The quest for the two-line name

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by pbocij, Apr 22, 2002.

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  1. pbocij

    pbocij member

    A friend and I were talking about how some people seem to have lots and lots of letters after their names. We laughed at the usual things, like the guy who put "BSoA" after his name (for Boy Scouts of America), and the UK example of the man who used "CSE" (an old school-level qualification that no longer exists). We also joked about the idea of collecting lots of qualifications so that the letters after our names would spill onto a second line when we wrote letters, etc. The notion was that if you had, say, a masters in a given subject, you might go back and earn a bachelor's degree in a related subject or pick up another qualification via APL. You might also join a professional organisation that allows you to add extra letters after your name. The example that comes to mind is the British Computer Society, where membership allows you to place the letters "MBCS" after your name.

    Although it was initially all a joke, it started me thinking about whether or not this would actually be possible. So... can anyone suggest an organisation to join, a course to gain APL for, or any other way of gaining additional letters after your name? I'm intersted to see if it's possible for an "average" person with a masters to extend their name over two lines. This means that suggestions need to be opent to the widest possible range of people.

    And no cheating - changing your name to something ridiculously long doesn't count!

    - - - - - - - - -
    Paul

    ...who may soon achieve a signature that stretches over two lines.
     
  2. cdhale

    cdhale Member

    I am not ignoring your question, but I am not sure if I know a good organization to recommend....

    Can you start a new organization? Is that allowed in your scenario? If so, I would imagine this wouldn't be very difficult :D

    clint
     
  3. In South Africa (and maybe elsewhere in Commonwealth?) it was standard practice to list degrees with the institutions from which they were obtained. A friend of mine, for example, has the following listed after his name in his institution's catalog:
    • BSc(ChemEng) MSc Cape Town MSE PhD Pennsylvania CEng MIChemE FSAIChE FSAIMM
    So he's nearly wrapping onto a second line already.

    In a somewhat different vein, there was a person I knew as a child who had only the initials SMBF (or something similar) listed after his name. These apparently stood for "Sat Matric But Failed" (where "Matric" is the South African high-school completion exam).
     
  4. Peter French

    Peter French member

    Another distinction in the Commonwealth [check academic CV's, web pages in UK, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand] is the use of postnominals earned from agraded assessment by leaerned sociteies, licensing boards, and professional bodies.

    These are used for [1] cudos, [2] to signify a profession or specialisation within a profession. Protocol dictates what is used and years ago the accounting bodies would not let your letterhead, business card or business shingle be above a certian size or contain cetrain descriptions and memberships. For example being an engineer and an accountant required 2 sets of everything. Early in my acreer, you couldn't share annoffice or even be locate on the street next door to an 'inapporpriate business'. Today one would 'understate' only using the highest degree, and the relevant memberships - which are effectively the 'accreditation' that the public looks for until you are established, and then they just look for you.

    However, to fulfil your 'ambition', you will need a degree in a discipline that has professional practuice requirements such as accounting, engineerling, law, teaching etc., and then hawk these around the Commonwealkth Countries to see what memberships you can get. many US professional bodies let anyone in who has an interest, so you must find bodies that have clear grade entry criteria.

    So good luck, and email me if you wish as I have quite a collection of lists of what is available.

    One is:
    www.forumjam.f2s.com/societies/alpha/i2.htm

    ...and if you want to be a real snob [not for me!]

    www.rsa.org.uk/fellowship/index.html

    and you can become FRSA - Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, not to be, or for some, TO BE, confused with being a Fellow of the Royal Society.

    In the meantime, I remain,

    Peter French
    CAcc [RMIT], DipProdEng[BIET], CTeach[NMCOT], BEd MEd MAcc [UNE], EdD [Summit/UIL], PhD [ACU], FTMA, FAIBF, CMA, MACE, MIIE, MAITD AACC

    or more simply and usually,

    Peter French MAcc MEd CMA
     
  5. levicoff

    levicoff Guest

    (Stifling a laugh)

    Of course, this is primarily because Peter knows that if he constantly reminded us of his so-called doctorates from Summit and American Coastline, both of which are degree mills, we'd never let him live it down. :D
     
  6. Peter French

    Peter French member

    Re: (Stifling a laugh)

    ...couldn't resist it Steve [I left those 2 off at first, then put them in - what the hell] - thought that it might bring you back.

