American Coastline University

It is very sad that another university which had made it so clear under Ray Chasse's direction that it is not and will never be accredited, has become "accredited" by not only one but several of the dubious accrediting agencies: see their website:

"American Coastline University is now licensed, registered and fully accredited by the Russian Federation, Ministry of Higher Education as a division of IUFS. American Coastline University is an accredited member of the Educational Quality Accrediting Commission; the National Board of Education; the Association of Distance Learning Programs; and the Accreditation Governing Commission."

Poor Ray!

adelheid

 

Other than the fact that he's dead, I wouldn't sympathize too much. Being an innocuous degree mill operator doesn't make one innocuous; it makes one a degree mill operator. Not exactly a legacy that could be tarnished by this little turn of events.

 

This story of the "honest degree mill operator" reminds me of the story of the "thoughtful rapist". This guy fancied himself the protective fatherly type. He would kidnap young ladies off the street drive them to a secluded area and when he was done would drive them back to where they were abducted and drop them off. He didn't want to leave them in an unfamilar area where they might get into trouble!

 

I wonder what Dr. Chasse is doing now?

Perhaps in the afterlife he is facilitating the educational goals of others via American College of Metaphysical Theology.

 

Re: Re: American Coastline University

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Russell

Why are you not defending ACU's accreditation?? If Trinity can claim global recognition consequent to the UK accreditations, why cannot ACU claim Russia?

Isn't accreditation accreditation? It's legal, isn't it, so what's the prob?

Surely this is not deception either! Boy are you capricious



++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Well, whatever you say, but I DID prefer them when they were clearly stating that they were not accredited. This was clear, not misleading, and honest. This Russia thing - that is just so ridiculous! How about all the ACU graduates - now they have to say that their degree is accredited by some institution (that nobody has probably never heared of in Vodka country), which in turn is somehow accredited in Russia whilst being physically located in Lousianna, or whatever... No, I don't like it. Why do they all have to start becoming accredited? Can't they just stay "not-accredited"? Are they so desperate to enroll students that they have to "sell" themselves by becoming mysteriously "accredited"?

Nastrovye,

adelheid
(who recently likes frozen-cold vodka)

 

I have two questions

Maybe you all can enlighten me:

ACU is accredited by an institution that is itself apparently accredited in Russia. My two questions are:

1. Does that mean that ACU is de facto accredited? Or only recognized by an accredited institution?

2. What would happen if ACU, being accredited now through an accredited institution, would itself now accredit another university, thus making that one now accredited? Could they then in turn accredit another one...

Is anyone out there who is able to follow my weired stream of thoughts?

adelheid
(not so easily drunk these days - I eat salami with my vodka - it helps...)

 

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If you're responding to me, I was just funnin with Russell and am not serious. Sorry

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Re: I have two questions

Is it? Says who?

The Web site does say: " In 1998, the IUFS was recognized by the State Committee for Higher Professional Education of Russia. Govt. Registration No. 76034, License No. 4058-D77 Ministry of Higher Education & Science - State Committee." But we don't know what meaning this has. Does this state committee do anything but rubberstamp applications or issue licenses in return for fees?

The Web site also says that IUFS is a member of the US National Academy of Higher Education - Association of Distance Learning Programes (ADLP). NAHE-ADLP have recently appeared on quite a few dubious school websites.

Frankly, it looks as if most of the organizations and schools mentioned or linked to by IUFS are either concocted by IUFS or are equally dubious.

 

Re: Re: I have two questions

I bet it does. But while on IUFS English page the claim licensure from State Commitee, Russian page says " registered by Registration Chamber of St. Petersbourg city", wich is not the same thing! I think they count on that English speaking clients will have hard time checking their claim.
They promise to their Russian students a "diploma of International Standard", whatewer it means. In Russia, an equivalent of accredited program is program granting "state form diploma" (i'm not sure it's right translation, but you get the idea).

 

Now, now. It is cheering to know that this American, uh, university which specializes in "homeland security studies" is being accredited by a government agency we've never heard of, affiliated with a university we've never heard of, in a country that doesn't know where all its nukes are.
As the late Guvna Huey P. Long used to say, "every man a king."

