Knightsbridge University's Faculty

I recently had a nice exchange with Dr. Marianus, who has his doctorate from Knightsbridge. He expressed dismay over the running of that new board as it relates to censorship. I also received a bitter, petty e-mail from Henryk Frist (who runs Knightsbridge), after I ignored his latest two-ton e-mail. (I wonder if anyone ever gets a short note from that guy.)

Anyway, I thought I'd look over the Knightsbridge site a bit more carefully. I was intrigued by their faculty, so I decided to search each person via Google. The underwhelming results are below:

Warren S Reynolds, B.Bus, MBA, FPNA: The only member of the Accounting department, Mr. Reynolds doesn't appear anywhere else in a Google search besides Knightsbridge. The sources of his degrees are not listed

Professor W. H. Willies, D.Litt. RPT: Dr. Willies doesn't appear anywhere else in a Google search besides Knightsbridge. He his the only member of the odly-named Department of Arts-Medicine. He is also the only member of the English department. (I'm glad this Danish university has an English department. It doesn't however, seem to have a Danish department.) The sources of his degrees are not listed.

Dr Chris Brindle, Phd. BSc: The only member of the Astronomy department, Dr. Brindle doesn't seem to have any other presence on the internet except with Knightsbridge. However, they do list him with an e-mail address that appears to be located at another university. The sources of his degrees are not listed.

Professor R. C. Brewer, Ph.D: Dr. Brewer has no other presence on the internet besides with Knightsbridge. He is the only member of the Education department. The sources of his degrees are not listed.

Clive Smith, Ph.D.: Dr. Smith, the only member of the Engineering department, doesn't seem to have a presence on the internet besides Knightsbridge. The sources of his degrees are not listed.

Prof. Gryphon Sou, BS(Eng) MAdmin DMgt PEng(Int) IngPEur PEng(UK) BIng(Germany) IPF(France) PrEng(Africa): Whew, that's a lot. I wonder what it all means? Dr. Gryphon is listed as having a doctorate from IMC (apparently approved by Southern Cross University). He is also listed as a faculty member of Irish International University, which can't be good. (It also lists Dr. Richard Hoyer. "Nuff said.)

Eric S. Long, Ph.D: Only member of the Health department at Knightsbridge. No other listing in a Google search besides Knightsbridge. No sources for his degrees.

Penelope Richards, Ph.D: Only member of the Human Biology department, Dr. Richards has no other Google footprint, and lists no sources for her degrees.

Eugene de Silva, Ph.D., FRSA: Listed in something called the Society of Martial Arts, which seems to be connected to Knightsbridge. Another listing, the IISER, is connected to Knightsbridge.

Lt. Col. Mike Dolamore: Appears to exist elsewhere. Listed as a Member of the British Empire. Has only an honorary bachelor's listed, however, with no source provided.

And so it goes....(I got bored after the first 10.) Draw your own conclusions, but know these things, too: Knightsbridge doesn't provide a physical address at its website. The website (and the school's name) is in English, an odd thing for a school located in a non-English-speaking country. Programme fees are listed in British Sterling, and must be submitted in that currency. No credit cards are listed, but they'll take checks drawn on a London bank. You can send them money at: SWIFT: SYBKDK22 DK1771160009400125 Account Name: Knightsbridge University. (This seems to be a Danish bank, Sydbank.) And, of course, they are not part of the Danish higher education system.

All of the above is available from their website. No digging required.

 

I enjoyed Henryk's posts. It's too bad that he doesn't post here any more.

I think that he really felt that the facade of legitimacy that he had built for KU was "bullet proof". I guess that he didn't realize that we would be able to detect the difference between a real school and the facade that he'd constructed. He left but he apparently got at least one victim out of the visit, so I guess it worked out okay for him.

 

Hey Rich: Well done!

Somewhere, somehow, Hartvig Frisch is having a good laugh thanks to your post. (Frisch was a resistance fighter and professor who helped maintain the intellectual integrity of real Danish universities under the Nazi occupation, who served as Minister of Education after the war, and introduced for better or worse the first Danish orthographic reform. He was also "egalitarian", something HFK hates like hell.)

I looked at the faculty list earlier today, too, and while I did none of the research you did, I came away with the disctinct feeling that the assortment was put together to wow the sort of people who think anything that smacks of British uppercrust is impressive without content. (No offense, please, to the many legit Brit posters to whom this crap is anathema--or to our legit Danish posters, if any.)

It just mystifies me why so persistent a marketer as HFK doesn't see the incongruity of the faux-British name for a faux-Danish university. Maybe he just ducks the issue.

 

Warren S Reynolds, B.Bus, MBA, FPNA states current Australian accounting qualifications, and the BBus is the typical Accounting degree from the non Sandstone universities. I have done a first level check but he doesn't appear but that is not unusual here as the lack of a web presence doesn't indicate anything either way. I'll further my check with professional lists on Wednesday, but his qualifications would not normally lead to a senior accounting teaching position here.

