California university fce

Discussion in 'Accreditation Discussions (RA, DETC, state approva' started by str1975, Jun 13, 2016.

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  1. str1975

    str1975 New Member

    Hello. Has anyone heard of "California University FCE" www.cufce.org? It claims that it doesn't issue degrees, but degree equivalency. Does anybody know (and not guess or mock) if it's true? And if their evaluation (and U.S degree equivalency) really worth anything? Thank you in advance!
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 14, 2016
  2. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    If they had any real accreditation, I'm sure they would have trumpeted it on their site. However, they don't mention any accreditation.
     
  3. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    worse than worthless
     
  4. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    I would stay away.

    Far, far, far away.
     
  5. LearningAddict

    LearningAddict Well-Known Member

    With a site built like that, it just SCREAMS quality.
     
  6. mbwa shenzi

    mbwa shenzi Active Member

    Yes, it's true. If the degree equivalency is actually worth anything is an interesting question.

    They do mention that CUFCE is an accredited member of AAHEA, the American Association for Higher Education and Accreditation, though.
     
  7. str1975

    str1975 New Member

    Cufce

    Thanks everybody. I believe that the final conclusion is that I should stay away. The AAEHA is unaccredited agency, so yes, maybe it's a...little bit suspicious...

     
  8. msganti

    msganti Active Member

  9. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    I have never heard of AAHEA and I doubt that they're recognized by either CHEA or USDE.
     
  10. mbwa shenzi

    mbwa shenzi Active Member

    AAHEA is an organization with an interesting history. At present, the list of staff members includes the following names:

    Dr Barnhart, Chief Consultant
    Dr Fred DiUlus;
    Dr Mohammed G. Kafafy;
    Prof Lindgren, EdD

    I assume Dr Barnhart is Stephen Barnhart of The International University, Grandview, Missouri, Dean, College of Education at the University of Science, Arts and Technology, Montserrat and PhD, Business Administration, Charisma University.

    Dr Fred DiUlus, DiUlus Institute, academic consultant for ASIC and member of faculty, TransPacific University.

    Mohamed G. Kafafy, West Coast University, Panama, St Clements University, American University of London and the University of America, California.

    Professor Lindgren, possibly Professor Carl Edwin Lindgren, the International College of Interdisciplinary Sciences.

    USAT, Charisma, TransPacific, the University of America and the International College of Interdisciplinary Sciences are all accredited or interim accredited by ASIC.
     
  11. heirophant

    heirophant Well-Known Member

  12. mbwa shenzi

    mbwa shenzi Active Member

    The Chronicle article makes for interesting reading. Another AAHEA staff member is Dr Campbell, VP of accreditation. I assume that's Christopher Campbell, a former St Regis University professor,
     
  13. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  14. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    It's a pretty old article. (2008) Here it is, lifted from a reprint elsewhere on the web:

    "The American Association for Higher Education and Accreditation began in 1870. Or so says its Web site.

    But that claim, along with a number of others, falls apart on close inspection. For example, though it lists a Washington, D.C., location, that address turns out to be a UPS mailbox. Its actual headquarters are in Central Florida.

    Most significantly, AAHEA has assumed the identity of a now-defunct organization with a similar name—the American Association for Higher Education. It has even acquired AAHE's old phone number. That comes as an unpleasant surprise to AAHE's former leadership, including Michael B. Goldstein, a higher-education lawyer with the Washington law firm Dow Lohnes, and a former member of AAHE's board. "Some of their activities appear, on their face, to be clearly unacceptable," he said.

    What are those activities? AAHEA's Web site says the group is "dedicated to the advancement of higher education." However, its only stated goal for 2008 is dealing with "the problem of bullying in school." Under the heading "Sponsored Programs," a collage of photographs features the twin towers of the World Trade Center in flames, and what appear to be bloody footprints. Beneath it are the words "To be announced."

    A Chronicle investigation has raised questions about AAHEA, which advertises itself as both a scholarly research organization and a college accreditor. It has also led to the resignation of Charles Grant, the group's chief executive, after just a week in office.

    The apparent operator of AAHEA is D.A. (Doc) Brady. While his name is nowhere to be found on AAHEA's Web site, he is listed in the corporate records for AAHEA, filed with the State of Florida in 2007.

    In several interviews and e-mail exchanges, Mr. Brady defended his organization against critics he contends are biased against him. He said he and his colleagues were motivated solely by the personal satisfaction of running AAHEA, not by any monetary considerations. "Not a single person has benefited a nickel out of this thing," said Mr. Brady.

