New Offer At Andrew Jackson University

http://www.tuiu.edu/tuiinfo.html

 

bmills is correct. For whatever my opinion is worth, I think, based on what I've read and understand, that AJU is probably one of the better DETC programs out there. I would never call a DETC school a mill, even an incredibly unwonderful school that DETC accredited in violation of its own standards (AICS, later ACCIS, later bought and changed to something else.)

The issue is, regional accreditation, at least for now, is still the gold standard, and I don't think much of anyone would argue that point. There are employers who will only accept regionally accredited degrees, and, while the schools with RA are loosening up, there are still an awful lot of them that will not accept DETC-earned credits or even degrees.

It does seem that the trend is toward greater acceptance of DETC degrees both by employers and by regionally accredited institutions, but until a DETC-accredited degree enjoys the same level of universal acceptance as an RA degree, it's pretty disingenuous to refer to DETC accreditation as the "gold standard" of anything.

All that said, I believe that AJC is offering a fantastic value that could really benefit a lot of people who are looking for a legitimately accredited degree.

 

TUI University did start life as an affiliated institution of a brick-and-mortar university or college which was and remains WASC accredited.

Western Governors University is nationally accredited by Distance Education and Training Council, and regionally accredited by Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Western Governors University is a 100% online university.

Therefore, the question stands - Does WASC accredit any purely 100% online or non-campus-based school?

 

What WASC accredited school was TUI University associated with? I thought TUIU (formerly Touro University International) was the west coast DL portion of the east coast Touro College (New York) and forced to seek separate accreditation.

 

Thanks... we agree that AJU is one of the better DETC programs out there!

All of your points are valid, and none of what I say is ever meant to be misleading. We have an attitude at AJU that we are proud of our DETC Accreditation and it needs no defending. I personally have gone through the re-accreditation process with AJU that each school has to go through every five years or so. Let me tell you this... I can vouch for it's thoroughness!

 

You are correct. TUI University was formerly known as Touro University International. Touro University International was owned by Touro College. Touro College was and is still accredited by the Middle States Association. Initially, Touro University International rode on Touro College's accreditation through the Middle States Association; later Touro University International got its own separate accreditation through the Western Association. Later, Touro University International was sold and became TUI University and they remain accredited by the Western Association.

 

Hi J - Just for the record, when you talk about AJU you seem to use the term "we." Can you tell us what position you hold at AJU?

 

Well, I know for certain that he handles some of the technical issues related to the online courses and tests. I know this because my computer crashed as I was taking one of my online midterm exams. I freaked out and called the AJU technical support line. My heart sank when I reached a recording which asked me to leave a message. This was on a Saturday afternoon, and I didn't think I would hear from anyone until the next business day. To my (pleasant) surprise, Jarrod called me within 10 minutes and arranged for me to re-take the exam at a later date.

No matter the accreditation, the customer service at AJU is first-rate. I do wish the courses were reviewed by ACE, but that's another matter.

 

That's good to know. They're involved in making some innovative initiatives that doubtlessly help quite a number of students.

 

Thank you for the correction. Much appreciated. There is probably information to that effect had I used the search function of the forum.

However, the point remains that TUIU had a previous regional accreditation prior to the sale and renaming. I wonder if the previous accreditation by another regional accreditation agency made it easier?

 

Good question, I would tend to think it did.

 

Not to get too far off topic, but this does raise an interesting issue which has been discussed before... the lack of consistency among the regionals.

I don't remember which school was the first 100% distance-based (i.e., no bricks-and-mortar) to be accredited by a regional -- I'm sure someone else does -- but I definitely remember someone saying that UoP located in Arizona solely so that they would be under the auspices of the North Central Association, which has historically been a lot more open to 100% distance-based programs than WASC or SACS.

It does suck for a school like AJU, which, were it located in a North Central-served area, might have a much stronger interest in pursuing regional accreditation. I know there are other programs based in the south which have considered RA but ruled it out because of SACS. Hopefully, someday, there will be consistency among the different regional associations.

 

Hey I think I remember you, T!

Anyway, yes, I am the Technology Coordinator for Andrew Jackson University. I get to help students out a good bit, which is my favorite part. If any of you guys out there join the AJU family as a student, let me know, I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have.

 

Speaking of that, Grantham University used to be in Louisiana. However, after Katrina they moved to Missouri in 2005. Is there any reason why they don't apply for North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA-HLC), The Higher Learning Commission accreditation? Grantham University has a good standing in distance learning for a long time, especially the institute estbalished in 1951.

 

Hmm...I don't know about this one. I have no personal experience with Grantham, but everything I have read from current or former students over the past year has been overwhelmingly negative.