    Now remember, 2 hands on the wheel ;)

    Peter
     
  7. Mike Albrecht

    Mike Albrecht New Member

    Re: Re: (Stifling a laugh)

    More appropriately ti would "10-4 Good buddy, and keep the hammer down"
     
  8. dlkereluk

    dlkereluk New Member

    Re: Re: Re: (Stifling a laugh)

    Don't be scorning Dr. Levicoff now!


    Darren L. Kereluk, BPAD (URC), ADHD (PIT), GAD
     
  9. pbocij

    pbocij member

    Here's a genuine (and serious) example of the kind of thing I've been talking about. KKA, a member of this board, has this in his/her signature:

    KKA

    AA Henry Ford Community College
    BA Wayne State University
    BA Univ of the State of NY (Regents College)
    MA Wayne State University
    MEd University of Tasmania
    MPS (Cand.) University of New England
    ESC Wayne State University
    DEd (Cand.) Univ. of Port Elizabeth

    This *must* stretch over two lines... all I can say is WOW!
     
  10. pbocij

    pbocij member

    This is exactly the kind of thing I was after. I've heard of a City & Guilds senior scheme that awards a Licentiate and/or a Membership of the Guild, but the RSA one is new to me. If you know of any more of these (you mentioned some lists), I'd appreciate it if you could pass on the information.

    I was also going to ask for any examples of people that have managed to accumulate enough letters after their names to have a two or even three line signature but I've already found a few on this board...

    [/B][/QUOTE]

    Fantastic, Peter! You've actually achieved the fabled three-line signature... and all without taking on a new (longer) name or increasing the margins of the paper.
     
  11. Peter French

    Peter French member

    Re: Re: Re: Re: (Stifling a laugh)

    Hell no - NEVER say anything like that!

    He may just decide to LIBBA RARCHIE your car with his truck! ... and then your car wont just be trucked, it will be *****d

    PF
     
  12. Tom Head

    Tom Head New Member

    Re: (Stifling a laugh)

    Okay, I'm curious:

    1. Do you have any evidence that Summit or ACU has ever actually sold a degree to anyone?

    2. If not, I can assume you don't mean they're diploma mills; so what, by your definition, is the objective difference between a degree mill and a diploma mill? My impression has always been that mills are in the business of manufacturing things--rice mills manufacture rice, cotton mills manufacture cotton, diploma mills manufacture diplomas, and so forth; so if by "degree mill" you mean something that manufactures bona fide degrees, as distinguished from diplomas, all degree-granting colleges and universities would be degree mills. Surely you don't mean that. So what exactly do you mean?


    Cheers,
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 24, 2002
  13. Tom Head

    Tom Head New Member

    (And FWIW: I used to laugh at Peter's doctorates, too, until I found out what he did to earn them. Everyone knows where I stand on accreditation, but my perspective is based on degree utility, not social stigma. If those of us with distance learning credentials start ridiculing people with unaccredited degrees just because it's socially acceptable in our social circles, then we'll have it coming to us if we're ridiculed for our own credentials in somebody else's social circles. Judge not, &c.)


