University of Wales to stop validating other degrees

Prof Medwin Hughes, newly-appointed vice-chancellor of the University of Wales, explains the decision to stop validating other degrees.
"Our own international collaboration will now be based solely on courses designed and fully controlled by the University of Wales, embedded in our faculties and led by our own academic staff.”
BBC News - University of Wales to stop validating other degrees

 

From the Univ. of Wales (Prifysgol Cymru) Website:
University of Wales launches bold new academic strategy

 

Most of the DL/research degrees are still coming out of the Trinity St. David campus. There's no indication that this is likely to change, at least not in the near future.

 

They’re in the process of transforming through a merger with Swansea Metropolitan University and the University of Wales: Trinity Saint David.

 

Does this mean RDI's Wales Degree programs (MBA & DBA) will cease to exist?

 

Per Wales “Universities affected by the introduction of the new strategy will be offered a notice period of one year, before the changes come into effect at the start of the 2012 academic year.” In that RDI isn’t a university to my knowledge, perhaps not if the RDI offerings are in actuality administered thru University of Wales: Trinity Saint David (?).

 

Resource Development International (RDI) is listed by the University of Wales as "an Institution of the University with Validated Provision" for MBA and DBA programs.

My guess is these programs will in fact cease to exist, at least in UoW-validated form. But that's just my guess.

 

Isn’t RDI merely the DL partner service provider (e.g., an EMO) for UoW as similarly with RDI and the Bradford School of Management, Sheffield Hallam, Birmingham, Sunderland, Warwick, and Angia Ruskin? Wouldn’t the course design and control still rest with the UoW? RDI’s business relationship with UoW appears to be like Laureate Online Education and the University of Liverpool with Laureate Online functioning as the e-learning partner (?). I would assume that RDI and UoW have a legally binding agreement as to their business relationship whereas neither entity could merely breach such contract due to UoW more recent (self inflicted) validation issues. (Just thinking out-loud...).

 

As noted above, RDI is listed on the UoW website as "an Institution of the University with Validated Provision".

And the exact same status is listed for many other international institutions, such as the "Fundatia Pentru Provarea Invatamatului European" in Romania, or the "Management Development Institute of Singaport at Tashkent" in Uzbekistan, or the "Ghana Christian University College" in Ghana.

We might assume that UoW will no longer validate programs in places like eastern Europe, or central Asia, or west Africa. But in that case, there is nothing at the UoW website to suggest that RDI's status with UoW is any different.

Of course, anyone who wants a definitive answer about RDI and UoW should contact RDI or UoW directly.

 

Does this mean Capella University(or its private equity outfit) made a bad investment of buying RDI?