Diploma Mill

Is Irish International University
a diploma mill?

 

the web-site looks so


t.

 

My opinion is that it probably is.

Here's a description of what they do:

It is an Open University registered in Ireland. The University is incorporated as a limited company and offers distance education programmes. It provides tutorial support vis the Internet.
http://www.ipfm.com/iiu.htm

Ireland has, at least until recently, been a European haven for English language degree mills. Apparently foreign firms could incorporate as foreign corporations in Ireland, and then do business as universities without coming under Irish educational law. The Irish considered them Irish branches of foreign schools, and their home countries considered them Irish schools, so they often slipped between the regulatory cracks. I have been told, but have not bothered to verify it, that the law in Ireland has been tightened, and that doing this may no longer be legal there.

Irish International University does not appear on the Irish government's own listing of the colleges and universities, both public and private, that are located in Ireland. In other words, the Irish themselves don't recognize it as an Irish university.

IIU is being promoted by (and perhaps is owned by) an organization that calls itself the International Postgraduate Facilitator Management Centre, Malaysia.
http://www.ipfm.com/

This bunch also promotes something called the Irish Business School in London (whose link takes you to Irish International University), and the familiar St. Clements University, which is incorporated in the British Virgin Islands (a jurisdiction that does not regulate universities), has a website registered to a woman in South Australia and is "accredited" by Maxine Asher's WAUC.

It's somehow appropriate that when you click on the "recognition" link on the IPFM site, it takes you to a blank page.

 

When I visited the IIU campus in 1997, it was in one room in a really seedy hotel in London, which was also the office of Jeff Wooller College, the Irish Business School, and a bunch of other wonders.

 

The IIU campus has never been part of Jeff Wooller College nor has it ever been run from any Jeff Wooller College building. I have never had any executive powers in the IIU. I was not involved in the set up of IIU but I did accept a later invitation to become Vice Chancellor.

The Jeff Wooller College was at one time in a hotel but we had 3,500 square feet of prime educational space. The main examination hall had ceilings 30 feet high and had been decorated by a Russian artist.

The building itself is one of the finest examples of a Lutyen's building in the UK and at the time of the visit was valued at GBP 15 million.

At the time of Dr Bear's visit I did not own either Jeff Wooller College or the Irish Business School and the College had no connection with IIU.

 

why?

Why did "Jeff Wooler College" use your name??

 

Yes, please answer Galanga's question:

1. "Why did Jeff Wooller College" use your name?

plus,

2. Who owned Jeff Wooller College if you did not, and why?

3. Did you own Jeff Wooller College at any time after Dr. Bear's visit?

4. If you contend that Irish International University is not a diploma mill, can you provide evidence as to why not?

5. If at the time of Dr. Bear's visit JWC and IBS had no connection to IIU, which institutions, organizations or entities, if any, has or had connections to IIU?

Thanks.

 

While were on the topic Jeff, can you also comment on following:

* The evolution of the Irish Business School
* Your relationship with St Clements University
* The linkages that existed with Washington University (now known as Washington International University).

Cheers,

George

 

That certainly erases any doubt in my mind.

 

Mine too. Now if it had been a Lithuanian artist...

I wouldn't wait around for Dr Wooller to answer questions. I asked him to tell me what CASS stood for, since he said he'd graduated from it, and he wouldn't. Someone else did--or at least someone else guessed that their CASS was Dr Wooller's CASS.

The architect is Luytens, not Luyten.

 

I found my photos from my visit to the headquarters of the Wooller insitutions. Here are two. As best I could determine, the Wooller empire was located in the two small rooms shown on the left. The sign said just "Jeff Wooller Accounting College. The small sign above the small door between the two rooms is a candidate for the school sign hall of fame, along with the now-famous "Bad Dog." It simply says, "Mind Your Head." The photo on the right, in the lobby, is typical of the, um, elegance of the building.

 

Re: why?

For the same reason that if someone took over IBM it would probably continue to use the same name.

