CPU and CCWU

I have followed the CPU and CCWU events for years being as I took courses there 20 years ago. does anyone know the current state of CCWU? I see that it now has offices in the UK and it appears that their courses are quite popular and well received. I have posed this question to them directly with no answer as of yet; what, if any, accreditation does CCWU now hold to operate there?

Whatever happened to the Malawi experience they were touting some years ago?

Being as my credits were from the "state of California accreditation" days and allegedly still in good standing, are these credits carried along to CCWU and any legitimate accreditation they might have?

Also, be advised that I foresaw a problem developing with them years before it did because some of my experiences with them were nothing short of bizarre. One of which was when they said my studies were completed then they same back with, "Oops! We didn't realize you still have a core course to go." I later complained to the California department which was responsible for such institutions and I'd like to think it helped lead to their downfall. It was like they made it up as they went along. Funny thing was the first two years I studied there were on the up and up, then when I took a second major it was like dealing with Abbott and Costello in "Who's on first?".

It also seems like a decade ago or so I read something that Les Carr had been a convicted crook of some sort. Another certified lout from there was a jackass named Peter Pick. Does anyone know anything more about these two scoundrels?

 

http://www.ccwu.org.uk/

Is it legal for a school like this to call itself a "university" in the UK? I thought that the name 'university' was legally protected in that country.

It seems to be renting an office suite in an office building at the eastern edge of greater London. A photograph and description of the property is here:

http://www.apartments-to-let.com/montrose.html

Here's what Google turns up for the address.

CCWU offers undergraduate and postgraduate "programmes" in every subject imaginable, but doesn't exactly call them "degrees". (They say that prospective students need to contact them to get the details.) I'm not sure what they are doing.

http://www.ccwu.org.uk/academic-programs.html

CCWU doesn't have authorization to grant British degrees.

http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/recognisedukdegrees/index.cfm?fuseaction=institutes.list&InstituteCategoryID=1

Nor is it 'validated' to offer a British university's degrees.

http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/recognisedukdegrees/index.cfm?fuseaction=institutes.list&InstituteCategoryID=2

CCWU's 'recognition' page neatly avoids revealing very much.

http://www.ccwu.org.uk/recognitions.html

It seems to emphasize international students studying in London, but I don't see any indication that CCWU has the accreditations/approvals that are now required for overseas students to qualify for UK student visas. (Warnborough College UK is very proud of the fact that it does.)

http://www.ccwu.org.uk/international-students.html

 

OMG. The son of Godzilla... I suppose the Columbia Pacific discussion will never die.

 

A note to all members: When posting questions or information about schools or other entities please try to remember to supply a link or even just use the full name of the school. We have many new members and they don't all understand what "CPU" or "CCWU" (for example) might indicate. It helps to make the site more user friendly. Thanks.

 

Dr. Andy: "It also seems like a decade ago or so I read something that Les Carr had been a convicted crook of some sort. Another certified lout from there was a jackass named Peter Pick. Does anyone know anything more about these two scoundrels?"

Dr. John: Carr retired from the world of education ten or more years ago, to devote his time to endurance riding. He subsequently became the national endurance riding champion . . . and earlier this year, became the first person in history to ride more than 20,000 miles on the same horse. Here's an article about that, which also describes aspects of his personal life now. http://tinyurl.com/nha2v8

To the best of my knowledge, Carr never had been (or is) a convicted crook. I know nothing about the jackass.

 

Good point. I believe the original poster meant Columbia Pacific University (CPU) and Columbia Commonwealth University (CCWU).

 

See this Marin County newspaper story:

http://www.ptreyeslight.com/stories/dec24/chileno.html

I hope the horse he rode didn't drop dead.

Carr kind of reminds me of the Robert de Sorbon guy. None of these guys ever suffers from any shortage of cash. They attend the best universities. They don't hold conventional jobs. They just travel the world, ride their horses, ski San Moritz and operate their personal "universities".

The Sorbon guy apparently inherited his wealth.

What's Carr's story? How does he keep all of his balls in the air? Where did the money come from to purchase the Oakland convalescent hospital (that the state shut down) and the Marin county ranch (that he started developing in defiance of county zoning)?

Did he actually make his fortune from Columbia Pacific proceeds? Or was the university just a bit of self-indulgence in a sometime academic of independent means?

 

Bill Dayson: "I hope the horse he rode didn't drop dead."

John: Well as a matter of fact, further research suggests that Carr's "national champion" trophy was taken away, because of evidence of abuse of his horses.

Bill Dayson: Carr kind of reminds me of the Robert de Sorbon guy. None of these guys ever suffers from any shortage of cash. They attend the best universities. They don't hold conventional jobs. They just travel the world, ride their horses, ski San Moritz and operate their personal "universities".

John: Carr didn't follow this model for the first 2/3rds of his life. He was, for instance, senior vice president of one regionally-accredited university (Salve Regina), then president of another (Lewis University, in Illinois). Then he was hired by New College in San Francisco, primarily to guide them through the regional accreditation process, which he did successfully, and then to do some major fund-raising, which he also did pretty well.

I met Carr at New College. I have a friend (George Bloch) who was a long time trustee there, who introduced us. I liked his plans for a new university and was glad to offer advice and counsel in the development of what became Columbia Pacific. But I came to find some of his activities increasingly troublesome: the zoning issues, the convalescent hospital, the horses, and indeed ultimately CPU itself. Carr always had long and detailed explanations for his actions, which my wife, the professional ethicist, uses to explain to people the difference between "immoral" and "amoral."

Our daughters' main memory of Carr is the time he invited them to his ranch to ride horses (something they all loved doing). When they got there, he said that first he had to clean his house and wash the dishes, and would they help him. It turned out to be a very long process, and when they were done, he said sorry, it is too dark to ride, perhaps some other time (which never came to pass).

 

What the heck?

Abner