Question about a different Fairfax?

I know the faixfax university with afflication wherever including the uk is a complete dimploma mill, but does anyone know if it is affliated with http://universityoffairfax.net/ ? They have a partnership with Salem International University, which is a real school.

So I am wondering is it just the sharing of a tarnished bad name or are they the same school? I tried looking for hours on my own to no avail to see if they were the same, but I found no connection and yet want to be sure. The only reason I am even interested is because they are one of the only dl schools to have any sort of infosecurity degree - especially as they have another partnership with a small security software company as well.

I guess part of the question is probably answered by the fact that it uses a .net, but some of bs schools have used an .edu in the past. Also I know that a few legit schools through peterson and a couple other education firms have partnerships for profit that use .com address including tulane. Sorry about the ramblings, but its a bit late I should have remembered to come here when my head was a bit more clear. Thanks in advance!

 

It is unaccredited but state--of-Virginia approved.

A Google search for the address comes up only with "Productivity Point International of Vienna" in that suite.

The people involved have good credentials. But is seems a bit of a stretch to suggest that something this new is "America's premier program" in anything.

As for the other Fairfax (many schools turn into dimploma mills late at night), a reminder that Lord Perry of Walton, one of the pioneers of distance education, long-time Vice Chancellor of Open University, etc., was also Chancellor of Fairfax for quite few years, until his death last year. While I am not happy with the way it has been presenting itself in the 18 years since my brief involvement in 1986, I have seen no evidence of academic chicanery, and the faculty list is quite impressive. So why don't they go through the "get off the list" Oregon process. I wish they would try.

 

This Virginia Fairfax is clearly a different school. There have been some previous threads about it.

It's generated some controversy and it's pretty expensive. The Washington Post did a very unflattering story about it (Dec. 8. 2003, page E-1):

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A43952-2003Dec7?language=printer

Exerpts:

"The University of Fairfax, which started classes for 12 students in July, is not accredited, and it charges $32,000 for a master's program and $78,760 for a PhD in the specialty, according to the school's catalogue. The price is much higher than similar programs at nearby accredited state schools such as George Mason University, where it costs a Virginia resident $7,350 for the new master's program in information security...

Through newspaper advertising and $125 workshops, Berlin's new school has so far attracted about 30 students, most of them in the PhD program, he said in an interview...

Berlin's history in Maryland goes back to General Communications Inc., a Rockville career college that recruited low-income adults through print ads and telemarketing calls...

Maryland regulators issued a report in 1994 saying the state had "identified serious and egregious deficiencies" at GCI...

In 1995 an administrative law judge who heard the state's case ordered GCI to refund the tuition of about 500 students... Eight days later GCI declared bankruptcy...

Berlin, in the meantime, had opened Potomac College in Rockville... A site visit by Maryland regulators in 1993 revealed several violations of state standards...

...state officials decided Potomac College would be allowed to continue operating only if Berlin and his wife, Janet, did not own or have decision-making powers. So it was sold...

..."Victor Berlin was the force behind the creation of Rockwell University." ...

State officials approved Berlin's new school, the University of Fairfax , in May 2002, allowing it to begin advertising and enrolling students...

James McCarthy, one of two professors for the master's program listed as full time, said he has yet to conduct a single course at the university. "I have not done any teaching there at this point," said McCarthy, founder and chief executive of Symmetry Solutions Inc., a Vienna consulting firm. "Full-time professor is pretty far fetched at this point...

Universities in Virginia have 10 years to seek accreditation with a body recognized by the federal Department of Education. Berlin's new school said in its application that it planned to pursue accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, but it has not yet applied. Alan Edwards, the Virginia higher-education council's assistant director for academic affairs and planning, said his agency is undergoing a major overhaul that officials hope will give it increased oversight. But Edwards said that "in many ways, Virginia is very much a buyer-beware state."

Some other assorted stuff that a Google search turned up:

Robert McNamara Jr. (is he the son of the Robert McNamara?), former General Counsel of the CIA, is on the University of Fairfax's advisory board:

http://www.manatt.com/showresume.asp?id=132

There's an ad for it on a Federal Information Systems Security Educator's Association webpage.

http://csrc.nist.gov/organizations/fissea/newsletters/2003/news11-03.html

Some kind of employment organization for people with DoD security clearances claims a partnership with them:

http://www.intelligencecareers.com/openhouse/

Fairfax apparently has been trying to follow in American Military University's footsteps, by opening offices in West Virginia, presumably in hopes of eventually becoming RA.

WV approved their presence:

http://www.nis.wvu.edu/2003_Releases/hepc_legislation_help.htm

Then they withdrew their approval. There have been calls for the state to write new regulations for these immigrant schools from the DC area.

http://www.nis.wvu.edu/2004_Releases/hepc_feb.htm

There are lots of announcments in IT-security trade publications about U. of Fairfax offering free certification prep courses. Apparently the courses include advertising for Fairfax's degree programs. Here's a representative example of the announcements:

http://www.nsi.org/Calendar/apr2004.html

 

I have lived in Fairfax, VA since 1967 and have frequently worked in the Tyson's Corner area but have not heard of it so it must be fairly new...this is the same area that has branches of Averette, Nova Southeaster I believe, some Virginia Tech and UVA and many tech schools along with all the very big government contractors and high-tech firms...AOL actually started there.

 

thanks for the information

I obviously was looking in the wrong places for so much information about it around. I did find it interesting that it seems that
Contact Information:
Name: Jo-Anne King
Phone number: 703-245-6698
E-Mail: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.universityoffairfax.net/InfoSec53
is either greatly involved or runs the marketing of the entire university by herself? She is listed on a lot of the announcements I read as well as being listed in recent spam I just got from them as well. btw the washington post article was most revealing at least about this price, as I could go to Stanford for about the same amount of money and not have to worry about the credibility of the school in a year or two. The one thing that did impress me was some of the members of their board, but it also seems as if some of the people listed are not really active with the university.

So with this one probably off my list, does anyone know of a decent online infosecurity degree?