Updated at Feb. 3, 2012

An e-mail sent to an unspecified group of alumni today alleged that GW “must retract all diplomas conferred between May, 2007, and December, 2011.”

The e-mail, actually an advertisement for a new company, said that because of failing academic standards, the University made the decision to pull alumni degrees.

“After an extensive, internal investigation, it was discovered that codes of academic integrity were lacking so severely form the fall semester of 2004 until that of 2011 that, in order to maintain our integrity as one of the nation’s premier institutions of learning, we have decided to rescind all the diplomas mentioned,” it read.

The e-mail was adorned with Barack Obama’s signature.

But the e-mail was a mere marketing ploy. Readers who scrolled to the bottom found this message:

“How ridiculous would that be? Ok, you guys will probably be happier to know that this is Zach and Andrew, and we want to tell you about our blog, www.YogurtIdeas.com. Each entry of the blog is an idea for a different business and organization – free, shared, ideas. The blog is fun, and we hope you will take part either by reading, and, hopefully, contributing,” the e-mail reads.

University spokeswoman Candace Smith the University sent a cease and desist to the owners of the site Friday, “directing them to end their use of the GW name, trademarks and President [Steven] Knapp’s name.”

Zach Borenstein said he and his partner Andrew Zahornacky only contacted alumni they personally knew.

“We felt that the content of the e-mail was absurd enough that most would recognize it as a farce, but realize now that we did not fully account for how our friends would react to the letter,” Borenstein said.