Time bomb explodes at Cheyney University

Perhaps we need terminology for the two kinds of time bombs: Type 1: really having a degree from a fake school, and Type 2: falsely claiming a degree from a real school.

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports today that the provost and vice president for academic and student affairs at the regionally-accredited Cheyney University (Pennsylvania) was suspended after her claim of having a Ph.D. from Oxford University was not supported by Oxford records. The president of Cheyney asked for proof, after “hearing rumors.” Also in question are her claimed Bachelor’s from Wellesley and Master’s from Howard University, which she described in a March 22, 1998 feature story on her in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

 

I like Type 1 and Type 2 as the terminology, since in elementary school we all learned what going number 1 and number 2 meant.

I suspect that Type 2 fraud is more common based on the simple fact that at my current workplace I have heard 4 stories of Type 2 fraud and zero stories of Type 1 fraud.

 

I agree, but I personally am more entertained by the Type 1 frauds. There is something about fake schools that make journalists smell blood in the water, which usually leads to more in-depth stories.


Bruce

 

Unfortunately, we have seen many examples posted on this forum where faculty at RA institutions have Type 1 credentials. But then again, how are we defining fake as a school that is completely bogus or unaccredited with marginal academic standards.

John
John

 

A good point. Perhaps we should have 3 categories, and list them in order of seriousness, from most egregious to least:

Type 1: Degree from totally fake school

Type 2: Claiming non-existent degree from real school

Type 3: Degree from highly questionable school


Bruce

 

A BA from Howard University and an MA from Wayne State have been confirmed. http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=2650328&BRD=1671&PAG=461&dept_id=17782&rfi=8

But Wellesley? Oxford? No...

Mark

 

And a quick scan finds these administrators at other colleges:

A Ph.D. from LaSalle in Louisiana is the Director of General and Continuing Education and another LaSalle (LA) grad is the Surgical Technology Program Coordinator. http://www.cabarruscollege.edu/html/staff%20web%20page.htm

Here is a nursing lab coordinator with both B.S. and M.S. from Columbia State U. http://www.rcc.cc.nc.us/aboutrcc/facstaff/staff.html

A campus police sergeant from UC, Irvine, with a Columbia State credential -- http://www.communications.uci.edu/98ucinews/980311ss.html

And the list can go on....

John

 

Teta V. Banks

Teta V. Banks, the former Provost at Cheyney University of PA, who was forced to resign when it was discovered that her PhD from Oxford was a fraud, is one of my favorite time-bomb subjects. Why? Because when caught, she didn't back down but created more lies to attempt to cover her fraud.

For example when asked why she listed her Oxford doctorate as a "PhD" instead of in the Oxford custom "DPhil", Banks stated that people were more familiar with the PhD form. And when asked why her Oxford PhD wasn't listed in the catalog of the college where she previously worked, she stated that was because the PhD was required for teaching at that institution, a community college.

Did she think that an Oxford PhD would appear in the mail sometime and save her? Why did she CONTINUE to make up lies after her fraud was discovered? Fascinating, I think.

 

I wouldn't consider type three a fraud. If someone is hired based on his degree from a questionable school then it is the fault of the person that hired him since he didn't check his credential. There are many RA schools that can be also catalogued as "questionable", so the degree would have to be illegal to be considered a fraud as in the case of Rushmore in Oregon.

 

Which schools are these? And what makes them "questionable," particularly as it relates to fraudulent degrees?

 

Half the community colleges. Next question.

 

Okay. Half the community colleges. Which half? Based upon what?

Your first statement was very broad and general. The second even more so. What makes half the community colleges fradulent in their credentialing process? I would like to know how to tell a good one from a fraud. Examples would help as well.

Or was that just hyperbole?

 

Which community colleges are questionable and why?

 

Half the community colleges

The answer was a bit terse for effect. I don't believe that any community colleges are fraudulent, just some are questionable in the quality of education.

The whole nature of community colleges is to provide a degree that has become a requirement, however irrelevant, for many jobs.

The ease at which schools that offer 4 years of school or less can be accredited is in sharp contrast to those offering higher degrees.

In my fathers day everyone had grade 8. In my day everyone had grade 12. Today everyone is expected to have a degree. In 30 years a masters will be standard. Does everyone have the ability to earn a degree? Not if it is as demanding as my first degree in 1973. I almost didn't make it through and a good number of my friends certainly did not. And we were the smart ones.

Specific community colleges. I don't know. Ask me the names of junior high schools.

 

Oh. None, then.

Dennis offers the notion that there are "questionable" RA schools, but names none. He then offers that half the community colleges are questionable, but names none. Got it. None it is. That's a relief!


The history of the community college is not based in increasing demands for degrees. Rather, they were first developed as feeders into the university systems; a way to serve a growing population about 100 years ago. The associate's degree is an outgrowth from that, where students were finishing their community college years but not going on to universities. The associate's was a way to recognize that amount of college completed.

Dennis comments about the creeping and increasing requirement for diplomas. This was splendidly examined by David Hapgood in Diplomaism. That was in 1971, and things don't seem to have changed, except the magnitude of the phenomenon

 

4th Category

I'm sure many will disagree, but I think a fourth category should be added: unaccredited "good" schools. I know the word good is often subjective, but there are some unaccredited schools which require a lot of their students. If you ask for examples, then you don't know much about distance ed.

Daniel

 

Re: 4th Category

Could you give us an example or two?

 

Re: Re: 4th Category

Rich,

I know you posted this at 5:03 in the morning, but how much do you know about distance learning?

 

Re: Re: 4th Category

1. Bob Jones
2. Virginia International

 

Re: 4th Category

I will offer my help. BJU and VIU are two examples.