    Cheers,
     
  14. Craig Hargis

    Craig Hargis Member

    I appreciate and agree entirely with Tom. His point is well taken and very well expressed. I think the tone around here gets at times so insulting as to decry the value of the board as a whole. If a person does not like someone else's ideas, degree, degree source, field of study, or opinion, fine. And feel free to say so. But there is a WAY to say so, and a way that simply ruptures the limits of toleration and "good sportsmanship." I saw no reason for Steve to be so snide about Peter's degrees. Peter identified the degree title and school; the degrees were earned through academic work, and awarded legally. There was no element of misrepresentation at all in Peter's list. In one edition of degrees by mail and modem (? the short version of Bear) Dr. Bear actually recommended Summit University as a viable choice in unaccredited schools. And the point of Peter's response was simply in fun to create a two line signature. My idea is this, and I think it might improve things around here: Simply don't say on this board what you would not say to a stranger directly face to face. Let's bear in mind we actually know very little about each other (Size, personality, combat experience) Even if a person is normally rude, crude, and without class in their dealing with people, try not to be here. It can look like one is hiding behind an electronic screen. I may be wrong but I doubt many of us are running around telling strangers face to face in public that their "so-called degree" sucks and that if we don't care for their opinion the can shut up. And Tom's point remains central: An RA Ph.D. degree done at distance probably is not going to get as much respect as we would like in the traditional academy--perhaps as much as say....an unaccredited one.

    Peace,

    Craig:D
     
  15. pbocij

    pbocij member

    Peter, Craig and Tom,

    There's a more fundamental point to be made here...

    I started this thread for the amusement of board members. It was not intended to lead into arguments about "my degree is better than yours", accreditation, time bombs and so forth. Peter entered into the spirit of things and promptly got shot down in flames.

    My point is that it was somewhat inappropriate to attempt to attempt to start an argument because it took the *fun* out of the whole thing.

    I keep hearing arguments about the right to free speech on this board, things like preventing anonymous posting will prevent people from expressing their opinions. My view is that there should also be a right to have a little harmless (and some would say, mindless) fun, especially when it doesn't hurt any person or any thing.

    I guess my message is: LIGHTEN UP!

    Incidentally, Peter sent me some extra info on professional associations, etc. that was very useful. Not only did it allow me to find lots of places that will allow me to add literally dozens of letters after my name, but it also gave me a great laugh because there are some really strange things out there (example: a professional association for people who work with professional associations). Thanks, Peter!

    Paul

    "Made it, Ma. Top of the world" - Proof that Jimmy Cagney also finally got a signature that stretched over two lines.
     
  16. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    1. ACU and Summit have come under some scrutiny because they were/are small-time operations run from a rented mail box. They were set up in a state that provided no oversight or regulation of them. And, of course, there is the Danzig factor. This article is LOL: http://www.collegedegrees.com/news2/html/body_louisiana_to_close_diploma_mil.html

    2. Peter French has played both sides regarding his doctorates from Summit and ACU. On the one hand, he has in many instances used them unabashedly ,referring to himself as "Dr. French." On the other, he has disclaimed them, saying he has them but doesn't use them. (Despite the fact that he does.)

    Any confusion--or even discussion--about Peter French and his diploma mill (er...."unaccredited") doctorates lies squarely with him.
     
  17. Peter French

    Peter French member

    Yes Rich, no Rich, whatever you say Rich ...

    Frankly- your opinion. I am and many others don't accept it, nor do we have to which may seem strange to you ... what is more important is that this discussion group doesn't exist as far as 99.9999% of the academic world is concerned, and of those who have stumbled across it, 99.9999% of those regard our opinions of no consequence.

    I am not on trial, you are not my prosecutor, so get off your high horse and lighten up.

    Peter French
     
  18. Craig Hargis

    Craig Hargis Member

    Gee Peter, Are you saying that the likes of us and our useless pedantic debates over the relative utility of our degrees is...is.. unimportant to the rest of the world? That the mean spirited, pathetic little unsolicited insults of some of us are sucked as it were into a vacuous electronic void that leads probably into the very gates of hell? Well, ...sounds right to me.

    Have a good one!
    :D
     
  19. ashton

    ashton New Member

    NSPE

    About a year ago the National Society of Professional Engineers (a U.S. organization) started to encourage its members who are licensed engineers to add PE, NSPE after their names. Apparently architects are already using the initials of their organization (I forget the exact name) so the engineering organizaton decided to jump on the bandwagon.

    Gerry Ashton BS, MS, PE, NSPE:)
     
  20. Peter French

    Peter French member

    Re: NSPE

    Well, maybe, provided that they have OK'd this with Rev Prof Dr Rich Douglas, it will be OK

    :rolleyes:

    Peter French
     

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