed episode that later proved to include the falsification of grades.

Some top administrators stepped down and, in June, President Mike Garrison resigned.

To learn the extent of the records problems, WVU in August hired the independent, nonprofit American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers to review its records-keeping practices.

And the university conducted two internal audits of degrees granted since May 1997.

In its Feb. 2 report, AACRAO said records-keeping practices vary across the university and rely too much on paper and not enough on technology.

The consultants recommended 29 best practices that interim President C. Peter Magrath accepted and said would be implemented.

The consultants also reported that the university's internal audits had uncovered 27 degrees in the eMBA program and 261 degrees across campus that have incomplete documentation -- degrees Magrath said will stand.

Famouri felt satisfied with the report and with Magrath's decision about the 288 degrees.

"The record wasn't clear whether they met all the requirements or didn't," he said. "Some might have had all the requirements, but the record keeping did not show. So I agree that they should keep their degrees."

Faculty Senate Chairwoman Virginia Kleist expressed disappointment over the inadequate records.

"Any time that any discrepancy is found in a record -- if indeed that's what the report is saying, and that's not clear -- that would not be what the faculty would like to see," Kleist said. "We're very firm about our requirements and want all of our students to be educated to the requirements that we put together."

But, she said, the faculty wants to be engaged in solutions, and Magrath's commitment to follow the report's recommendations gives the university a way forward.

"It's a very thorough response to the events of last spring and represents more than we asked for, and I believe it'll pave the way for perfect records for WVU," she said.

Kristina Olson, an assistant professor of art, asked at the report release whether, given the affirmation of the 27 eMBA degrees with irregularities, Bresch's degree would be reinstated.

Magrath drew a distinction.

Unlike the 288 degrees, Magrath said, Bresch's degree was not awarded at the time she was a student, was later awarded under circumstances that "became controversial" and was rescinded by the Board of Governors.

But Olson's point underlined a question raised by the report's findings, one that some on campus who do not want to be named are discussing: Without excusing the way they did it, did administrators award Bresch the degree retroactively because executive MBA records were not complete enough to refute her claim that she had graduated?

Most, however, seem more than ready to put the events of the past year behind them.

"We're going to heal, and we're going to move on," Famouri said. "I have been ready to move on."

The university is in the process of hiring a registrar in fulfillment of one of the AACRAO recommendations.

And it has hired AACRAO to look in more detail at the causes behind the 261 undergraduate degrees with inadequate records. That study is expected to cost about the same as the first, according to spokeswoman Janey Cink.