My professional association has endorsed "The International University's College of Security, Technology and Management" I sent them the information from degree.net on IU's accreditor "Accrediting Commission International for Schools, Colleges and Theological Seminaries." They are currently investigating it. Does anyone have any further information on the school or the accreditor in question? Are there articles available or anything that could help?
The thing speaks for itself: http://www.tiu.org/ It seems to be operated by Stephen Barnhart, the operator of an alarm business in Missouri. Barnhart appears to have an earned associates degree from a local community college, but his bachelors, masters and doctorate are all awarded by his own 'The International University'. TIU apparently operates under a Missouri religious exemption, despite the fact that it offers degrees in security and law enforcement subjects. You might try contacting the Missouri educational authorities and inquire whether it's legal for an exempt school to offer those kind of secular degrees.
ACI article If further evidence of the nonwonderfulness of ACI is required, my short article on them, published in University Business magazine, is now readable (along with other relevant articles) at: http://www.quackwatch.com/04ConsumerEducation/dm3.html
Boy! The computer rendering of the building that houses their offices in Costa Rica looks an awful lot like the main building on the Norco campus of RCC where I teach, in Riverside! Craig
Missing the forest for the trees Dear Kane: Rather than being concerned about the apparently disreputable institution your association chooses to recommend, shouldn't you be concerned about what their recommendation says about the association itself? Why are you, someone sharp enought to checkout a school before enrolling, entangled with an association that cares so much about its members that it will recommend anything to them? Just a thought. Cordially, Richard Kanarek
Well Richard My associations leaders may not be educated on the issue of accreditation. Many honest people (even leaders) can be duped by schools who claim accreditation. Accreditation is a somewhat confusing issue especially when the industry (private security) is fairly new to the world of post-secondary education. The fact they have advertised numerous RA universities and only connected themselves to two negative ones may indicate ignorance rather then deceit. But time will tell. If after they are informed of the problem they choose to continue the affiliation with such a school. I will leave and do it gleefully. Frank
