Somerset 'university'

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by adelheid, Aug 5, 2004.

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  1. adelheid

    adelheid New Member

    Just remembered from the back of my brain, Somerset 'University'? Can't trace them anymore... another one that bite the dust? What happened to them?
    adelheid:)
     
  2. galanga

    galanga New Member

    perhaps it is Somerset College of Arts and Technology?

    You're not the only one having trouble tracking down Somerset University: For your... entertainment (??) here are some links:

    http://www.asiawind.com/pub/hksr/news/020208/09-23

    The British Department for Education and Skills maintains a list of legitimate degree-granting UK schools. Somerset is not on the list.

    HOWEVER, DfES also has a page of "Listed Bodies :
    Other institutions, which do not have the power to award their own degrees, may provide courses which lead to a degree of a recognised body. These are known as listed bodies."

    On this page is a " Somerset College of Arts and Technology."

    The CHEA database lists

    Somerset Christian College (Zarephath NJ)
    Somerset Community College (Somerset KY)
    Somerset County Technical Institute (Bridgewater NJ)
    Somerset School of Massage Therapy (Piscataway NJ)
    Somerset Technical College (Somerset KY)

    Here's a fellow listing a PhD from a UK Somerset University.

    Ah, DegreeInfo to the rescue! Take a look at this thread. The Somerset web page is here.

    G
     
  3. adireynolds

    adireynolds New Member

    The admissions page states the following:

    "Remark : All programs are discontinued."
     
  4. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    Founder Raymond Young started with Harley University, then St. Giles, then Somerset, and subsequently International College of Higher Education.

    A few years ago, I had the pleasure of testifying in a trial where the expert witness for the plaintiff had, as his only degree, a Ph.D. in Forensic Arborology from Somerset. He had been doing expert witness work for many years, and so, after he was exposed (the jury seemed quite amused), the lawyer for the defendant said she would be writing to all the lawyers who were involved in earlier cases with this 'doctor' was on the winning side, believing it might re-open a good many cases.

    Forensic arborology?!
     
  5. adireynolds

    adireynolds New Member

    The scientific study of gardens?

    :confused: :confused: :confused:
     
  6. maris61*

    maris61* member

    You obviously got their old site, thanks to Gollin's typically wrong information.

    Their new site seems to still be up and running. If you ask them they will tell you flat out they are not accredited. Why bother with all that, eh George? It's more fun to speculate about things you don't know anything about and are too lazy to verify.

    BTW, I am told plant DNA is as distinctive as human DNA. Hence it is entirely possible that one may legitimately claim to be a forensic botanist or arborist. For example, such a person could establish that seed pods found in the back of a pickup truck are from a tree at the crime scene, thereby demonstrating that the truck was at the scene. How quick are some to belittle things they don't understand.
     
  7. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Perhaps Maris61* will share with us examples where Dr. Gollin was "too lazy to verify."



    Roger Maris' record 61 home runs was never indicated by an asterisk.
     
  8. galanga

    galanga New Member

    Holy cow, look at that!

    Holy cow, look at that! It resembles a University Degree Program site!

    Compare the "about us" statement with that on the Ashbourne University site. Same text, except for "university" name. Notice that the amusing grammatical mistake: "Those of you whom are already with us at" has been fixed, at long last.

    Also on the same server, IP = 209.208.123.3:
    somersetuniversity.org (live Somerset)
    strassuniversity.org (not yet hatched, Israeli domain registration)
    universityofdevon.org (live Devon)
    uofdunham.org (not yet hatched, Israeli domain registration)

    Of course, with their U.K. address, they're breaking the law (or misrepresenting their location) since they do not appear on the UK Department for Education and Skills list of "recognized bodies."

    Very foxy-- the html of the entry page has this "robots" meta tag:
    <meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow">
    to keep search engines from indexing it. How'd you find the site, maris61*?

    G
     
  9. adireynolds

    adireynolds New Member


    My, and how quick are others to jump to critical assumptions.

    Forensic: scientific methods, process, study of
    Arbor: Garden, terrace, grass, etc.
    -logy: study of

    Not being familiar with the phrase, I was going by the root definitions (no pun intended).

    Could you please explain how my attempt at defining the phrase or my use of the emoticon that symbolizes confusion equates to belittlement? No, I didn't understand the phrase . . . so I took a shot at trying to work it out. I am surprised, especially on a forum dedicated to means of pursuing knowledge, that you would be so quick as to ridicule such behavior.
     
  10. uncle janko

    uncle janko member

    Hi Adrienne: How do you say "defamatory online-college troll" in Arabic?:cool:
     
  11. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    The trial in question related to a party who had cut down two small and very ordinary trees, believing they were on his property. Turned out they were on the neighbor's property. The guilty party acknowledged guilt and offered to pay fair value for the trees. As I recall it, three tree experts, including the University of California's forestry department, valued the trees at under $1,000. The neighbor hired the forensic arborologist (with no Bachelor's or Master's, but a Somerset doctorate) who valued the trees at over $100,000.
     
  12. adireynolds

    adireynolds New Member

    ROTFLMAO

    That is so funny, Dr. Bear -- my sides ache from laughing at the absurdity of the details on this case!

    Hey, Uncle Janko -- looks like I got suckered into rising on that one! Unfortunately, I can only throw a mild Arabic insult (well, mild to us -- strong in Arabic) to this troll: harami!

    However, I'm much more practiced in Chinese cursing . . .

    jiao(4) ma(4) de bai(2) cher(1) ! :D
     

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