This Just In: Breyer State Licensed By Alabama

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by italiansupernova, Oct 19, 2004.

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  1. italiansupernova

    italiansupernova New Member

    http://www.breyerstate.com/state-license.htm

    Looks like Idaho days have come and gone... almost. They still list an Idaho address, but now list an Alabama one as well. It seems as though they may be in some type of office complex. Their address isn't a UPS store and based off of a Google search of the address it *appears* to be an office complex.
     
  2. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    Alabama now seems to be the only state left that allows any fake school to get automatically licensed -- with the words "state approval" to boot.

    When I tried to get their attention several years ago, I discovered that the man in charge, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Eddie Johnson, seemed both uninterested and clueless.

    The only bright light there has been Dr. Elizabeth French, with the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, who has long been concerned by what her state allows, but has felt her hands tied by those higher up.

    I've alerted Dr. French to this situation (thanks, Signor Supernova), and I'll report back if she has anything new to say.
     
  3. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Alabama's licensure of an unaccredited schools ought to be a NIFI criterion. It shouts "Run!" to prospective students.

    Alabama will license anything and tolerate everything else.

    Moving across state lines is rare among legitimate schools. AMU and Walden changed locations to move themselves under the North Central Association. Ironically, both faced serious evaluations from their respective state agencies (Walden in Minnesota and AMU in West Virginia).

    Of course, there is no reason to think Breyer State "moved" to Alabama anything besides its authority to operate. It will be interesting to see if Idaho makes them actually leave. Maybe not, since Breyer State ("B.S." for short, I guess) says it's located on an Indian reservation.

    A private school using "State" in its title is being misleading.

    On its licensure page, Breyer State notes that Alabama requires truthful accreditation statements. In its FAQ, however, it has the following:

    Q: Is Breyer State University accredited?

    A: YES- Breyer State University has received full institutional accreditation from the Central States Consortium of Colleges and Schools. Accreditation was awarded following a comprehensive review of all standards as prescribed by the Central States Consortium of Colleges and Schools (CSCCS) by a team of independent contractor surveyors. Breyer State University was found to be in compliance with all prescribed standards. Breyer State University is also fully accredited by the Accreditation Governing Commission-USA. Our affiliate degree is accredited by a country’s Department of Ministry of Education, thus allowing our graduates to receive official documents of Attestation and Apostille. Please note that accreditation, or a peer review, is a voluntary process in the United States. Breyer State University is not regionally accredited.

    Hence, the "B.S." Neither the CSCCS nor the "Accreditation Governing Commission-USA" are recognized accreditors. That isn't made clear. Also, they allude to some "affiliate degree" (whatever that is) leading to an apostille, as if that meant something. Finally, they give a nod to the fact that they're not RA. However, if one is gullible enough to swallow all that other stuff, the last sentence isn't likely to have any meaning.

    This garbage alone makes Alabama's approval a joke. That's without even trying to get at whether or not "B.S."U. is actually offering a legitimate education.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 19, 2004
  4. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Okay, here's another gem from the FAQ:

    Q: Will my course credits and/or degree transfer or be accepted by other schools, college and universities?

    A: Each school, college and university develops their own policies regarding acceptance of course credits and/or degrees. There is no simple answer to this question.

    Yes there is: NO!

    The rest:

    It is best to contact a school that you may be interested in transferring credits to, or applying to for a higher level degree and ask them for their policy/guidelines regarding such acceptance. There tends to be a lot of variation. Some schools are more willing to accept transfer credits, and others are not. Some schools will not accept credits from a non-regionally accredited school. Our graduates do enjoy the benefit of receiving the affiliate degree package where the affiliate degree is fully accredited by a country’s department of Ministry of Education. Students may then apply for and receive an official degree evaluation from an evaluator in the United States verifying equivalency to a US regionally accredited degree. We have on file copies of such evaluations with this verification. At the time of graduation our students receive full information regarding making application for documents of Attestation through an independent evaluation agency. With such official attestation, it may well facilitate the transfer of credits and/or acceptance of a degree for entry into a higher level degree program. All degrees earned from Breyer State University will qualify students to enter a higher level degree program at Breyer State University.

    Again, more allusions to this partner school, without actually saying what it is. The rest of it is speculative B.S. I like the last statement, assuring readers that Breyer will accept Breyer degrees. I guess that's a start.:rolleyes:

    The rest of the FAQ is filled with mill-speak, offering assurances that you don't have to take general education courses, that the diploma and transcript won't say how you "earned" the degree, how nice the diplomas are, and how to order caps and gowns, as well as class rings. ("No Class" rings?)

    More to following regarding the faculty.

    Rich Douglas, Ph.D.
     
  5. Gus Sainz

    Gus Sainz New Member

    Breyer State University’s Bingham, Alabama address is that of HQ Global Workplaces. In addition to leasing executive offices and providing administrative services, HQ Global Workplaces also supplies businesses with what they call “Professional Mailing Addressing.” In other words, the business has no real presence except for an address of convenience. HQ Global Workplaces will also answer the telephone and forward calls and mail.

