diff --git a/productMods/edit/forms/personHasEducationalBackground.jsp b/productMods/edit/forms/personHasEducationalBackground.jsp
index 69b6d58f..3fb8cbf7 100644
--- a/productMods/edit/forms/personHasEducationalBackground.jsp
+++ b/productMods/edit/forms/personHasEducationalBackground.jsp
@@ -207,11 +207,11 @@ the org type still gets asserted. --%>
     "predicate" : ["predicate", "${predicateUriJson}" ],
     "object"    : ["edTrainingUri", "${objectUriJson}", "URI" ],
     
-    "n3required"    : [ "${n3ForStmtToPerson}", "${degreeAssertion}", "${majorFieldAssertion}" ],
+    "n3required"    : [ "${n3ForStmtToPerson}",  "${majorFieldAssertion}" ],
     
-    "n3optional"    : [ "${organizationUriAssertion}",                         
-                        "${n3ForNewOrg}", "${newOrgNameAssertion}", "${newOrgTypeAssertion}",                       
-                        "${deptAssertion}", "${infoAssertion}", "${yearAssertion}" ],
+    "n3optional"    : [ "${organizationUriAssertion}",  "${n3ForNewOrg}",                       
+                        "${newOrgNameAssertion}", "${newOrgTypeAssertion}",                       
+                        "${degreeAssertion}", "${deptAssertion}", "${infoAssertion}", "${yearAssertion}" ],
                         
     "newResources"  : { "edTrainingUri" : "${defaultNamespace}",
                         "newOrg" : "${defaultNamespace}" },
@@ -236,7 +236,7 @@ the org type still gets asserted. --%>
     "fields" : {
       "degreeUri" : {
          "newResource"      : "false",
-         "validators"       : [ "nonempty" ],
+         "validators"       : [ ],
          "optionsType"      : "INDIVIDUALS_VIA_VCLASS",
          "literalOptions"   : [ "Select one" ],
          "predicateUri"     : "",
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ the org type still gets asserted. --%>
       },
       "year" : {
          "newResource"      : "false",
-         "validators"       : [ ],
+         "validators"       : [ "datatype:${gYearDatatypeUriJson}" ],
          "optionsType"      : "UNDEFINED",
          "literalOptions"   : [ ],
          "predicateUri"     : "",
@@ -387,7 +387,7 @@ the org type still gets asserted. --%>
 <form class="${editType}" action="<c:url value="/edit/processRdfForm2.jsp"/>" >
 
     <div class="entry"> 
-        <v:input type="select" label="Degree ${requiredHint}" labelClass="required" id="degreeUri"  />  
+        <v:input type="select" label="Degree" id="degreeUri"  />  
         <v:input type="text" label="Major Field of Degree ${requiredHint}" id="majorField" size="30" />      
         <p class="inline year"><v:input type="text" label="Year <span class='hint'>(YYYY)</span>" id="year" size="4" /></p>  
     </div>
diff --git a/productMods/templates/entity/educationalTrainingShortView.jsp b/productMods/templates/entity/educationalTrainingShortView.jsp
index 6955d12a..7c1409cf 100644
--- a/productMods/templates/entity/educationalTrainingShortView.jsp
+++ b/productMods/templates/entity/educationalTrainingShortView.jsp
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 <%-- $This file is distributed under the terms of the license in /doc/license.txt$ --%>
 
+<%@ page import="edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.utils.StringUtils" %>
+
 <%@ taglib uri="http://java.sun.com/jstl/core" prefix="c" %>
 <%@ taglib uri="http://java.sun.com/jsp/jstl/functions" prefix="fn" %>
-<%@ taglib uri="http://vitro.mannlib.cornell.edu/vitro/tags/StringProcessorTag" prefix="p" %>
 
 <%-- 
     This is a custom short view render for educational background.
@@ -16,19 +17,31 @@
             <%-- SUBJECT is a Person  --%>
             <c:when test="${predicateUri == 'http://vivoweb.org/ontology/core#educationalBackground'}">         
             
