New World University: is there a connection with this forum?

Shay,

I’m not sure how my constructive question translates into “building a flashy website.” How many minutes do you think it would take to cut and paste the names and terminal degrees onto an existing web page?

Steve Foerster, President (M.A., George Washington University)
Randell Orner, Provost (Ph.D., Northcentral University)
Faculty #1 (degree)
Faculty #2 (degree)
etc.

Do you not think removing the anonymity would reduce suspicious reactions people have? No one expects such disclosure to participate at DegreeInfo, but then, this isn’t a university. John Bear’s whole question came about because it wasn’t clear whether this was a start-up university with real, qualified faculty or something else. For goodness sake, look at SurfDoctor’s initial reaction before Steve F. took ownership of the project.

Shay, I appreciate that you’re sticking up for a person and a mission that you think well of, but you’re going well over the top with me.

 

Your questions are unnecessary albeit unfair, in my mind for an institution you know is in the start-up process. I served on the Board of Bahamas Commonwealth College, a new brick and mortar college plant in the Bahamas, and after two years of operation we were hard pressed to be able to intellectually respond to more than one of the questions you posed. Yet, we were legitimate in every way and worked closely with the Bahamas Government in every aspect of development. Even-so, after I resigned to relocate to the United States the college closed and its President who is a professor at North Carolina A&T University, returned to the United States.

That said, the questions you asked would have been more appropriate for you to ask the institution from which you graduated with your doctoral degree; and I certainly hope you asked them each of the questions you hope a new college plant would be able to answer for you at the onset of operation. I've discovered what the problem is here and I think it is two fold. (1) You do not understand business [college] start-up and (2) you seem upset that you were not made privy to NWU's plan to offer courses to the Nigerian people. The start-up of NWU does not appear to be a personal affront to anyone on this board. At least, I don't see that way.

I am actually very proud that I am associated with people with the acumen to establish an institution of higher learning. It is no more appropriate to ask a new born baby what the contents are in his or her formula than to ask a newly established school, the series of questions you posed. Second, in your own words "I wish to add that at present there are more than 500 institutions of higher learning in Nigeria (universities, polytechnics, colleges of education , and so one and so forth). Nigeria has more higher institutions than any country in Africa or the Caribbean".

The obvious response to you now is, have you posed your laundry list of questions to any of the other 500 institutions yet? My second question is, how would being able to answer any of the four questions you posed, determine whether a college has noble intentions or not? You, my fellow academician, you confuse me.

As I said earlier, NWU is welcomed to the Bahamas. Bahamians embrace quality education. Bahamians give institutions a chance to prove their worth before running off to warn our authorities that we are in danger of being poisoned to death by the higher learning plague, even though there is no plague.

I know I said this earlier and I went back on my word, but this is truly my final response because the way I see it, the gentlemen who started NWU do not need a defense, therefore, I am simply clarifying. I applaud their efforts and pray the school is a major success!

 

Then I shouldn't distress you any further by responding to your, "How many minutes do you think it would take to cut and paste the names and terminal degrees onto an existing web page..." remark. Except to say, that's how schools with reputation do it, they simply cut and paste information to their website. Not. When I see a school do this...I run the other way!

 

Ridiculous. Legitimate schools list administrative and academic staff. Period.

 

Shay,

I am not sure why you are combative on this issue. I thought that we can have a cordial discussion. It’s ok if you don’t know the answers to my questions or if you don’t want to answer my questions. Nonetheless, you can’t convince me that your intention is genuine by resorting to pugnacity. It is nauseating and disrespectful that you are trying hard to shove your ideas down my throat. You should never do that no matter how genuine or how noble your ideas may be.

I too will not say anything about this your new business in this forum again. I have to do whatever I need to do to ensure that my fellow countrymen are protected. I am a Nigerian and I have every right to ask questions about the product that you want to sell to my countrymen, especially if the product cannot be legally sold in the country that hosts the production plant of the product.

Adios.

 

Yeah, but do they cut and paste the information into pre-formatted webpages, as you seem to suggest? Webpages of legitimate institutions are well planned with thousands of dollars going into their planning and implementation. Cutting and pasting information from one website to another, is not professional by any stretch of the imagination.

NWU has a website in place however, as Steve seemed to suggest, a better, much more informative one will replace the one available now. This will happen once the school has reach a certain phase. On the contrary, I have been directed to well appointed websites from institutions that turned out to be nothing more than diploma mills. By your suggestion, many of these diploma mills have met your legitimacy requirement by listing the names of faculty members with credentials that spans the length of my arm.

Since neither you or I are privy to NWU's strategic phases of development, in the spirit of professionalism and camaraderie kindly allow these learned gentlemen room to continue without misplaced criticism, please. As many have previously suggested, the gentlemen behind this project are not novices to higher education. I have, under their advice, gone from two bachelors degree to graduate with my doctorate and soon, a Bradford University MBA. I am a product of their guidance and if they dedicate a paltry half of their time into advancing any country, as they did into advancing my career, I will do battle in defense of them.

Obliged.

