Some alumni told West Virginia University administrators they believed the controversy over Mylan Inc. executive Heather Bresch's graduate degree cast a dark cloud over the school, according to documents released by WVU this week.

The documents, obtained by the Post-Gazette under the state's Freedom of Information Act, offer a glimpse into how some alumni and West Virginia citizens view the matter, but offer no new insights into how or why officials decided to award a Masters of Business Administration degree to Ms. Bresch in October, nearly a decade after she left the program.

"I am a member of the class of 2000 and am writing to you to express my embarrassment over the Heather Bresch story," one disgruntled alumnus wrote in a Dec. 30 e-mail to university President Michael Garrison. "Your handling of this situation tarnishes the name of West Virginia University and calls into question every degree it has awarded."

"I for one plan to sue," said another. "My degree isn't worth squat anymore. When the full extent of this gets out the reputation of WVU will be completely in the toilet."

The e-mails were sent in the wake of a Dec. 21 story by the Post-Gazette that raised questions about how the university went about granting the degree even though university records showed Ms. Bresch, daughter of West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin, had completed only about half of the credits required.

One parent e-mailed master's of business administration program director Gerald Blakely that his or her daughter had taken out $20,000 in loans for her WVU undergraduate degree and that the parent had borrowed $40,000 for the degree. Now an M.B.A. student at the school, she has borrowed another $25,000 and will have to borrow an equal amount to complete her course work.

"Should she pay the second $25,000 for a degree that may be considered tarnished by employers?" the parent wrote in a Jan. 14 e-mail to Mr. Blakely.

Others expressed their opinions in a more colorful manner.

"Records destroyed???? Right, and the dog ate my homework. Shame!" said one alumnus, referring to the university's explanation that Ms. Bresch was the victim of a massive records snafu.

"Good morning. I just wanted to ask how the cover-up is going," said another. "You're going to need a whole lot of paint to whitewash this one."

Among other documents released late Thursday, one indicates that university officials were increasingly concerned with who might be leaking information to the Post-Gazette.

"The university administration is getting more involved in finding out the source(s) of the information that seem to [be] feeding this newspaper," WVU business school Dean R. Stephen Sears wrote in an e-mail to Mr. Blakely on Dec. 14, one week before the Post-Gazette broke its story. "I meet with [Provost] Jerry Lang this next week. This most assuredly will be a question he will ask me."

A month later, Mr. Sears, who said in October that Ms. Bresch met all the requirements for the degree, backed off that assertion in an exchange of e-mails with someone from outside the university.

"The only truth at this point, given the information that was available in October is that there are more questions than answers," he said, responding to a Jan. 13 e-mail questioning his decision to grant the degree.

The exchange of e-mails, provided to the newspaper by the outsider, was sent shortly after a panel was formed to investigate the matter. The university failed to release a copy of the e-mails in its response to the newspaper's Freedom of Information Act request.

"Hopefully, with more time than was given to make the decision then, more information will come to light," Mr. Sears continued.

"One thing that concerns me no matter what happens, no matter who is involved, [is] that many have rearranged personal biases and called it truth."

According to several business school faculty members who attended a Jan. 22 staff meeting, Mr. Sears said he was under pressure to make a decision in October about whether or not Ms. Bresch earned the degree. Mr. Sears has repeatedly declined requests for interviews with the Post-Gazette.

Panel members, chosen by Mr. Lang and the WVU faculty senate, are expected to report on their findings before the end of the month.