    It's not for lack of trying. The association offers annual memberships for $99, and its Web site includes a page for visitors to make donations, ranging from $10 to $1-million (those who give the top amount become honorary presidents of AAHEA). Among the programs in the works, which the money will support, according to the Web site, are safari trips to Africa, online art shows, and a "Learning Course of the month contest."


    Fuzzy Details

    When asked about his background, Mr. Brady said it's "none of your business." An online biography describes him as self-taught, but also says he holds doctorates in clinical hypnotherapy and business administration, though it does not mention the institutions from which he graduated. According to the bio, he has worked as a consultant for television programs, including Dr. Phil, and is a "nationally certified motivational instructor."

    Mr. Brady is the chief executive of the National Board of Professional and Ethical Standards, which offers doctorates in clinical hypnotherapy, among other degrees. The doctoral program costs $4,998 and uses the Ericksonian method of hypnosis. According to its frequently-asked-questions page, the organization is under review for accreditation from Mr. Brady's other organization, AAHEA, which it notes is "very old."

    Charles Grant said he responded to an advertisement for the position of chief executive of the group. Mr. Grant had just retired from San Jacinto College North, a community college in Houston, after 25 years. He started there as an instructor and ended as its president. The idea of helping a higher-education organization like the association, he said, appealed to him. "I'm a sympathetic person," said Mr. Grant.

    When pressed, Mr. Grant said he had no idea how many members the group had, or what exactly it did. Nor had he ever met Doc Brady in person, or anyone else from the organization. He didn't know its financial state or where it was located. He was also not aware of Mr. Brady's other organizations.

    Mr. Grant said that he had not received any money from AAHEA, but that he had been told he would receive a salary. A few days after his interview with The Chronicle, Mr. Grant sent an e-mail message to AAHEA with the subject line "Not Working," resigning from the position, and forwarded a copy to The Chronicle.


    Connection Disputed

    All along, AAHEA has claimed that it is the same entity as the American Association for Higher Education. In fact, AAHE, which promoted the scholarship of teaching and learning for nearly four decades, closed its doors in 2005 after a sharp decline in membership.

    Its president at the time was Clara M. Lovett. Ms. Lovett, who is president emerita of Northern Arizona University, said she had never heard of AAHEA. Neither had Mr. Goldstein, the AAHE board member. Both disputed the notion that AAHEA is in any way the continuation of AAHE.

    Other assertions by Mr. Brady have also been contradicted. For example, he said that the archives of AAHE, housed at the Hoover Institution Archives at Stanford University, are scheduled to be transferred to AAHEA's headquarters once there is sufficient space.

    Not so, according to Brad Bauer, associate archivist for collection development and curator of the Western European collections at Hoover. Mr. Bauer, who is in charge of the AAHE archives, said he had heard "nothing of the sort" and that any such transfer would be extremely unusual. "I've had no discussions of any sort with any organization claiming to be the successor to AAHE," he said.

    Mr. Brady has also said that his organization is going through the review process to become an approved college accreditor. Jane Glickman, an Education Department spokeswoman, said that a check revealed that the department had had no contact with AAHEA. Jan Riggs, director of membership services and special projects for the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, said she had been contacted by Mr. Brady but that she "had no idea what he was talking about."

    In response, Mr. Brady criticized the approval process for accreditors, saying it was too cumbersome. "I think it's retarded," he said. In an e-mail message, he indicated that his association may be reconsidering becoming an approved accreditor because it's "not worth all of this aggravation."

    It is unclear how many members AAHEA has signed up, or whether the group has received donations. Michael F. Healy, who works in the marketing and communications department at the University of Georgia's Center for Continuing Education, said he contacted AAHEA recently because he was interested in purchasing its mailing list. He was told that he must become a member first. A colleague at another university, Mr. Healy said, paid the association $1,000 for its mailing list. He declined to name the colleague.

    Along with its other problems, AAHEA appears to have borrowed material on its Web site without attribution. In June a law firm working for the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education & Training—an accreditor recognized by the Education Department—sent the association a letter demanding that it remove documents it had copied directly from ACCET's Web site. In some cases, the documents still had the continuing education and training group's name in the text.

    AAHEA did not respond, according to Roger J. Williams, executive director of ACCET, until this week, when the documents were taken down. In an e-mail message, Mr. Brady wrote that the documents had not been copyrighted and that the material was not taken verbatim.

    When informed that Mr. Brady had accused him of unfairly attacking AAHEA, Mr. Williams was unable to suppress his laughter. "I find their indignation surprising, to say the least," he said."

    J.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 15, 2016

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