 

Steve,

I accept your explanation. I think that it's fair to give you the benefits of the doubt. However, I will be watching.

 

Yeah, but do they cut and paste the information into pre-formatted webpages, as you seem to suggest? Webpages of legitimate institutions are well planned with thousands of dollars going into their planning and implementation. Cutting and pasting information from one website to another, is not professional by any stretch of the imagination.

NWU has a website in place however, as Steve seemed to suggest, a better, much more informative one will replace the one available now. This will happen once the school has reach a certain phase. On the contrary, I have been directed to well appointed websites from institutions that turned out to be nothing more than diploma mills. By your suggestion, many of these diploma mills have met your legitimacy requirement by listing the names of faculty members with credentials that spans the length of my arm.

Since neither you or I are privy to NWU's strategic phases of development, in the spirit of professionalism and camaraderie kindly allow these learned gentlemen room to continue without misplaced criticism, please. As many have previously suggested, the gentlemen behind this project are not novices to higher education. I have, under their advice, gone from two bachelors degree to graduate with my doctorate and soon, a Bradford University MBA. I am a product of their guidance and if they dedicate a paltry half of their time into advancing any country, as they did into advancing my career, I will do battle in defense of them.

Obliged.

 

Another threat. You just can't say, good luck and thank you for your explanation, can you? God..this gets me sooooo inflamed. "I will be watching.." Yeah, OK? Watch then...Wouldn't want YOU watching now, can they? Lest they be drawn and quartered by the New Education World Enforcer. Yikes! Let me stop and return to what I was doing.

 

Well, I will be watching, too. Each and every one of you. On whichever side you stand. Or sit. And whatever your position. Or wherever your loyalty, legitimate or misplaced. Or however you presume to judge, or misjudge, the person to whom you are responding while your own head is up your butt.

Hey, but seriously, folks, this is becoming one of the best flame wars I've seen in a long time.

So I will be watching. All of you. But only for the sake of entertainment. And only because July is a slow month for legitimate theatre. But, apparently, not for theatre of the absurd.

And so I will be watching. Oh, yes. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh, yes. :stooges:

 

I go away on vacation and this comes up. I missed my chance to chime in that "I knew too".

All the best to you Steve and this endeavor. You are doing this for all the right reasons and I wish you much success!!

 

As developments unfold we will keep everyone posted.

 

I wish you guys the best. I think it's a great idea and a wonderful thing to do. And having been here just over 2 years, I can say with much certainty that I have NO DOUBT that Randall and Steve are doing this with the best of intentions. Anyone who thinks differently should take their ball and go home. Not everyone involved in academia is out to get someone. Are we really so jaded these days that we cannot even be happy for those striving to do something good for others?

 

Steve and Randell,

This isn’t a jab, and I hope you can read back through the thread and see that I have asked one polite question and offered one constructive suggestion, which I will reiterate once more because it is crucial: add the appropriate information (and do it post-haste). I’m not in a business field, but have had a number of students who are visiting on one-year exchange programs who ask about continuing education options when they return home. If one of them asked about an as-yet unaccredited university that was operating without staff names and credentials, that would send up a huge red flag for me, and I think for any educator. In this case, I am familiar with you two and your positive reputation because of this site, but will most people come to NWU through DegreeInfo?

You also might consider reining in your colleague, whose passion is admirable, but whose demeanor is not contributing positively to NWU’s image.

Best wishes,

H.

 

"Reining in your colleague..." and "your colleague, whose passion is admirable, but whose demeanor is not contributing positively to NWU’s image." And you talk about demeanor! Yikes! My responses to you about NWU will become a PR disaster? I am that uncivilized huh? WOW! OK. Moving right along. Neither Steve nor Randell own me. I don't work with or for any of these gentlemen. I am associated with them through DegreeInfo, same as you. They can no more reign me in than they can you. I have said nothing even remotely derogatory towards you and even now, as uncivilized and uncouth as I may appear to you--I shan't. I am sorry you took it the wrong way. I am realizing now that not everyone can engage in straight-forward conversation. There isn't enough sand on the sea shore to count the amount of people that can give, but I certainly have enough fingers on one hand to count the amount who can take. That said, I think you misunderstood and subsequently miscalculated what I was saying. I wasn't being rude or unkind to you so let's move on to something else. This conversation has run it's course. We all will agree to disagree and spare the rest of the board such boring diatribe between high-achievers. Friends?

 

Thank you ladyexecutive for truly standing up for those who are not as fortunate as us. Like you, I am aware of Steve and Randell only through Degreeinfo. NWU has the potential of providing a quality education at an affordable cost to my homeland and to that end I am supportive and like all Degreeinfoers, I am watching.
However, no one us can speak for our country of birth or race.For Ike, a Nova like education does not give me the right to call my country's people gullible or to call them "my people". Not everyone in my country of birth share my opinions, or will tolerate me calling them my people. Ike, you should use your Nova education to help those at home who were not as fortunate as you. I will applaud you if you can work with AIU or Nova to provide affordable education to third world countries.