Online Degrees: Smart Choice for Busy Professionals - Includes Kennedy-Western Unive

http://encarta.msn.com/elearning/210.asp



When did KWU become accredited ?

"other schools offering asynchronous programs include Kennedy-Western University and Jones International University."

 

Perhaps msn.com should be briefed on RA and GAAP. People may assume that KW is RA as well.
You've gotta admit........they (KW) do a good job of selling themselves.

 

K-W does a fine job of selling the product, now it's time to spend some money on improving it. The evaluation process needs strengthening, transcripts sent from schools directly to K-W, more realistic evaluation of life experience and education, and expansion of new work from 4-7 courses to 10-12. The product isn't cheap, money should be there to improve academics. A little above a mill is a poor place to remain. Students are being mislead and not getting what they pay for. It's time for K-W to get better or get out!!!

 

I couldn't agree more. But why now? Nothing's changed since their inception in 1984. Nothing except their mailing addresses. Unlike Century and CCU, there is nothing to indicate K-WU is going to make any changes--or needs to in order to meet their business objectives.

 

Note that this is a "Special Advertising Section." My guess is that anyone that could pony up the bucks got in.




Tom Nixon

 

The marketing ploy here is brutally deceptive.

If someone isn't aware of accreditation or other important things, they can be taken in.

It irks me because it preys on the unknowing and older students who may be new to the internet.

It also sends the wrong message to students who believe KW may compare to the rest of the universities on that advertising page.

Mike

 

Perhaps they have met their business objectives. If a car salesman can sell 10 Hondas a week knowing that if he sold BMWs he would only be able to sell 1 or 2, would he stop selling Hondas to sell BMWs?
KW would have to invest a considerable amount of resources (both financial and a commitment for improved utility) to become RA. As long as there is money to be made, the nature of their business will not change (KW most likely will not bother seeking DETC or RA).

(no offence to those of you who own Hondas. I own an Accord myself. I'm only using this example to illustrate my point)

 

I used to make the exact same argument about all of the unaccredited, non-residential, doctorate-awarding, "commercial" schools like K-WU, CCU, and Century. But the latter two have dropped their doctoral programs to apply for DETC accreditation. (So did others, but CCU and Century have been discussed at great lengths here.) My premise was that the doctorate-granting business was too lucrative to sacrifice, as was awarding degrees without the muss and fuss of running credible programs.

Maybe the whiners on K-WU's discussion board will get their wish regarding accreditation. But K-WU markets itself much more aggresively than do CCU and Century. It seems they're well entrenched in their current paradigm. Anything can happen, of course. But a lack of evidence is not evidence, and I'd want to see a little before I began speculating on the idea that K-WU might pursue recognized accreditation.

 

They may not wish to go the RA or DETC route, too expensive, but they can easily afford to improve what they are doing to become a decent state approved school. It wouldn't cost much money to require transcripts to be mailed directly to K-W, to require at least 10 courses from K-W and to really evaluate the work experience & previous school work. They could put in writing what is required of all students. Much of this is only a commitment to improved quality. Harvard it wouldn't be, but it could reach the mid-level of California Approved schools, enough to become less of a lightning magnet. The students past, present and future deserve this much. Oh yes, and drop all of the misleading ads, very important to me. What people do with honest information, and with their eyes open is up to them, but I cannot tolerate a situation where people are being mislead as to quality by fancy ads and brochures.

 

Rich previously notes that anything is possible, not necessarily likely, but possible. However, if there were such a thing as a total impossibility, I would have to say K-W seeking any kind of accreditation is pretty close to it.

Schools seek accreditation for business reasons, not for altruistic academic reasons. K-W has placed themselves exactly where they want to be. They make a ton of money, they are the pinnacle of marketing savvy and success, they have a huge potential clientele eager to turn those years of experience into the college credit they know they deserve, and they have state licensure to hang their hat on. K-W is exactly where they want to be and are probably the envy of many a degree mill entrepreneur.

Nope K-W is not the same animal as Century or CCU. The biggest difference is a model that they have honed to a fine art that ensures they will see the money roll in for years to come from the thousands of rationalization filled clients looking for that quick and easy “legitimate” degree.

 

Not if they run out of states, and they're getting pretty close, better kick it up a notch, or Liberia will be the next location.