St. George Univeristy International

The Century thread led me to look up SGUI again. So, I go to the Mercer University page and I see an assistant professor, in the department of education, who has her Ed.D. from there. I'm sort of surprised as her only other academic qualification listed is a BA from Arizona State. www.mercer.edu/education/faculty.html

 

It appears that she was one that fell through the cracks. Especially considering she has no Master's degree, I'm quite certain a letter to the Dean of Mercer University would have her cleaning out her desk in short order.

What in the hell are these people thinking??

Bruce

 

Believe it or not, the surfacing of information regarding a faculty member's questionable academic credentials does not ensure release from employment. Sometimes the serious nature of the misrepresentation of the degree is overshadowed (or rationalized) by the personal relationships that exist among the faculty and administrators.

 

I don't discount politics, especially in academia, but if you look at this woman's CV, she was hired the same year (2000) that she received her doctorate from SGUI, and that is her only advanced degree.

Considering that even most community colleges require a Master's degree, I don't see how a university like Mercer would keep this person once they found out that she, for all intents and purposes, has only an undergraduate degree.

I'm certainly not going to blow the whistle, as I think if Mercer is that lax in choosing faculty, then they deserve whatever they get.

Bruce

 

Is there any chance that St. George University International is a legitimate institution (Not a degree mill). They list numerous affliations with recognized and properly accredited institutions/universities.

 

I'd like to know of any regionally accredited or equivalent universities that are formally affiliated with SGUI.


Peace,

------------------
Tom Head
www.tomhead.net

 

I think that their "legal disclaimers"
page sums it up pretty well.
http://www.stgeorgeuniversity.edu/main/l
egal.htm

They have a business license in St.
Kitts. Apparently they don't have
education ministry approval there or
anywhere. They claim no accreditation.

The "numerous affiliations" look like a
couple of homeopathic colleges and the "American University of Spain" whose link doesn't work.

 

Bruce,

I have mixed opinion about blowing it for her. Now, I don't know the situation behind her hire but I do know that if people with degree mill doctorates are hired in place of those with legit doctorates then there is something amiss.

I recall someone posting on the AED a few years back regarding an issue similar to this. A guy with an MBA from a legit school did not get a promotion. Instead, his company brought in a another person with an MBA from Columbia Pacific. This disgruntled employee turned the guy over and then this man recieved the promotion in the end.

Bing

 

I agree with you in principle, but since it wasn't me that got passed over in favor of this woman with the SGUI degree (if in fact she jumped anyone to begin with), I'm not too concerned about it.

As Paul C. mentioned, I do speculate that she has some sort of personal connection with the University, since she was hired as an Assistant Professor the very same year she "earned" her doctorate from SGUI.

I've pretty much decided about pursuing my Ph.D. through Capella University, which is regionally accredited. Even then, I'm already rehearsing my speech to prospective employers about the school, its accreditation, etc., and I have regionally accredited AS, BA, and MA degrees to back it up. I can't imagine the chutzpah it would take to apply for a faculty position at an RA school with a degree mill credential. It's like playing Russian Roulette with 4 bullets.

Bruce

 

Bruce, all the best to you in your doctoral journey with Capela. I have finally just completed my Comps and am now ABD. I started two years and three months ago and had a little too high an expectation that I would rip through my program a somewhat faster than it turned out. Still very pleased though. I have already done significant research for my dissertation so I anticipate being able to defend by September.

Everyone has different experiences and perspectives, but my Capella experience has been as good as I could have hoped. A few minor glitches here and there, but an overall A+ when I look at the total picture.

 

FYI - I sent emails (five different addresses) to St. George and all were returned with a failure notice. The error could be on my end but surely one of these would have gone through.

BTW - I sent an email to the Dean of the College of Education at Mercer inquiring as to his opinion regarding the legitimacy of a St. George doctoral degree. My intent is not to "Blow the wistle" but to truly assess the situation.

I will keep all posted as to any response I receive.

Wes

 

Wes:

Yes, keep us posted as to your reply from Mercer. It should be interesting.

Russell

 

What was said in the email?

Bruce

 

First, my compliments to Bing - what a find!

Regarding the question of whether to report this to Mercer . . . I hate to bring up this phrase again, campers, but it all comes down to social responsibility. Mdercer is not only a credible school, but a major university in Atlanta. The question is not whether the presence of a faculty member with a degree mill doctorate will have an impact on our friendly band of misfits, but what impact that can have on the students who are spending their valuable time and money on a Mercer education.

Which is why I have just sent an e-mail to several administrators and deans at Mercer, with a copy to The Chron. Of course, I can't resist a bit of at-tee-tude, so since I'm sure some of you will wonder what I wrote to the friendly folks at Mercer, here it is:

QUOTE:

A discussion has been taking place on the DegreeInfo.Com forum under the thread titled "St. George Univeristy [sic] International." The URL for this thread is: http://www.degreeinfo.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000348.html

The discussion indicates that a faculty member in Mercer University's Department of Education received her doctorate from a known degree mill. The relevant faculty listing from your web site at http://www.mercer.edu/education/faculty.html is:

Margaret M. Jensen (2000)
Assistant Professor of Education
B.A., Arizona State University, 1984;
Ed.D., St. George University International, 2000.

St. George University International, which according to its web site at http://www.stgeorgeuniversity.edu/main/index.htm is "part of the Church and Order of Saint George," advertises that you can "Earn your degree entirely through work or life experience ... or tutored!"

The school is clearly a degree mill and, under its own section on legal disclaimers at http://www.stgeorgeuniversity.edu/main/legal.htm, states,

St. George University International is truly an
international university. It is fully and properly
incorporated as a private commercial university company
in the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis,
which, having been a British Crown Colony until 1983,
when it became independent, is now a full member of the
British Commonwealth and the United Nations. The
company registration number is: 003061.

