Somerset University - sources to assess degree mill status?

I would appreciate help in finding definitive sources to assess the status of Somerset University. Bears' Guide is useful, I am looking for corroborative sources. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

 

Apparently such an outfit would not be allowed to call itself a "University" in the UK today, but Somerset University is grandfathered because it has been using that name since before 1983.

House of Commons Hansard Debates for 23 Feb 1993

 

North Dakota State Senator Tim Flakoll, a member of the state higher education committee, obtained his PhD from Somerset University.

 

Four or five years ago, I had the pleasure of testifying in a trial in which the "expert witness" for the other side was a self-styled "forensic arborologist" with his only degree being a Ph.D. from Somerset. At the time, my 'ammunition' included two sizeable articles from London newspapers (the Times and the Telegraph, as I recall) which were not exactly favorable. One was headlined something like "A worthless degree from a university that isn't."

As I've mentioned, many of my files went off to Pearson, when they bought my copyrights, and ended up in their offices in the World Trade Center.

 

Seems to have vanished, but here's a hoot:

http://search.bangkokpost.co.th/bkkpost/1996/september1996/bp960928/2809_busi12.html

 

Thank you

Thanks to all - very interesting. John, I found the UK Times archived articles, one from November 1987 referred to a study done by the Council of Europe - I have contacted them and am waiting to see if they can let me have a copy of the study.

If anyone has anything to add please do!

Lucy

 

The Council of Europe used to have an office that kept track of degree mills, and published lists, but I am not aware that they have done so for quite a few years. The man in charge of doing this there was Dr. Michael Vorbeck, in Strasbourg.

 

www.somersetuniversity.com is on the same web server as one of the incarnations of ECHOE.

The same server also reserves but has no pages for:-
somersetuniversity.org
carringtonuniversity.org
universityofdevon.org

There are aslo sites registered for www.princessuniversiy.com and .net but these are some strange sites apparently for something called YoGirl.

details via www.whois.sc

 

a little more info

According to this page, "In 1998, the university has financial difficulties and discontinued the services until further announcement ."

The internet service provider is Thai, in Bangkok, and the domain was created years after the place supposedly folded up.

Domain Name.......... somersetuniversity.com
Creation Date........ 2003-06-13
Registration Date.... 2003-06-13
Expiry Date.......... 2005-06-13
Organisation Address. 16 Thames Crescent, Chiswick
Organisation Address. London
Organisation Address. SW4 2RU
Organisation Address. GREAT BRITAIN (UK)

Admin Name........... Antony Bailey
Admin Address........ 16 Thames Crescent, Chiswick
Admin Address........ London
Admin Address........ SW4 2RU
Admin Address........ GREAT BRITAIN (UK)
Admin Email.......... somersetuniversity.co.uk
Admin Phone.......... (000)0000000
Admin Fax............ ()0000000

Tech Name............ VERIO VERIO
Tech Address......... 12345 Blue Lake Dr.
Tech Address......... Boca Raton
Tech Address......... 33431
Tech Address......... FL
Tech Address......... UNITED STATES
Tech Email........... [email protected]
Tech Phone........... 888-663-6648
Tech Fax............. 888-663-6655
Name Server.......... ns11a.verio-web.com
Name Server.......... ns11b.verio-web.com

G

 

I believe this guy's Ph.D. would be illegal to use in ND based on their law outlawing the use of unaccredited degrees. Does the fact that this individual is a state senator and a member of the ND higher education committee indicate that ND's law re. unaccredited degree usage is not enforced or selectively enforced?

 

The University of Devon website gives an address which is a mixture of the high street address for the University of Kingston and the post code for the nearby area of New Malden (west London). Neither is anywhere near Devon (in UK terms, in US terms everywhere in England is near everywhere else!)

The website of the University of Somerset gives a mispelt street address of Yeovin Street (ther is a Yeovil Street) and a post code for Jersey which is one of the Channel Islands, nearer to France than to England.

There is a clear connection between them and the alefhost site which is related to many ohter degree mills.