US Senate report on "Bogus Degrees" now available

It is a 192-page report entitled Bogus Degrees and Unmet Expectations: are taxpayer dollars subsidizing diploma mills? Subtitle: Hearings before the Committee on Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate, 108th Congress, Second Sessions, May 11 and 12 2004. Published and sold by the US Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, bookstore.gpo.gov, or (866) 512-1800.

I don't know the price . . . but many comparable publications are actually free if you request them from your own congressperson or senator's office. The code numbers on it are "S.Hrg. 108-553" and "94-487 PDF."

Incidentally, the two institutions that get the most space by far, including many illustrations and a Powerpoint presentation, are Columbia State and Kennedy-Western.

There's a lot in here I hadn't seen before, including some very strong comments by senators other than Collins: Akaka, Lautenberg, Carper, Durbin, Lieberman, and Pryor.

I suspect there will be more to say as more of us read this report.

--John Bear, who was not involved, not invited, and not there

 

Text version

 

PDF version

 

I noticed that the final report said nothing negative about California Coast University. In fact, the only reference to California Coast at all is that they cooperated with the government investigators.

 

I wonder if this report will have any effect on Kennedy Western v. Oregon?

 

I would assume that the Oregon lawyers would like to look into those issues. I would assume that the KWU lawyers would like to say that the senate hearings are irrelevant. What happens next is that Oregon will respond to the KWU suit. I would guess that what happens after that is that they get together in front of a judge who would rule what kind of stuff can be investigated in the discovery phase?

 

Actually, I am doing some work in an unrelated area of administrative law right now. Findings of government investigations can be admissible evidence under certain circumstances. Look at Rule 803(H)(3) in the rules of evidence.

 

Thank you for the links. This stuff is hilarious, really great reading, and I'm only on page 25!

 

There was a small paragraph in the latest NCO Journal (Army) that while small, had far reaching consequences--it addressed the use of degree mills (it listed a basic definition) for inclusion in your official military record and stated none of the degrees of credits would not be accepted--unwritten, it could be detrimental to your career to list these degrees. Interesting.

Bill