It is part of the Church and Order of Saint George,
which is incorporated in the Federation of Saint
Christopher and Nevis, too, with the company
registration number: 003093.

The degree awarded is a perfectly legal degree!

SGUI is a private international university, and not a
UK, USA or Japanese university and not accredited or
recognized by any governmental ministry of education...

Let's look at the facts: A person who received her doctorate degree in 2000 from an obvious sham incorporated in Nevis shows up as an assistant professor in your School of Education as of 2000. While Ms. Johnson does not have an e-mail address, according to your current web directory, she is nonetheless listed as a faculty member.

(Incidentally, Nevis is one of the world's havens for degree mills. Just this past Monday, 3/19/01, the Chronicle of Higher Education included the statement that Nevis "is notorious in the hemisphere for licensing just about anything as a college.")

The question then, is, who is the blathering idiot who hired her? And why was her fraudulent degree not caught during the credential review process (if any), a committee interview (if any), or elsewhere during the hiring process? Hell, people, it's not like you're in the School of Business and unlikely to recognize a degree mill, most of you are in the freakin' Mercer University School of Education!

Finally, what are you eminently credentialed professionals going to do about it? Especially before the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Macon Telegraph get wind of the story? (I can't help you with the Chronicle of Higher Education. This is so juicy that I've copied them on this e-mail.)

Really, gang, if Ms. Johnson still teaches in your education department, you ought to dump not only her, but the wazoos that were dumb enough to fall for her alleged doctorate. And if you have already done the right thing and dumped her, you should clean up your web site.

Because, despite its distinguished reputation within academe, Mercer is quickly becoming a laughingstock within the distance education community and among those who expose degree mills.

Best regards,
Steve Levicoff, Ph.D.

UNQUOTE

 

My guess is that Mercer University knows all about Ms (Dr) Jensen. In fact, they may have suggested that she do this.

A university is going to look closely at their faculty new hires. What's more, the existing faculty are going to look closely at who their new colleague is. This questionable degree coudn't have escaped people's attention. But they nevertheless hired this woman.

I'm speculating, but perhaps she was somebody known to them that they badly wanted to hire for some reason. But her highest degree was only a BA. So somebody in authority exercised some bad judgement and decided that she would look better on their faculty roster with a terminal degree, accepting a "fast and dirty" one.

If that's the case, I kind of feel sorry for her.

 

The following is the exact email which I sent to the Dean of Education at Mercer. As you can see a little less threatening than Dr. Steve.

You have a person on your faculty with a doctorate from St. George University International.

Margaret M. Jensen (2000)
Assistant Professor of Education
B.A., Arizona State University, 1984; Ed.D., St. George University International, 2000.

Is it your opinion and position that St. George University International is the equivalent of an American regionally accredited university? If not does Mercer University believe unaccredited doctoral degrees to be legitimate and worthy of the opportunity to teach with such a credential?

I am of the impression that many experts in the field of distance learning believe St. George University International to be a degree mill. I do not have an opinion! But do want to learn more about the institution as distance learning and global higher education options interest me.

Your response will be greatly appreciated!

Wes Cox

 

A correction to my post and my letter to the folks at Mercer:

I correctly copied Margaret Jensen's faculty listing to the e-mail, but misread it as Johnson in my later references, as well as in my check of the Mercer e-mail directory.

Margaret Jensen is, indeed, listed with an e-mail address, indicating that she is a current faculty member.

I shall correct this in another e-mail . . . an open letter to every member of the Education faculty at Mercer, as the list was easy to download and code with e-mail addresses.

To those who ask the obvious question: Why? The answer is simple: Because this is an Education department at a major university. Notwithstanding that they should know better, imagine the potential ramifications of someone with a degree mill doctorate teaching students in a program that grants doctorates, prepares teachers for public/private and higher education. I expect such a school to maintain a high standard, and the mere fact that they have listed Ms. Jensen, along with her so-called doctoral credential, impresses me as being insane.

 

Maggie Jensen was the first to respond to the above e-mail to the Education faculty at Mercer.

Since this is likely to open up a new Pandora's box and is more focused than the original messages, I have started a new thread called "St. George Int'l. U., Mercer U., and Maggie Jensen: The Game Begins." The first post in that thread has Maggie's response to my faculty e-mail, as well as my reply to her.

 

That is very possible Bill, and if it is true, then whatever PTB made that asinine decision should pack their desk along with "Dr." Jensen.

If they really wanted to hire her that badly, why not have her become a teaching assistant at the same time she pursues a Master's degree? After getting the Master's, hire her as an adjunct while she goes for a legitimate doctorate.

I also know that some Master's programs will accept exceptional students into doctoral programs with just a Bachelor's degree (The Union Institute being one of them). If Mercer just *had* to hire this person, there are a lot better (not easier, which is probably key) alternatives than a degree mill.

Bruce

 

If they really wanted to hire her that badly, why not have her become a teaching assistant at the same time she pursues a Master's degree? After getting the Master's, hire her as an adjunct while she goes for a legitimate doctorate.

I also know that some Master's programs will accept exceptional students into doctoral programs with just a Bachelor's degree (The Union Institute being one of them). If Mercer just *had* to hire this person, there are a lot better (not easier, which is probably key) alternatives than a degree mill.

Bruce[/B][/QUOTE]


Good point Bruce. I know I took a first year sociology class from a graduate student who had a B.A. and was working on her M.A.

Maybe Ms Jensen could start fresh and enroll in an accredited program. I wonder what possesses some people to do what is so obviously ridiculous. SGIU site makes it plain they do not even reach the level of Berne University (actually accredited by St. Kitts and Nevis). I guess little if no *coursework* makes it attractive??

North