I also am not totally satisified with the new board, as my view of non accredited education differs from theirs and from yours, but I am neither an apologist nor a shill, but for some people it is the only place for them to go ...

... and for others not to go ... I have tried on that front but to date it is in vain.

Now, if Marianus and I get you on there, will you be a good boy Dr Douglas? And do you go without Gus, as it would be harder to get him in at the moment. I suppose that we could go and set up yet another board

 

Re: Re: Knightsbridge University's Faculty

Does the post I created to start this thread constitute a violation of being a "good boy"? Would a post filled with facts and observations--with little opinion or comment--like that be tolerated? I wonder.

Why would anyone tie me to Gus Sainz? Other than the fact that we share many views on nontraditional higher education, we have no connection.

 

I'm still struggling to resist the urge to send him money.

 

Re: Re: Knightsbridge University's Faculty

Some people can't resist.

Henrik once said on Collegehints that his reason for starting Knightsbridge was basically to make money. He also indicated that he was hoping to sell the thing, to the right person, for the right price.

 

Bill Dayson: "...He also indicated that he was hoping to sell the thing, to the right person, for the right price..."

--------

Sometime I'd love to know the lineage there. There was once the beyond-any-doubt fake University de la Romande, run from England along with the equally fake University del Puerto Monico. The same people then started Knightsbridge from the same address, and eventually their names were gone and were replaced by Kristensen and his British colleague, run then from a small town in the west of England, and then it was Mr. K only, and then it was in Denmark.

 

Gotta wonder why he keeps on with the vaguely silly and totally incongruous "British" name.

 

Because it sound very real and "veddy" British. That sells. Operators of degree mills know this.

Also, everything on the website is in English, not Danish. There is an English department, but not a Danish one. I would suspect most or all of their buyers are from English-speaking nations, or Asian nations where a degree from an English-sounding school would play.

You know, this "self-validating" stuff would be more acceptable from an actual, organic Danish school, instead of a carpet-bagging operation that has changed countries.

I see where Knightsbridge's most luminant graduate, the purchaser of a fake degree before upgrading at Knightsbridge by purchasing a degree awarded by a faculty (one person, actually) that didn't have qualifications in his area--after they switched it from another area, and based on a study already completed without supervision of a doctoral committee, Neil Hayes, objected to this thread while posting elsewhere. He didn't refute it, of course. He just whined about it, which is par for the course. Perhaps Dr. Dr. Hayes could avoid the monniker "academic fraud" by employing some of the estimable research skills he acquired while studying at Knightsbridge to actually respond here. Oh, that's right, he didn't study with Knightsbridge. They just annointed him with a degree, one that has zero academic meaning. Never mind.

 

I don't recall Dr. Hayes Ph.D. ever responding directly to real issues raised about the validity of Knightsbridge University. He continues to dodge all questions regarding the slimy nature of how the degree process worked for his particular degree. Even his TC&U Degree, while admitting that TC&U was a degree mill he still refused to admit that he couldn't earn a Ph.D from a degree mill and that he wasn't in fact a doctor. I would say that Dr. Hayes Ph.D. represents the finest in academic fraud denial, self deception, and self disrespect.

At the same time I wish Neil well, especially in his pursuits to save the New Zealand Brown Teal.

 

The UK designation for a professional engineer is "Chartered Engineer", for which the abbreviation is CEng.

The European counterpart to this is EurIng, which is a title, not a postnomial (i.e. it goes in front of one's name, like "Prof" and "Dr", and not after).

I tend to be wary of people who do not understand their own "qualifications" and how to list them.

Malcolm

 

I see that Gryphon Sou is also an external examiner for Irish International University: http://iiu-malaysia.tripod.com/id7.html

Also on the faculty of OHRM: http://www.ohrm.org/01_faculty.html

This appears to be his personal page: http://members.fortunecity.com/sinocan/Engineer.html

 

I see where Henrik is calling me a liar. In this thread, I've only posted what Knightsbridge has listed on its website, and whether or not those people could be found elsewhere. I took the first 10, but there is no reason to believe the others would have different results.

Knightsbridge isn't a Danish university. It doesn't do work in Danish, doesn't bank in Denmark, and its website doesn't offer a physical location for the university in Denmark. The faculty, in many cases, cannot be found anywhere else except on Knightsbridge's website. The university , as reported by Bear, has its origins in a diploma mill operation. And it awarded a degree to Neil Hayes under circumstances (described in detail by Neil himself) that can at best be termed "questionable." ("Fraudulent also comes to mind, but whatever.)

If those people want to debate the actual nature of Knightsbrige, they'll have to limit it to the observable facts. And what is observable is utterly absurd.

