USA Today: New Educational Advertisements

USA Today remains active in its advertising of--shall we say--quick/easy/low cost/little or no work degree programs. New advertisements as of 8-31-01 include the following:
www.ClermontCollege.com
AA,BA,BS,MBA,Ph.D. degrees, fully accredited.
www.cahsu.edu
Study medicine in Belize

3 Year Medical Doctor program
1-540-720-0745

Russell

 

iS cLEREMONT COLLEGE FOR REAL?

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It's a real less-than-wonderful, starting with the AOL email address. The bogus accreditor was associated with Prescott College of Business and Leadership Studies, according to Dr. Bear. Clermont may well be the reappearance John forecasts on the Bears' Guide update page at http://www.degree.net/updates/bearsguide14/#prescott

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Bill Gossett

 

cURIOUSITY LED ME TO CALL THE TOLL FREE NUMBER. tHE PERSON TOLD ME THEY ARE RECOGNIZED BY THE DETA A SISTER ORGANIZATION OF THE DETC. i CAN'T FIND THE DETA SITE ON THE INTERNET. tHANKS. sORRY FOR THE KEYBOARD PROBLEMS.

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I noticed that Claremonts Ph.D. is course based only -- no dissertation. Can be earned in 7-8 months at a cost of $2400.
What a deal!! I am sure they give liberal life credit too. :-(

Stay away,

John

 

Well, Deta is a very feminine name, compared to Detc.

 

Russell, the continued cooperation of "USA Today", "The Economist", airline magazines, etc., in supporting these fraudulent entities disturbs me greatly. Is anyone up for a petition campaign to inform these louts about whom they're supporting?
I'll be happy to help organize such an effort. [I understand that Dr. Bear and others have tried in the past, in vain, to enlighten them with no success.] I would like to inform these clowns that any publication that willingly accepts the advertisements of criminal enterprises can expect no credence (by me, and hopefully, others) in their "news". Yes, call me a dreamer, but I honestly feel that if enough of us could continue to badger them, they might actually respond. (To paraphrase ABC's Sam Donaldson, it isn't necessary that we make them "see the light"; what is paramount is that we make them "feel the heat"!)

I apologize for the rant, realizing that not more than one or two people will actually read this. Still, I've had quite enough of this crap, and am willing to do WHATEVER I can to end this.

Mark (in a really bad mood...)

 

The DETC has no "sister" organizations.

Clermont's website claims it is "fully-accredited by The American Council of Home-Study Colleges." Well, that's what it says on http://www.clermontcollege.com/licensing_and_accreditation.htm -- on http://www.clermontcollege.com/questions.htm it says it "is FULLY accredited by the American Counsel of home study colleges."

But with whatever capitalization and spelling, I know of no such organization.

Oh, and by the way,
"OFFER VOID IN INDIANA, OHIO, MICHIGAN, NEVADA, & HAWAII."

I've never seen any school bar enrollment in so many states.



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Kristin Evenson Hirst
DistanceLearn.About.com

 

I believe the medical school is one of those legit off shore schools. *If* I remember correctly it is WHO approved.

I also went to graduate school with one of the Deans of the medical school.

North

 

I agree with you, Mark, and I too experience the frustration everytime I look at the USA Today ads (3-4 times weekly), especially when I see the Ph.D. from American College for $199. My hunch is that as long as the advertising dollars keep rolling in, these publications will keep printing the ads. After all, according to their position, regulating the quality of academic institutions is not their job description.

Russell

 

I had a sadly amusing Email from a USA Today reporter yesterday. Jim Drinkard was doing a story on degrees in the military, and he was asking about that diploma mill called Excelsior College, which many miliary people have degrees from. He could not find it in an older Bears' Guide, or in other directories, and therefore it had to be fake.

In the course of setting him straight, I poined out that his newspaper was the worst offender out there, in helping the genuine phonies promote themselves. I wish I could say that he seemed alarmed or concerned. But I can't.

I have a strong feeling that nothing will be done at USA Today, but I wonder about the owner, Gannett. It was their New Orleans paper, the Times Picayune, for instance, that was very instrumental in exposing LaSalle -- which was a regular USA Today advertiser, even once buying a $70,000 full page ad.

