Teacher of the Year with Berne PHD in California

Here is the correct link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unaccredited_institutions_of_higher_learning

Bob Jones, UoP and UNISA are listed as diploma mills. Holy nonsense!!!

 

Berne is not accredited.

Berne operates from New Hampshire, yet is not licensed in that (or any other) state.

Berne had its Title IV (federal financial aid) authority removed by the USDoE, which reported many irregularities, as well as an insufficient curriculum.

The International Handbook has, IIRC, announced its intention to de-list Berne.

Recognition by St. Kitts and Nevis has no meaning academically.

An evaluation by a credential evaluator alone may not be enough to get one's degree recognized. It would also have to come from a school whose university system is recognized. Then, as Bill noted, syllabi could be compared to determine equivalency. But a credential evaluation (again, as Bill noted) does not measure the sufficiency of the degree-granting school.

Bear has reported in the past that schools from tiny islands in the West Indies normally must be recognized by the University of West Indies to be acceptable to other, accredited institutions. Berne, of course, has no such recognition.

None of this has any bearing on the efficacy of Berne's degree programs. But it all bears on the legality of them, as well as their acceptability. All of this begs a few questions:

1. Why isn't Berne licensed in New Hampshire?
2. Why isn't Berne pursuing regional accreditation in the region from which it operates?
3. Why does Berne offer to waive the Caribbean residency?
4. Why is Berne carrying recognition from a tiny Caribbean island nation?
5. Why would someone pursue a degree from Berne when there are properly accredited degrees available?
6. Why would someone want to make that argument for the rest of their lives?

A graduate of Berne tried to make my life hell by writing slanderous (and false) things about me to both Union and the NCA because of what I've written about Berne. It failed, and he received a cease-and-desist from Union's law firm, which calmed things.

 

Calm down Rich. Let's base our arguments on facts not hearsay and emotions. I can understand your venom based on what you stated. However, standard operating procedures will always prevail.

Maybe, you are not aware that AACRAO has been reprimanded (in writing) by the IAU (International Association of Universities) for making unsubstantiated claims. In fact, the new director of IAU issued a strong statement denouncing AACRAO’s claim that Berne would be delisted from the International Handbook of Universities, and emphatically stated that Berne will continue to be listed in that and other IAU/UNESCO publications (you can confirm this with IAU/UNESCO).

AND AGAIN, Berne University like Ross University is a foreign institution fully accredited by the Ministry of Education, Federation of St. Kitts & Nevis.

Berne always had and still has a campus in St. Kitts. There was never a campus in the US. Maybe, like Ross University, Berne use to have an admin office while it qualified for Title IV programs. Berne University has been continuous accredited.

 

Berne

As the saying goes, if it looks like a duck,quacks like a duck, it must be a duck.

Those who defend these type of schools are doing society no favors.

St. Kitts is a place that has problems with oversight of schools.

Ross's Vet school is legit but take a look at www.iuhs.edu

Nothing like having your doctor get a correspondence MD degree.

I am not employed in education, get paid by no one to say what I say....only common sense tells you that a questionable degree is not a good career move for anyone. For those of us who went to major universities it is disgusting to see people try to claim an education.

 

Hi Dean:

Why don't you take a trip to St. Kitts and visit the Berne University Library where you can be enlightened by reading the doctoral dissertations.

 

The IAU is not in a position of authority over AACRAO and isn't in any position to "reprimand" them.

Assuming for the sake of argument that's actually true, I suppose that its because the organization doesn't want to insult any of its member nations.

But if the IAU isn't going to differentiate between ministry approvals that are credible and those that aren't, then a listing in the IHU isn't really an indicator of RA-equivalence, is it?

My understanding is that Berne has used temporarily rented facilities in St. Kitts for their summer meetings. They operated for the rest of the year out of a small office in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. More recently their American office has apparently moved to the Pittsburgh area. That move may be associated with an ownership change, but I'm sure you know more about that than I do.

 

I don't disagree with anything you say. But is it fair to call this outstanding teacher's degree fake? To me, fake implies fraud on the action of the student.

The purpose of Dean's e-mail was to cause harm to the student, not the school.

 

Berne University never had (and still doesn’t have) a campus in St. Kitts. It originally held their residencies in a motel and now rents space for their summer residency “campus” from Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College. Moreover, Berne University does not list any contact information (much less the location of its library) in St. Kitts.

It’s not that Berne only had administrative offices; instead, its entire operation was based in the US. The operation was run from New Hampshire until the educational authorities in that state became interested in their activities. They now supposedly operate out of Pennsylvania, although their main telephone number for their US office (area code 703) is located in the State of Virginia.

It is well documented that Berne University received “accreditation” from St. Kitts and Nevis before the concept or any official governmental procedure for obtaining such “accreditation” even existed.

On the balance, too many items fall into the substandard and mill column with far too few being eligible for placement in the column that bolsters the argument that Berne University is indeed legitimate.

 

Re: don't lose sight

I see you sold eggs and have an entire website explaining how your wife divorced you. Did I miss anything?

Oh, and you give legal or psychological advise with no apparent credentials.

 

Walden University and others do not have their own campus. They rent university space and hotel rooms as needed. Berne has a long term contract and agreement with the Government of the Federation of St. Kitts & Nevis to conduct its campus at the Fitzroy Bryant College (The national college of St. Kitts). Berne University faculty and students are integrally involved in the training of teachers in the Federation (St. Kitts & Nevis).

 

Sorry ComCollege, you ignore some very important factors in what you claim is my equation.

"uncomplimentary things” + adverse action by USDE + substandard academic requirements + degrees are illegal in some jurisdictions = “Diploma Mill”

On top of that Berne apparently doesn't even enforce their own substandard graduation requirements because it's been reported that they wave them if people can't make the "residency" requirement.

 

It seems that you are now admitting that, aside from a temporary and fugacious one, Berne has no real presence in St. Kitts. So where in St. Kitts is the Berne University Library that you magisterially advised us to visit?

 

That isn't true. Walden is quite easy to locate in Minnesota, in its own digs.

 

My understanding, is that St. Kitts has an MOE, and guidelines they supposedly folow. They also have no laws governing higher education. Therefore, I can't see how Berne, or any other school from St. Kitts could be conisdered to be RA equivelant.

 

Re: Re: don't lose sight

There you go, Randy. You have me all figured out....Thanks big guy. Dean

 

Attn: MichaelR

Please refer to the Accreditation of Institutions Act of Parliament (Federation of St. Kitts & Nevis). It explicitly details the chartering and accreditation of degree-granting institutions.

 

I believe that the most important considerations are things that have been mentioned by Rich, Gus, Dean, Bill, and myself. If the rulings/law of St. Kitts is so important then why does the ODA say that Berne degrees are illegal to use in Oregon?

Looks like the truth is catching up to Berne University. Read it and weep.