MGM Mirage CEO Faked His MBA

November 14, 2008 at 12:29 PM | by AndrewC | Comments (9)

Yesterday MGM Mirage's CEO of 13 years, Terrence Lanni came under fire after a Wall Street Journal investigation discovered that he never earned an MBA from the University of Southern California and abruptly "retired." Oops.

This is not what you want to find out about the man who is steering the world's largest casino-gaming company through a particularly rough patch in history. Especially as the hotel is on the brink of opening the extravagant MGM CityCenter.

According to USC, he completed some classes toward the MBA between 1965 and 1967 but never graduated. Lanni said he received an Honorary MBA in 1992, while USC says they have not awarded an honorary MBAs since 1933. Not only that, but Lanni's biographies prior to 1992 have all mentioned him holding an MBA.

The official word from MGM Mirage is that Lanni is retiring so he can be closer to his family who lives in California. There's also a thinly veiled reference to Lanni wanting to enjoy time with his family while he still can. The man is only 65 and has no illnesses to speak of. Anyways, questions about his MBA had "no bearing whatsoever" on his retirement. Riiiiight...

To help smooth the transition for the company, since it has some major issues to overcome like the economic downturn and completion of City Center, MGM is going to appoint Jim Murren, its current Chief Operating Officer effective November 30th.

Related Stories:
· MGM Mirage CEO to Resign Amid Questions About MBA [Wall Street Journal]

[Image Credit: SouthernGaming.com]

Comments (9)

Return to » MGM Mirage CEO Faked His MBA

i totally see several MBAs in the background of that picture. Major Bucks of Art...

you are fired from life for that MBA comment, juliana. or maybe you should just abruptly retire.

is that better? you try coming up with something jenna! and this time i dare you not to involve sex.

stop this madness, i like it the way it is. sex/fire/vegas are my favorite topics.

I've got a real MBA, but always assumed he was a member of the Master Builders Association.

Eric Pratum
The Hotel Experience

Massive Balls Association. it takes some serious stones to be a member of that one

that vote for sex/fire/vegas.

we are now officially changing the name of HotelChatter to SexFireVegasChatter.com.

thanks for voting!

That is funny :) His MBA was a mirage.

Lanni said he received an Honorary MBA in 1992, while USC says they have not awarded an honorary MBAs since 1933. This obviously doesn't add up. Lanni need to go back to school and earn his MBA. Heck he his smart enough to become the CEO so getting an MBA should be easy.

There are many accredited universities like USC that offer graduate degrees. There are also many master's degree online programs to choose from. Our University Alliance students love the fact that they can earn their masters degree online! Online learning degree programs are perfect for managers and professional who are looking to advance their careers and yes, even CEO's can earn an MBA degree online.

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