anything

anything to get rid of that bircham thread

Bob Jones U to pursue accreditation through the Southern Association

BJU to pursue accreditation | The Greenville News | GreenvilleOnline.com

 

Good for them. BJU has always been one of the better-regarded unaccredited (before their TRACS days) and now nationally accredited schools.

Of course, that is, if the religious fundamentalism isn't too off-putting.

 

I spoke to someone recently (a friend not a coworker) that is hiring for a position. An applicant had a degree in business from an RA school with a very strong religious affiliation and his comment was, "Oh I know that school...I am not going to hire one of those wacko's" It is sad that there will always be some prejudice whether it is an online school, a for profit, a nonprofit, a religious school, or just “my state school is better than your state school”. No matter what anyone thinks you cannot escape ignorance – it is all around us.

 

For years, my undergrad alma mater (Curry College) had a very poor reputation locally; "If you can't go to college, go to Curry". That was largely eliminated after a massive capital building campaign (funded by their then-new continuing ed department which was wildly popular), but I still hear it now and again, even though it's now rated Tier 2 Regional Universities by USN&WR.

That's a big reason why I went to UMass-Lowell for my first Master's, instead of other lesser-known colleges that are popular with police officers in Massachusetts, such as Anna Maria College and Western New England College (now University), as I wanted to use it (and do use it) as a teaching credential.

Unless you go to one of the Ivies or public Ivies, someone, somewhere, will have something to say about your school.

 

And the interesting thing is that not all students who graduate from a school agree with the stances of the school.

I am a graduate of Liberty U (and it wouldn't surprise me if that were the school in question here!), but I disagree strongly with many of the stances of the school.

I'm a Christian, but I'm not a fundamentalist, not a young-earth creationist, and definitely not a hardcore right-winger. I can definitely understand why someone might not look on LU's science department with much approval, but in my experience, the instruction was actually quite open-minded in psychology.

LU's biggest problem (other than the rigidity in their religious beliefs---and this is coming from a moderate evangelical) is their political activism. The constant shilling for the GOP gets really old. I know that universities can also go the other direction, too, and it irks me both ways.

 

I have to wonder why you would attend, provide support for (tuition money), graduate from, and represent (as an alumni) a school when you "disagree strongly with many of the stances of the school". Did they offer you a deal you could not pass up like reduced or free tuition?

 

I didn't feel as strongly when I started the program. Over the last year or so, my positions have shifted, and I just dropped out of the EdS program at LU partially because of these issues. Also, the instruction wasn't politically driven, and even religiously, there was diversity in the student base within the counseling and education departments.

Admittedly, I was torn about the issue.

I don't, however, disagree with ALL of the stances (or even most). It's mostly just the political element. The creationist issue didn't really come up in any of my classes.

 

To be fair, that would be a personal attack, not an attack on Harvard.

 

My sister-in-law is a double Harvard grad (A.B. & M.B.A.) and doesn't fit that description at all; total middle class upbringing, with her father being a motorman for the MBTA (public transit system) and her mother a housewife. I think the people you describe are the ones who make all the noise, while people like my SIL are too busy working to pay off their student loans to be spouting textbook theories.

 

That is the reality of life. One has to just do what works for them personally, and then hope for the better. It only takes one yes, and the rest is history. I'm sure your friend would have a different outlook on life if, for example, he is laid off and has to look for another job where someone else decides his fate. Hopefully, he'd have all the "perfect" requirements for the job, including degrees from the "perfect school."

 

He graduated from Rutgers and Monclair so he thinks he can stand above others.