    At HQ Global Workplaces’ 2100 Southbridge Parkway location in Bingham, Suite 650 is the one designated for all of their “Professional Mailing Addressing” clients. A very helpful individual in their office confirmed this and the fact that Breyer State University avails themselves of this service.

    Even though the Alabama statutes states that, “Each private school domiciled in the State of Alabama will be visited with or without notification by an official of the Alabama Department Postsecondary Education to determine compliance with State Board of Education Policy,” this requirement is waived for entities that purport to offer distance education.

    Over the years, some (typically graduates of such Alabama licensed schools such as Chadwick and Barrington) have claimed that what Alabama terms “Private School Licensing" is tantamount to some kind of state “approval,” this is not so. According to Amy Green, Licensing Specialist for the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education (the person responsible for scrutinizing the applications and approving the licenses), the State of Alabama does not regulate degrees or grant any kind of approval. She made it very clear that Breyer State University was only granted a business license to operate. In many ways, it seems that the notoriously lax Wyoming statutes are actually stricter than the Alabama licensing requirements.

    As the Alabama state legislature will be considering a diploma mill bill in the near future, one can only hope that it addresses the question of the mills that are operating with impunity within its own borders.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 19, 2004
  6. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    I took a look at the faculty listed on the first page. (There are three pages of faculty, and you have to click the link to each one's own page to find out about them--it got tedious).

    On the first page, there are 43 faculty listed:

    4 with accredited doctorates (Capella, Sam Houston State, UTexas, and USoFla)

    1 with a JD (St. Thomas University)

    12 with unaccredited doctorates (3 from Breyer State; others included CCU, Columbia Pacific, PWU, Greenwich, SCUPS, Barrington, and John Dovelos with a Ph.D. from St. Regis)

    11 with accredited master's but no doctorate

    1 with an unaccredited master's (true also of several who hold unaccredited doctorates)

    8 with no sources of degrees listed

    3 with no graduate degrees at all

    1 listing two doctorates from foreign schools ("AL PINE" University in Germany and the College of Liberal Studies in Athens--couldn't find either with a quick search)

    2 where it was unclear (weird, but their personal bios had confusing information about their degrees)


    So, 43 faculty and only 4 with accredited doctorates, one with a JD, and another 11 with accredited master's. Even if we toss in half of the Unknowns (dubious, since they're more likely to have degrees from unaccredited schools), that leaves us with only 20 of 43 having accredited graduate degrees. Where does Breyer dig these people up? :rolleyes:

    And why does Alabama license this thing?
     
  7. italiansupernova

    italiansupernova New Member

    Youngstown/Breyer State

    To all,

    BSU's affiliate program was with (or is with) Saint Regis. It was stated so up to the time when all of the fake/forged Liberian accreditation statements came flying.

    http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:r_La6ctOm5AJ:[url]www.breyerstate.com/regis.htm%3Fw%3Damerican%2Bred%2Bcross+breyer+state+affiliate+saint+regis&hl=en[/url]

    Hopefully, the link above will direct you to a cached Google page mentioning Liberian accreditation. On BSU's current affiliation page it simply states: "Breyer State University maintains an affiliation with a school, which is fully recognized by the Commissioner on Higher Education of a country outside of the United States of America."

    Why can't/won't they list the country?

    http://www.breyerstate.com/affiliate-package.htm

    Arrivederci to not only the Saint Regis references, but also to the Liberian claim.

    I also recall a few months back when I stumbled upon a (supposedly) cached James Monroe U page that had been filled in with Breyer State. I presume they were/are sharing a server? I don't know enough about the technical stuff to understand that. I DO KNOW that both schools listed Kamiah, ID as home base.

    A few months back I did chat with a BSU rep. and was told they were seeking licensing. But, I shrugged it off. And, woah boy, here comes Alabama!

    As far as the intructors/professors a few of ,including President Flarey himself, have degrees from Youngstown State. Oddly enough, Breyer State is a member of the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce: http://www.regionalchamber.com/detail.asp?MemberID=13095
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 19, 2004
  8. JNelson467

    JNelson467 New Member

    This shocks the HELL out of me....I am now cleansed of all unrighteousness.
     
  9. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    Yesterday, Fox News sent people to the campus in Idaho. They say it was an unmarked private home. When they knocked, a woman answered. They asked if this was Breyer State University. She said, "Yes, but they're not here right now." I'm hoping to get pictures.
     
  10. DaveHayden

    DaveHayden New Member

    LOL! Perhaps their World HQ is a rented spare bedroom! Now that is a school I would want to be either a student or instructor at! :D
     
  11. italiansupernova

    italiansupernova New Member

    It is in fact a private home. The address, 820 South Peach Street Kamiah ID 83586, according to the Census Bureau, is in a subdivision.

    http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/AGSGeoAddressServlet?_lang=en&_programYear=50&_treeId=420&_sse=on

    Now, aside from Flarey, Breyer State seems to be run by a Native American family that resides on the reservation. Allow me to elaborate:

    On Breyer State's website they list 208-935-0392 as their fax number. One search on reversephonedirectory.com reveals that the fax number is registered to Beverly Higheagle of Kamiah. That isn't the only time the name "Higheagle" appears.

