Well, I must admit. When you use any search engine to find 'distance learning universities', you will find the good and the bad. It`s a horrible situation. There are literally hundreds of non-accredited colleges (including assessment based universities) that offer degrees. What's more shocking is the fact that many of these schools claim accreditation by agencies that are most likely run out of the back of a coin-operated laundromat. Having said this, I'm surprised at just how easy it is to set up a bogus university and claim accreditation. I can see why Dr. John Bear is so concerned with legitimate Regional Accreditation! Just think....with a hundred dollars and a good quality PC I can set up a bogus University. The Banana Republic Unversity, Degrees offered in every major! Free PhD to the first 1000 applicants! Accredited by the Academic Institute of Undergarments and Pantyhose! I certainly hope that the Federal Authorities are drafting legislation to put a stop to this nonsense. regards, Roy
Sorry, Roy, but there's little hope of that. The U.S. Constitution doesn't mention education and, therefore, doesn't reserve the right to regulate it to the federal government. Now, commiting crimes like fraud across state lines can bring in "los federales," but not that frequently. The key, again, is to halt demand. If employers would refuse to hire people claiming bogus degrees, a lot (but not all) of this would dry up. If every employer would do a simple check in one or two reference books before hiring someone, promoting someone, or paying someone's tuition, we'd see this problem wither away to where the degree mills' only customers would be the vanity set and a few fraudulent "experts." I'm working on it.
Thank you Rich Hello Rich, It's nice to see that there are people like yourself who are trying to put a stop to these bogus institutions. You would think that by now the 'powers that be' in Washington. DC would have passed legislation preventing these bogus universities from operating in the U.S. I would have to agree with you on the second issue. If employers did a thorough check on each employee before hiring him or her, the demand for fake and non-accredited degrees would decline exponentially. Thanks for the info and keep up the good work. Roy
Re: Thank you Rich A small point of order. Many others on this board have done far more than me in the assault on degree mills. My focus is on the demand side (reducing it), not the supply side (where every crushed degree mill is replaced by many more). Thanks for the nice words.
Re: Thank you Rich We are trying to do something about it in Australia - see http://www.degreeoftruth.com.au but, again, the wheels of government turn slowly. Cheers, George