John Bear

 

I e-mailed Clermont and asked for a catalog, to which the following statement was forwarded as a response: "Clermont, to keep tuition cost to a minimum, does not send out a printed catalog, literature or enrollment form."

No printed enrollment form? Wow, this is a high tech school.

Russell

 

I don't believe that publishers should be concerned about any litmus test for advertisers, except of course, for outright frauds. Publishers publish, and prosecuters prosecute. But if you are wondering about Gannett, I read an enlightening book by Richard McCord entitled The Chain Gang, One Newspaper versus the Gannett Empire, University of Missouri Press, 1996, ISBN 0-8262-1064-3. Mr. McCord tells of a nasty battle between his small town paper and the Gannett powerhouse. I bought it from the Detroit Newspaper Unions when they were fighting a losing battle against Gannett in the Motor City. It's over now, after five years. Gannett forced an open shop in which the "scabs" work with the now more humbled union workers for less wages and benefits. The many ruthless tactics employed in the Detroit Newspapers Strike greatly mirror Gannett's tactics detailed in this book. Bottom line: Gannett appears to epitomize corporate power unleashed a la Robber Baronism. Maximum profit, damn any ethics! Of course, they also put on a good PR front with charitable activities and their leading involvement in journalistic organizations that promote ethics, of all things. Good tax write-offs that also help the bottom line.

Gary

 

Of interest to Mamorse and his petition campaign suggestion, church and other community groups did submit petitions. In-your-face tactics used by the strikers against Gannett included going to Gannett board meetings, executive's mansions, and wherever the Detroit Newspapers' held community affairs. Didn't phase 'em. What did convince them to finally offer the watered down contract settlement is the continued 1/3 drop in circulation. But that was due to "No Detroit News or Free Press" signs continuing to be posted all over town and the paper boycott being adhered to by the many UAW and other union members in this area. Based on reports from Dr. Bear and others, I don't think you will find that kind of solidarity exhibited by that many people concerning school ads in USA Today. It just doesn't resonate (like it does here among the distance ed mavens) with either Joe Sixpack or Buffy Oldmoney.

Gary

 

Reporters and writers rarely have any influence on the ads that appear in the publications that publish their articles -- they see the ads the same time that any ordinary reader does.

Some might choose to protest; I've finally (I think) gotten one scam removed from the Sprinks (text pay-on-clickthrough ads) on my site. However, it took a lot of email back and forth and time that I could spent on research and writing.

I doubt a petition would have much effect; however, individual letters to the publisher might.

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Kristin Evenson Hirst
DistanceLearn.About.com

 

Why worry

Why worry about whether some gets a degree from a degree mill !!
who cares!!? It's for the most part its a victim less crime (unless its a charge and run scam)
Most people with a good head on their shoulders realize what the game is! so why get your fruit of the loom's up in a knot over people using diploma mills It's their money let em throw it away!

 

Clermont, not to be confused with the less famous Claremont Graduate School in California, is a member of the Better Business Bureau! This is listed under the recognition and accreditation. sectionof their website. I almost went to Claremont, but opted for UCR because of a nice assistantship. Wow! what a close one! I almost went to a school that was not a member of the BBB. What is more to my horror is that now I see no posting of Better Business Bureau membership at CSULA, San Diego State, UCR, or Louisiana Baptist, all schools that I attended. I feel....dirty.
Has anyone else been duped into study at a non BBB school?


Peace, Craig

 

Scoop?

Did Mr. Drinkard happen to mention what led to his inquiry into Excelsior College? Did he leave you with the impression after you set him straight that he was going to do a piece good or bad on Excelsior?

Pete

 

I felt he lost interest entirely when he learned there was nothing phony there -- and yet he had no interest in all the phonies his paper helps support.

 

I wonder if a synthesist's approach might be the order of the day. If Good Morning America were to do a piece on degree mill ads running in USA Today, the result might be not only an interesting continuation in the GMA series, but shed enough unfavorable publicity on USA Today's ad practices to cause them to rework their standards.

But then again, maybe I'm just deluding myself with post-full moon optimism.