How about your own University (Mill?!) for Christmas?

Having the holiday blues, I was "trolling" around on "my internet" and came cross an interesting story:

http://intensivecourse.org/

Somehow it seems to be a very shady operation.
Here is a collection of fragments:
- "UNEM, Costa Rica" seems to be the awarding institution
- I don't get their use of "IC" and "IPSP"
- The IPSP is officially recognized by decree of the Republic of Ecuador and its International Vice-Presidents are Teodoro Obiang Nbasogo, President of Equatorial Guinea, and Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela.
- you can buy the whole operation for $500-1500
https://flippa.com/auctions/115658/Government-Accredited-Online-Educational-Institution-UNESCO-Listed--NO-RESERVE

According to their sales listing:
- INTENSIVE COURSE (IC) is kentucky state regd (No.776976)
- Intensive Course also has the status of Certifying organization for Presidents Volunteers Awards and Presidents Call to Service awards (Signed and awarded by the President Barack Obama). (anybody care to explain what this is?)
- It is listed in UNESCO, International Handbook of Universities (by International Association of Universities)
- Government Accredited Online Educational Institution offering Bachelor, Masters and Doctoral degree level courses and International Certification
- Includes FREE Nominee Services, FREE Registered Office and FREE Registered Agent Services (so the Kentucky thing is just a maildrop?)
- You will collect all payments from the students and forward us a fixed payment (20% on every payment) and we will take care of everything from Teaching, shipping materials, Student Support, Live Support and even Phone calls.
- Seller seems to be in India: Mailing Address: Level 2, Olympia Technology Park, Guindy, Chennai - 600032. India.

So what do you guys think? Is this just a resale site for a distance learning University in Costa Rica? Or are they a complete mill?
Any further research is of cause highly welcome.

 

Without wasting time on research, I am confident in saying that it is a complete mill/scam/sham.

 

Ah, Universidad Empresarial de Costa Rica seems to be behind UNEM - and of cause having a very mill'ish past.

 

Could I have a Wal-Mart gift card instead?

 

Using the Levicoff Strategy, I tried telephoning the university at 4 am, India time. After 19 rings, the phone was answered with a rather sleepy-sounding, "Hello."

 

UNEM is recognized by the Government of Costa Rica.

It is listed in UNESCO Handbook (International Association of Universities) IAU handbook. So are you saying that the IAU handbook is wrong?

 

In the same degreeinfo website, there are threads saying UNEM is real and accredited. Please go through all of them before making comments!

http://www.degreeinfo.com/accreditation-discussions-ra-detc-state-approval-unaccredited-schools/21062-empresarial-university.html

 

If you look at sandra's posting history it seems clear that she's only interested in promoting degree mills.

 

Quite the shill aren't you? This discussion is in regards to the intensive course website, made by some Indians and registered in Kentucky. Yes, it's crap.

 

Another astute observation from BrandeX. Right again! And as outlined in another thread, Empresarial does not have mainstream (SINAES) Costa Rican accreditation and is not authorized to "approve" or endorse any other institution's degrees or degree-looking papers. It was limited to 3 degrees on its own turf and has long ago lost its former good reputation due to nefarious, millish money-grubbing activities. No grads on its home turf in several years. As said before, its listing in the IAU handbook is not "wrong." The listing signifies nothing at all in regard to quality.

You cannot make us say a bad school is good. Quit trying! Shine a light under these "fooly-skooly" rocks and nothing but evil things squiggle out.

Johann

 

Mod please ban SandraJ

 

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Done.

 

It's also worth mentioning that one of the weakest elements with GAAP as an accreditation concept was the UNESCO handbook. If you look at the problematic GAAP schools over the years, they were always "iffy" schools whose only way of achieving GAAP was inclusion in UNESCO, to the point where a number of registrars basically said inclusion in UNESCO alone was not sufficient for recognition of a school. I believe that Sheila Danzig's turdblossom known as Monterey Institute for Graduate Studies qualified for GAAP under UNESCO, and I also think I remember something about shadiness with Berne University (operated out of a 3 room suite in New Hampshire, with a rented motel "campus" in St. Kitts that operated 1 month a year) qualifying for GAAP based on UNESCO, as well as a couple of others I can't now remember.

So yes, to answer our now-banned mill shill, inclusion in the UNESCO handbook alone does not a quality, GAAP-qualifying school make.