John Bears List & University of San Jose

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Timmy Ade, Jul 16, 2001.

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  1. Timmy Ade

    Timmy Ade New Member

    Folks ,
    Check this out,I just went through the List of Dr. John Bear's approved DL Doctorate programs, I checked out Univesita De San Jose i.e University of San Jose @www.USJ.COM but ALAS ! The link took me to a different school located in Atlanta Ga.
    named "EMPRESARIAL UNIVERSITY" questions [​IMG]1)
    is this school Legit & Legal ?, HAS ANY ONE EVER HEARD OF THEM ? if so any scoop on them ?,Will their Diploma be worth something here in the good US of A ? are they or will they be GAAP recorgnized ? are they on the Bears'List by implication since the USJ link takes one there automaticly ? Please help I am interested in them.
    Later,
    Tim.
     
  2. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member


    John doesn't "approve" degree programs and/or schools. He lists and describes them.

    Apparently, Empresarial University (formerly the distance arm of the Universidad de San Jose) is approved by Costa Rica as a university. But they operate their program from Georgia, as you noted, with a one-week dissertation defense in Costa Rica. This has been a strange bird for some time now.

    I spoke with Dr. Cannon of Emprasarial at some length awhile back. It was unclear at the time whether or not they had the government's approval to operate as a university (the paperwork was pending, he said). Perhaps that's been cleared up. The program is designed very much like some less-than-wonderful schools here in the U.S. (short time-in-program requirement, degree for a dissertation only, flat rate tuition). It is hard to say how useful a degree from there would be, even if it technically met GAAP.

    Rich Douglas
     
  3. Timmy Ade

    Timmy Ade New Member

    Thanks Rich for your prompt response. But you said "I spoke with Dr. Cannon of Emprasarial at some length awhile back. It was unclear at the time whether or not they had the government's approval to operate as a university (the paperwork was pending"
    QUESTIONS [​IMG]1)Which government Approval are you talking about ?, US GOV ?, Georgia state Gov ?,or Costa Rican Gov? Please help to clarify this. by the way I realized that John Bear does not & cannot approve or legalized Schools Lest he becomes a "Super Mill operator" himself Can You imagine ? ah ah :.))
    later,
    Tim.
     
  4. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Costa Rican government.
     
  5. SPorter

    SPorter New Member

    Actually, Rich, this page on degree.net lists 100 "Bear-approved" schools, including the one in question:
    http://www.degree.net/schools.html

    Scott
     
  6. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    I really can't tell if it legit or not, but I have several friends in San Jose Costa Rica, When I asked them about this university they told me that they have never heard of this place, not a good sign if the local people don't know about it.
     
  7. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member


    Rich had an experience with a similar program running its degrees from Florida and having the main campus on Mexico. I don't think he would recommend someone to go through the same experience. The fact is that it would look very suspicious to anyone, too many red flags and the worst is that if someone liked me asked inside Costa Rica about this university with no feedback, he would think that it might be legal but at bottom of the line.
     
  8. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Excellent point, except that John Bear doesn't own, operate, manage, or edit that website. It is possible he could have put that term there, but I doubt it. It sounds like mild marketing hyperbole by the publisher (Ten Speed Press).

    Rich Douglas
     
  9. SPorter

    SPorter New Member

    It does sound like marketing hyperbole. I had lunch with John and the guys from Ten Speed last year, and they seem on very good terms. I can't imagine them using that language without his approval or knowledge. They are certainly trying to convey the impression that the 100 schools listed are recommended by Dr. Bear.

    By the way, congratulations on your 700th post! [​IMG]

    Scott
     
  10. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member


    Okay. I just got off the phone with the Costa Rican embassy here in Washington, DC. They are very concerned about this outfit and whether or not it is legitmate. Lest you think I had something to do with this concern, think not. They told me they've had several inquiries already. The embassy has written the Ministry of Education to determine whether or not Empresarial has authority to grant degrees. (The embassy thinks not.) Concerns on their part:

    1. There is some question whether or not the Universidad de San Jose ever operated the "International Post-Graduate School," the alleged forerunner to Empresarial.

    2. There is doubt that Empresarial itself has the authority to award degrees.

    3. The embassy was concerned about the Georgia office being the contact point instead of the (alleged) campus in Costa Rica.

    Note: When I spoke with Empresarial's U.S. contact, Dr. Cannon, about their school's authority to grant degrees, he was not very clear on the matter, and said that he was awaiting the paperwork from the Ministry of Education. Also, when I spoke to him in January 2000, the school was still being billed as the International Post-Graduate School of the Universidad de San Jose. Yet, Empresarial's website says the school got its authority to award degrees in 1997!

    The embassy said they'd pass to me their findings when they get them. I'll let you know.