The College see (www.jeffwoollercollege.com) is authorised to run courses for many major bodies such as ACCA, CIMA. It does not run degree courses. It has never had any involvement with IIU.

 

Jeff Wooller College was purchased from me by Felix Orogun ACCA in 1993 and has been run by him since that time. Initially the college was run from The Central Club in Great Russell Street (very close to the British Museum).

Later the College moved to Old Gloucester Street which is between Holborn and Russell Square tube stations. It has a large landmark building that was previously owned by Emile Woolf College when it was used by two of the best lecturers in the UK: Steve Lumby and Doug Beardon.

I have witnessed in Kuala Lumpur the processing of applications for courses. It is not easy to get onto a course. I have witnessed the theses that students have done to get their degrees.

I am not saying that the standards equate to Oxbridge but it cannot be considered to be a degree mill.

It has approval from the Government in Malaysia to run degree courses.

I served as Vice Chancellor for several years up to 2004. Also there was a link between the Institute of Professional Financial Managers (IPFM see www.ipfm.org) and the IIU. However, Dr Sandhu severed that link some years ago and used instead the Business Management Association whose links can be see on the IIU website. I have done some work introducing students to the IIU for a commission. I have never had any complaints from those that I have introduced except for the time that it takes to send out their certificates.

 

The Irish Business School (IBS) was set up in 1995 and was part of the group owned by Felix Orogun. Jeff Wooller College ran degree courses for full-time students ie those requiring a permit to stay in the UK. However, they ran into problems because IBS was not registered as a university with the British High Commissions. Thus several years ago he took the decision to stop running such courses.

At that time I took over the ownership of IBS and IPFM and since that time I have run distance-learning courses and IPFM has run diploma courses.

I was introduced to St Clements University (SCU) by Dr Sandu of IIU. I now work very closely with SCU and we have joint convocations in both Malaysia and London. IPFM also runs MBA and DBA courses in Financial Management for SCU where SCU issues the degree certificates.

I have no knowledge of Wahington International University. I have never had any dealings with it.

 

Dr. Wooller brings up a very interesting point: Is paying commission for the recruitment of students a common or acceptable practice? Do any legitimate universities do this?

 

sports

Scouts for athletic teams of universities, perhaps?

 

The photograph on the left is a small waiting room admittedly not up to the standard of the rest of the accommodation. Likewise the office in which we worked was not up to the standard of the rest of the building. Before we took out the lease these were respectively toilets and kitchen.

The lobby is clearly not impressive by any standards. Shortly afterwards a new manager took over the building and the lobby was made into a leading feature of the building. We had no control over the rest of the building as our percentage of the whole building was only 7%. We had our student hall of 3,000 square feet plus 450 square feet of office and waiting room.

As I previously explained the student hall was one of the finest halls in London. It would accommodate 100 students at a time. Half of the room was taken up with students taking practice three-hour examinations and the other half was taken up by students doing private study. The tutors were situated in the office.

The student hall was at the end of the corridor ie if Dr Bear had not turned left into the waiting room then he would have gone straight into the student hall.

This building was on Great Russell Street and not at Old Gloucester Street. Jeff Wooller College has confirmed that Dr Bear has never visited its Old Gloucester Street premises.

 

but why...

...does "Jeff Wooler College" bear your name?

 

Dr Wooller:

I have two questions based on the excerpt quoted from your earlier post.

The phrase "full-time students ie those requiring a permit to stay in the UK" troubles me. This sounds like the granting of an academic status in order to meet a requirement of the UK immigration officials. Can you clarify?

Also, who is the "he" in the last quoted sentence? Mr Orogun?

Regards,
Janko Preotul

 

Gus:
Dr. Wooller brings up a very interesting point: Is paying commission for the recruitment of students a common or acceptable practice? Do any legitimate universities do this?

John:
While I was trying to figure out what to do next after my non-compete agreement expired in 2002, I was approached by three RA schools that were looking for help with recruiting. They each said that it was not possible for them to pay a commission per student, but only a fee for doing the marketing work. I don't know if this meant it was illegal, or just inappropriate.