-                <%-- Degree type and major --%>
-                <c:set var="degreeStr" value="" />
+                <%-- Degree type and major --%>               
+                <c:set var="degreeLabel" value="" />
                 <c:set var="degreeType" value="${individual.objectPropertyMap['http://vivoweb.org/ontology/core#degreeEarned'].objectPropertyStatements[0].object}"/>
-                <c:set var="degreeAbbr" value="${degreeType.dataPropertyMap['http://vivoweb.org/ontology/core#abbreviation'].dataPropertyStatements[0].data}"/>
-                <c:set var="degreeStr" value="${!empty degreeAbbr ? degreeAbbr : degreeType.name }" />
+                <c:if test="${ !empty degreeType }">
+                    <c:set var="degreeAbbr" value="${degreeType.dataPropertyMap['http://vivoweb.org/ontology/core#abbreviation'].dataPropertyStatements[0].data}"/>
+                    <c:set var="degreeLabel" value="${!empty degreeAbbr ? degreeAbbr : degreeType.name }" />               
+                </c:if>
+
                 <c:set var="degreeMajor" value="${individual.dataPropertyMap['http://vivoweb.org/ontology/core#majorField'].dataPropertyStatements[0].data}"/>
-                <c:if test="${ ! empty degreeMajor }">
-                    <c:set var="degreeStr" value="${degreeStr} in ${degreeMajor}" />
-                </c:if>
-                <c:if test="${ ! empty degreeStr }">
-                    <c:set var="degreeStr"><p:process>${degreeStr}</p:process></c:set>
-                </c:if>
-                
+
+                <c:choose>
+                    <c:when test="${ !empty degreeLabel && !empty degreeMajor }">
+                        <c:set var="degreeStr" value="${degreeLabel} in ${degreeMajor}" />
+                    </c:when>
+                    <c:when test="${ !empty degreeLabel}">
+                        <c:set var="degreeStr" value="${degreeLabel}" />
+                    </c:when>
+                    <c:when test="${ !empty degreeMajor }">
+                        <c:set var="degreeStr" value="${degreeMajor}" />
+                    </c:when>
+                    <c:otherwise>
+                        <c:set var="degreeStr" value="" />
+                    </c:otherwise>
+                </c:choose>
+
                 <%-- Organization granting degree --%>
                 <c:set var="selectedOrganization" value="${individual.objectPropertyMap['http://vivoweb.org/ontology/core#organizationGrantingDegree'].objectPropertyStatements[0].object}"/>              
                 <c:if test="${ ! empty selectedOrganization }">                        
@@ -45,15 +58,9 @@
                         
                 <%-- Year of degree --%>                             
                 <c:set var="year" value="${individual.dataPropertyMap['http://vivoweb.org/ontology/core#year'].dataPropertyStatements[0].data}"/>
-                <c:if test="${ ! empty year }">
-                    <c:set var="year"><p:process>${year}</p:process></c:set>
-                </c:if>
                 
                 <%-- Supplemental information --%>
-                <c:set var="degreeSupplementalInfo" value="${individual.dataPropertyMap['http://vivoweb.org/ontology/core#supplementalInformation'].dataPropertyStatements[0].data}"/>
-                <c:if test="${ ! empty degreeSupplementalInfo }">
-                    <c:set var="degreeSupplementalInfo"><p:process>${degreeSupplementalInfo}</p:process></c:set>
-                </c:if>           
+                <c:set var="degreeSupplementalInfo" value="${individual.dataPropertyMap['http://vivoweb.org/ontology/core#supplementalInformation'].dataPropertyStatements[0].data}"/>        
                 
                 <%-- Build the output string --%>
                 <c:choose>
@@ -81,25 +88,25 @@
                 <c:set var="person" value="${individual.objectPropertyMap['http://vivoweb.org/ontology/core#educationalBackgroundOf'].objectPropertyStatements[0].object}"/>
                 <c:set var="personName" value="${person.name}"/>
                 <c:url var="personURL" value="/individual"><c:param name="uri" value="${person.URI}"/></c:url>
-                <c:set var="personLink" ><a href='${personURL}'><p:process>${personName}</p:process></a></c:set>
+                <c:set var="personLink" ><a href='${personURL}'>${personName}</a></c:set>
                 
                 <c:url var="objLink" value="/individual"><c:param name="uri" value="${individual.URI}"/></c:url>
                 
                 <c:choose>
                     <c:when test="${! empty personName && ! empty year && ! empty degreeMajor && ! empty selectedOrganizationName  }">                      
-                        ${personLink} <p:process> in ${degreeMajor}, ${selectedOrganizationName}, ${year}</p:process>
+                        ${personLink} in ${degreeMajor}, ${selectedOrganizationName}, ${year}
                     </c:when>
                     <c:when test="${! empty personName && empty year && ! empty degreeMajor && ! empty selectedOrganizationName  }">
-                        ${personLink} <p:process> in ${degreeMajor}, ${selectedOrganizationName}</p:process>                                                
+                        ${personLink} in ${degreeMajor}, ${selectedOrganizationName}                                            
                     </c:when>
                     <c:when test="${! empty personName && empty year && ! empty degreeMajor && empty selectedOrganizationName  }">
-                        ${personLink} <p:process> in ${degreeMajor}</p:process>                                             
+                        ${personLink} in ${degreeMajor}                                          
                     </c:when>
                     <c:when test="${! empty personName && ! empty year && empty degreeMajor && ! empty selectedOrganizationName  }">
-                        ${personLink} <p:process> ${selectedOrganizationName}, ${year}</p:process>                                              
+                        ${personLink} ${selectedOrganizationName}, ${year}                                              
                     </c:when>
                     <c:otherwise>                       
-                        <a href="${objLink}"><p:process>educational background ${individual.name}</p:process></a>                        
+                        <a href="${objLink}">educational background ${individual.name}</a>                        
                     </c:otherwise>
                 </c:choose>
             </c:when>                           
@@ -107,7 +114,7 @@
         <%-- The predicate was not one of the predicted ones, so create a normal link --%>  
         <c:otherwise>           
             <c:url var="objLink" value="/individual"><c:param name="uri" value="${individual.URI}"/></c:url>
-            <a href="${objLink}"><p:process>${individual.name}</p:process></a>
+            <a href="${objLink}">${individual.name}</a>
         </c:otherwise>
     </c:choose>