Irvine-based Broadcom has fired a Vice President at the firm, after a shareholder activist raised questions about the executive's college degree. According to a SEC filing by Broadcom Wednesday, the employment of Vahid Manian, the firm's Senior Vice President of Global Manufacturing Operations, was terminated, and a search launched to find his successor. Reason for the firing was not given, however UC Irvine said yesterday that Manian--who said he had a BSEE and MBA at UC Irvine--did not earn either degree. The allegations were first raised by ex-felon Barry Minkow of San Diego-based Fraud Discover Institute, who has been exposing phony executive resumes as part of his business shorting company stocks.