    Rich Douglas
     
  11. Chip

    Chip Administrator

    To be precise, the site promises that the schools are "Bear-approved." But nowhere does it say *which* Bear approved of them. It could be the one making the talk-show rounds from the current Dr. Doolittle 2 movie, or it could be the guy who sells cars in Canada... or who knows ;D
     
  12. Gary Bonus

    Gary Bonus New Member

    Cute Chip! I, like probably most others, got hooked on DE through Dr. Bear, and of course respect his work, and value his opinions. But, like all of us, he is far from infallible. It was not the bear from the Canadian beer commercials who for many years included Columbia Pacific University, Century University, and Summit University of Louisiana in this shorter version of his larger book. When it was "College Degrees by Mail" these three were listed among one of the "One Hundred Good Schools Offering Degrees." That's from the index as well as "100 Good Schools that offer...Degrees by Home Study" splashed on the cover. Universidad de San Jose appeared as one of the "100 Good Schools" as long ago as the 1993-94 edition, and is included in the 1996 edition by John and Maria that switched the terminology to "100 Accredited Schools" and included Col Pac and Summit in the separate "12 Good Unaccredited Schools" section. Sorry Neil, Century didn't make the cut in '96. Curiously, John reports from his travels that he is saddened by reading large ads from unaccredited schools in the airline mags. Yet he gave lots of them much good publicity for years. The schools in question haven't changed, John's opinons appear to have hardened in favor of RA schools over the years. 'Tis a pity, because the unaccrediteds led the way in DE, and still provide the competitive counterbalance to the RAs they way the foreign automakers make the Detroit crowd better. John obviously recognized that in the past when he was involved with several unaccrediteds. Perhaps the Universidad de San Jose discovery and virtual blessing was part of John's past promotion of innovation.

    Gary

     
  13. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    Like a lot of things in life, schools certainly do change with time. As recently as 7-8 years ago, I would have recommended Columbia Pacific to someone who was certain that an unaccredited degree would meet their needs. I would (and still do) say the same about California Coast University.

    However, in light of Columbia Pacific's CA-approval difficulties, their recent move to Montana, their renaming to Columbia Commonwealth University, and their questionable accreditation from Malawi, I would never recommend them now.

    My personal opinion is that John should never have "endorsed" any unaccredited schools, because these schools (they have minimal if any oversight) can go from good to bad in the blink of an eye.

    Bruce
     
  14. Caballero Lacaye

    Caballero Lacaye New Member


    Hello, RFValve!

    Greetings!

    I am sort of a Costa Rican local. I lived there for many years, graduated from "Los Angleles High School" in La Sabana, and took some certificates in downtown San Jose. Additonally, I am planning to return there to live semi-permanently, maybe next year.

    The school in question was formerly known as "Universidad Internacional de Costa Rica" which was part of "Colegio Veritas" which, in turn, was part of "Universidad Autónoma de Costa Rica", the traditional private universiy system in Costa Rica.

    Whether this university is recognized or not by the Costa Rican government, I don't support it. As I have said before, I don't support "domestic universities" that engage into businesses in foreign soils or that move themselves to foregin soils, like it is also the case with MIGS, unless they are a complete dependency of the main domestic campus, and hence, help the main domestic campus. It is my personal opinion that these universities should maximize profits considering at least some little benefits for domestic Latin Americans, particularly teachers and students. However, the big bucks go to a handful of domestic Latin American directors and a hanful of domestic American businessmen or businesswomen.

    Having said that, if you like this university, go ahead. It is your personal choice, and you have a right to choose. Also, maybe this university fits your needs.

    Sincerely yours,


    Karlos Alberto Lacaye
    [email protected]
     
  15. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member


    Hola Karlos!!

    Good to know this, I also travel quite a bit to the area; it is amazing the number of places where you have lived (Vancouver, San Jose). I know the Sabana Park, which I assume, is close to your high school. By the way Costa Rica is the country with the highest standard of living in Central America, good weather and nice girls, so in case I decide to do a doctorate in the area it will be on campus. The school in mention seems to be legit but not a top tier university in San Jose where I know there is a big difference between universities, nevertheless DL is accepted in the area, I know some engineers that finished their degrees DL and are working in their field.
     
  16. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member


    Some good Latin universities like the ITESM have several DL Campuses in Latin America where students can go and write their exams, this university is fully accredited in the US by the SACS and its business programs by the AACSB. Its DL degree programs range from undergraduate to Ph.D., I know they might open a campus in the US where the Spanish speaking community is growing at a fast rate. CEU is a decent school located in the same area as the ITESM, but it is not SACS accredited, in my opinion they should have looked for SACS accreditation before going to the US like the ITESM did.
     
  17. Caballero Lacaye

    Caballero Lacaye New Member


    Hola otra vez, RFValve!

    As I was telling Rich one time, optional residencies in the main campus helps the whole operation of multinational universities. I was hoping this for MIGS, but it appears that the MIGS people were not interested.

    "Universidad Internacional de Costa Rica" used to offer residencies in Costa Rica. I don't know how the case is with "Empresarial University", but if it is possible to have residencies in Costa Rica, or even to complete the whole degree on campus, this is added credibility.

    Best wishes,


    Karlos Alberto Lacaye
    [email protected]

    P.S.: Unfortunately, my living in Vancouver was limited to a few weeks, but I am planning to return to Canada this summer to visit a friend.
     
  18. Caballero Lacaye

    Caballero Lacaye New Member


    Hi, again!

    "Universidad de Guadalajara" from Mexico has a physical campus in the form of rented rooms in a builing in New Mexico, if I recall correctly. I don't know if their classes are in Spanish, but I suppose so. On the other hand, the classes could be bilingual. I am mentioning this last possibility as I took such bilingual classes at Miami-Dade Community College, Little Havana Campus in South Florida.

    I also wish full accreditation for MIGS, but...

    Aside from ITESM, there are other US accredited institutions in Latin America although most of them are in Mexico.

    All the very best,


    Karlos Alberto Lacaye
    [email protected]
     

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