CCU has assembled a pretty tight line up faculty wise. Quite a few Harvard grads. Here is the most recent catalog: http://www.calcoast.edu/docs/ccu_catalog_2007.pdf Abner
Why don't someone just send an email to ask instead of us guessing it. It will be wondering if they really are setting the ground for RA.
It doesn't really matter to me one way or the other, a good school is a good school. The problem with asking about the pursuit of accreditation is that many times the accreditors instruct the schools not to say anything until a certain point. So the school can have their hands tied on what they can say at a certain point in time. My main point was that their faculty is pretty solid. Harvard, Cornell, Brandeis, USC and other impressive schools in the faculty line up. Abner
CCU like other schools use the "rented faculty" strategy to look good in a catalog. The strategy is simple, put an ad in the chronicle and hire anyone that applies with impressive degrees. The appointments are "cheap" as rented faculty only get paid if they get to teach a course but the school gets to use their name in their catalog. Kennedy Western used the same strategy, I remember reading few articles that talked about people listed there but not actually teaching. They were "hired" just by sending a resume. In few words, there is nothing impressive about having these "star" faculty in their catalog.
I also felt for this in the past. In the 90s, I received many catalogs from schools like Barringtong University and Washington International University and I was really impressed to see faculty with credentials from Harvard and Stanford. I later realized that the trick was simple, hire anyone that applies with impressive credentials as adjunct faculty. Appointments are meaningless as they are as adjuncts with no base salary.
Ok RFValve. Do you have any facts to back up your theories? Even if it is true (which I am not saying), many other private RA Unis do the same, so there is nothing nefarious here. You constantly keep comparing CCU to known mills. Why? You know why. If I recall correctly, you made some claims about another DETC school in the past, and when I called you out, you were unable to produce an email you supposedly received from said school. Hmm. It's fine if you don't like NA schools, but don't compare them to mills. If the email thing wasn't you, it was one of your buddies whose name escapes me at the moment. Oh, well, it doesn't matter. Your speculation is interesting, but as an actual student at CCU after their accreditation, I can firmly say the teachers listed in my catalog at the time did teach me. Can you offer firsthand advice? No. Abner
Sorry if my post sounded like if I was comparing CCU to mills. My intention was to point out that having faculty with impressive degrees in a catalog is not a sign of quality as mills have done this in the past.
RFValve, it's great to sling mud, but like Abner pointed out do you have any solid facts other than your nerve endings to back up your claim against CCU's faculty? I consider it a strategic move for the school to hire faculty members from top-rate schools. Why do they do it? Plenty of reasons! Here's a good one: to further improve and develop the curriculum of their degree programs. I'm sure CCU's motivation isn't just "cosmetic" to make the school look "better" from a faculty perspective. For all we know, CCU may have bigger and better plans down the road (i.e. NA to RA) and we all know on this board that a move to the degree mill direction provides absolutely NO future or benefit to any school out there and just doesn't make any reasonable sense.
It's an old mill trick. I doubt that Cal Coast is being that brazen. They probably do assign their adjuncts to teach classes and don't just list them in marketing materials. But your point is a good one. An impressive faculty list doesn't necessarily equate to a great university, if those people have little association with the university that's using their names. If Cal Coast really wants to become more academically impressive, then they should think about collecting a strong core faculty composed of productive scholars who use Cal Coast as their primary institutional affiliation.
If you notice, most online schools including Walden, Touro, Devry and even mills have Harvard graduates in their roster. These people are not really "hired" but put in an adjunct list so there are not really involved in the design of programs or research. There is nothing wrong with this approach as it is a common practice among schools (accredited or not), I'm just saying that you should not think that the quality of a program is high only because some adjuncts from top schools moonlight work there for few extra bucks.
I just looked at one of the more impressive names, Allan S. Nanes, PhD Harvard. The gentleman appears to have spent most of his career in the Congressional Research Service and is the author/coauthor of several books on terrorism. It seems that he took an interest in that subject long before it became fashionable. His bachelors degree is from Brown University, class of 1941, so he must be getting up in years. And that's probably the secret of his teaching for Cal Coast. He's a retired guy but apparently still has an active mind. He probably appreciates an opportunity to keep his hand in from home with a light teaching/advising load. I think that it's very cool that distance learning programs can tap the experience of WWII generation guys like this. It creates opportunities both for them and for their students. But I do wonder how actively involved he really is with Cal Coast.
The President of CCU has been making a lot of internal, progressive changes. His goal is to actively involve the new staff and professors in their teachings with CCU students. Top notch access to good teachers and staff will be paramount. They also have their eye on a new larger building, but the real estate market tanked. That will sit on tap for a while. So in simple terms, CCU is growing and expanding with an eye to the future. Tom Neal has a lot of good connections, and is very well liked in academic circles, especially the legal arenas. If anyone can recruit sharp talent, it is him. These staff members are actively involved. I love to see schools evolve ever year. Abner