    Moving along... if you look at Breyer State's sample diploma page you'll see Flarey's signature on your left with the signature on the right being James Higheagle. It's kind of hard to see, but if you look closely enough you'll be able to tell.

    Finally, if you look on the Administration & Staff page again we see James & Beverly, but now we see the name Gordon Higheagle. None of which have photos or bios. Rather odd for the "Chairman, Board of Trustees", and especially for the "Director of Admissions" & "Asst. Director of Admissions." Take a look: http://www.breyerstate.com/adminandstaff.htm
     
  12. italiansupernova

    italiansupernova New Member

    In one rare instance I had a spare 50 bucks to blow, so I decided to apply to Breyer State several months ago. To absolutely no surprise I was accepted. They don't even require proof or attestation of high school graduation or GED. A long story short I was absolutely flooded with automatic e-mails with one even detailing how they aren't a diploma mill. I still have those e-mails, so if any SENIOR MEMBER wants to see them (including the one with a big ol' typo in the subject line) send me a PM with your e-mail address and I'll forward them on.

    Aside from the flood of e-mails, I actually received an acceptance letter in the mail with a rather nice looking Breyer State magnet enclosed. Oh, and remember that typo thing I just mentioned, yeah well there's a TYPO ON THEIR STATIONARY! Ouch! No kidding on both the envelope and acceptance letter Kamiah was misspelled. I couldn't find my "acceptance letter" at the moment to tell you how it was spelled, but I do recall that there was an extra "i" in Kamiah.
     
  13. galanga

    galanga New Member

    just teasing

    That's "STATIONERY"

    ;-)
    G
     
  14. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    Galanga: "That's "STATIONERY"

    John: One of the most enduring mnemonic devices from the wonderful 9th grade English teacher Portia Abigail Riley: "Stationery is what you buy at a stationer."
     
  15. discusedu

    discusedu New Member

    Gabriel, it looks like that James Monroe U copied the code from the breyer state university site.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 20, 2004
  16. uncle janko

    uncle janko member

    NEWS FLASH!

    MONROVIA (via Rooters). Interim Grand Elk Charles Gyude Bryant announced in Monrovia today that the Republic of Liberia has annexed the former U.S. state of Alabama. An overwhelming vote of the transitional legislature suspended Liberia's historic restriction of citizenship to persons of black African ancestry "except for excluding the bush heathens in Tuscaloosa," said Bryant. Alabama's counties will be consolidated into four: Wallace, Bear Bryant, Cape Skynyrd, and Grand Mount Breyer. Bryant indicated that the only unsolved problem of the annexation involves the national flag. "We are not sure whether to have two stars or just a bigger fatter one." The Liberian leader expressed disappointment at the lack of reaction from the U.S. State Department. "You would have thought they'd have noticed a state was missing," complained Bryant. In New York, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan denounced the Liberian move as "interference in another nation without prior bribery of UN officials" and said that he hoped no nation would establish consulates in the formerly U.S. part of Liberia. The U.N. also suspended its grits-for-food exchange program. Alabama's former governor Bob Riley flew into exile in South Africa early Wednesday, seeking talks with ousted Haitian despot Jean-Bertrand Aristide. "We gonna have a beer or two and then go raise some hell," claimed Riley.
     
  17. italiansupernova

    italiansupernova New Member

    Galanga,

    Wow, now I do feel like a big dope. In my defense, I must say that I had just woken up when I wrote that. If you don't buy that then I'm a just a moron. :D

    "discusedu: Gabriel..... " Looks like the secret's out. Some how the newbie knows my name. I have no idea how that happened because it's not on my profile, but nonetheless there it is.
     
  18. oxpecker

    oxpecker New Member

    Attahced is the Terra Server picture (from 1992) of that address.
     

    Attached Files:

  19. galanga

    galanga New Member

    A senior moment like you've never seen before

    Just imagine how it must have felt to back the car out of the garage without remembering to close the driver's side door. (The garage door frame ripped it clean off the car body!) Then think of what the drive to the dealership must have been like, with the entire town lined up to watch the Car Without A Door going down the street!

    A spelling error? That's nothing.

    G
     
  20. JNelson467

    JNelson467 New Member

    Looks like a aerial photo of a Alabamer Shack!!

    Look Maw, I gots a digreee from Breyer State. Now I know how ta say my ABC's.

    hey Pappy, Bring on out tha moonshine and tha tobacci & lets a celebraaat..

    Our sons a college gradute. Spitingggkk.

    Someone in Alabamer must have drank too much moonshine as well during that licensing grant.

    Spitingggkkk!:p
     

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