 

For the short time that Henrik was willing to respond to questions here, he seemed most proud that the footprint for KU on the worldwide web was mostly no-existant. This seemed to be his best proof that KU (the self-validated university) was not a degree mill. This would NOT be the case if KU were a real research university. IF KU were a real reasearch university then one should be able to find evidence of seminars presented at, etc.

 

In an e-mail (which he also posted on another board), Henrik Fyrst complained about the things I posted in this thread. He didn't refute them, of course, and embraced one of them (that Knightsbridge wasn't recognized as a university by any competent authority). Regarding his difficult-to-locate faculty, he insinuated the same about Union. (Why, I don't know. I neither own nor operate Union, but I guess I'm the "Union guy" even when I don't talk about Union.)

I decided to take the first 10 doctoral faculty on the list and search for them on Google. (I chose doctoral faculty because that's all we ever talk about regarding Knightsbridge--the award of fake doctorates.) The faculty members are: Susan Amussen, Judith Arcana, Rita Arditti, Bob Atkins, Carol Barrett, Alan Barstow, Nancy Boxill, Jose Cedillos, Marjorie Bell Chambers, and Ellen Colburn.

Each of these can be found in places other than on Union's board, some more than others. Better or worse, I don't know, but certainly real and verifiable.

Whenever the truth gets written about diploma mills, their operators and customers cry out about bias, sloppy research, etc. But they never actually address the issues. It is obvious why they do not.

More about Knightsbridge as the situation warrants.....

 

A bit more....

I'm having trouble locating articles that talk about Knightsbridge. I see where it is listed in places (often, erroneously, as a British University, which Fyrst correctly denies). I see some people listing degrees from Knightsbridge, and I see some mention of others earning such degrees.

I see a business helping people with immigration also helping people get Knightsbridge degrees. I see some references to Knightsbridge's use of "Accredited Prior Learning," which seems deceptive. (The term is common, but seems odd coming from an unaccredited school.)

Somebody named Robert Hartley is credited with getting Knightsbridge's course "accredited" with the "Association of Lawyers." It is difficult to track this down without knowing which "Association of Lawyers" we're talking about. However, that post notes that Dr. Hartley was awarded an earned Ph.D. for this effort (by Knightsbridge, perhaps?). All of this was from the St. Regis faculty site.

By the listings found through a Google search, it is clear Knightsbridge has been busy awarding degrees. But that's about it.

 

One can become an academic fraud without paying a degree mill. Most academic frauds are likely the self made variety, at least based on HR people that I've talked to. They are self made because they claim degrees from real universities that they didn't earn. I would guess though that most academic frauds claiming doctorate degrees have paid a degree mill for their degree. This is just a guess though.

 

Endoresment for the KU Military Studies Programme

Greetings, Dr. Douglas;

My name is Roger Thompson, and I am Professor of Military Studies at Knightsbridge University. I've been reading some of your comments about Knightsbridge, and I just thought I'd add my two cents. I am the Senior Academic Advisor in the Military Studies programme. I am a Fellow of the Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society, and hold degrees from the University of King's College and Dalhousie University, both accredited and respected Canadian universities. My bio is on the Knightsbridge University web site.

I thought you might be interested to know that our Military Studies programme has received an endorsement from Dr. Charles C. Moskos of Northwestern University. Dr. Moskos, in case you didn't know, is one of the world's leading military researchers and the author of numerous books. In fact, he's been published in 14 languages. He LOVES our programme, and knows and respects many of our faculty members. Here is his letter of endorsement:

"Knightsbridge University's Master of Arts in
Military Studies course is a splendid academic program
designed for the mature student. The reading list is
very impressive and covers a multi-disciplinary
approach to military studies, including military
philosophy, history, sociology, psychology,
asymmetrical warfare, and military/civil relations.
The English-speaking faculty currently consists of
accomplished scholars and former senior military
officers from the US, Canada, Russia, Hungary, India,
Romania, Turkey, Bulgaria, Italy, Chile, Greece and Germany.
Most have doctorates and all are experts in their
fields of study. What they offer is state-of-the-art,
challenging, intensive, multi-national, and unique. I
highly recommend this Military Studies program."

Dr Charles C. Moskos

My department and the programme I developed are solid, reputable, and I stand by them both. I have no intention of entering into a "flame" war with you or anyone else, but I think it would be rather difficult for a "degree mill" to get such an endorsement, don't you?

Respectfully,
Roger Thompson
Professor of Military Studies, Knightsbridge University and
Fellow, Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society

 

http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/9241/MOSKOS.HTML

Apparently Henrik's hatred of "political strings attached" only runs as far as the Danish border. Prof. i.R. Moskos is also an avid promoter of conscription in the service of egalitarianism. Apparently Henrik's stand against the menace of egalitarianism only avails against the rabble at Undervisningsministeriet, and runs out of steam when it gets to the white side of the tracks in Evanston.

Somebody's principles are leaking...