 

It seems that things are much simpler. They just made up the whole accreditation claim. State Committee for Higher Education (without the word "Proffessional") of Ministry of Education is THE accreditation body in Russia, while State Committee for Higher Professional Education probably just doesn't exist. I can read Russian, and all they claim on RUSSIAN pages is "state registration", by Registration Chamber of St. Petersbourg City, Registration No. 76034, License No. 4058-D77. The place is "state registered", whatever it means in the City of Petr the Great. No mention of licensure.

 

But maybe, comrades, is not wise to ask too many questions...

Nosborne, JD
(who STILL loves Moose and Squirrel)

 

Yo,

I am now an ABD (all but dissertation) in Aerospace Engineering from American Coastline University.

I sent them my cv (I'm an elementary particle physicist and physics professor) and said I'd like to be evaluated for a PhD in Aerospace Engineering. They said I don't need to take any courses, so I sent them the title and part of the abstract from my particle physics thesis to see if elementary particle physics looked enough like aerospace engineering to satisfy them. It did.

What do I know about airplanes? (1) No more peanuts. (2) "If you are unable or unwilling to open the emergency door..." (3) No nail clippers. (4) Bernoulli's principle makes for lift.

Would you fly in an airplane I designed? I certainly wouldn't!

More info is here:
http://www.hep.uiuc.edu/home/g-gollin/nonCHEA/#amercoast

GG

 

Hi George: I tracked down the pigeon story on your website. Hee hee. I was also interested to see that the esteemed Mr Dunbar is no longer in the building at the Liberian Embassy. This would be Abdulah, not Michael (of James Monroe University). Also, the Panamaniac Seminary has been chucked off its Brazilian web server (or whatever you call it) for violating the TOS. Funny funny funny.

 

For the record, Richard Hoyer, who at one time controlled American Coastline University is also a (or the) founder of St. Regis University.

 

That is interesting.

 

And is seemingly well connected with IUFS.

It is interesting that these schools all use such a fine blend of fact and fiction.

 

multiple sites

Hi folks,

American Coastline University web content appears on multiple sites. There is

http://www.amercoastuniv.org/

and also

http://www.amercoastuniv.edu/

Material on both sites states that

"ACU is an agent of and branch division of the International University Of Fundamental Studies (IUFS)."

The two sites' accreditation pages list the same accrediting bodies, in the same order.

The .org site "about us" page contains the same text in window's main field as appears in the .edu site's front page.

The domain registration for the .org site lists the registrant this way (note the obscuration of most of the contact information):

Registrant:
R.J.H [email protected] +1.22289000
American Coastline Univ
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxx,xxxx,US 72310

The zip code corresponds to Armorel, Arkansas.

The .edu site registrant info is this:

Registrant:
American Coastline University
5000 West Esplanade Ave., #197
Metairie, LA 70006
UNITED STATES

The fees quoted on the two sites are different. For example,

.org: $1195 for a Doctoral Degree
.edu: $5000 for a Doctorate.

My contact with ACU concerning a possible doctorate in aerospace engineering was through the .org site, not the .edu site.

I would be interested in hearing more about the history of ACU.

thanks-
George Gollin

 

1-of-2 more information concerning two different ACU sites

".org site" identifying itself as representing American Coastline University

This one is curious. There is a site with URL http://www.amercoastuniv.org/ showing material corresponding to American Coastline University. Apparently, this site is independent of another site whose domain name ends in .edu (http://www.amercoastuniv.edu/) and whose content also presents information concerning American Coastline University.

I had contacted the ".org site" instantiation of ACU to have my experiences as an elementary particle experimental physicist and physics professor evaluated as possible qualifications for a PhD in Aerospace Engineering, a field about which I am largely ignorant. My interactions with the ".org site" instantiation of ACU are described below, and in a message posted at a DegreeInfo.com Discussion Board.

A few days after the post, I received email from the ".edu site" expressing a great deal of surprise over the existence of a second web site for American Coastline University, and a good deal of concern that the ".org site's" method of evaluating my life experiences would mistakenly be attributed to the ".edu site." Now, it would be natural to assume that ACU has chosen to maintain sites on two different domains to better reach its intended audience. (For example, Saint Regis does this with http://saintregis.edu.lr/ and http://saintregis.ac/.) The two ACU sites contain a large amount of identical content, as well as describing accreditation from identical accrediting organizations (as is done by the two Saint Regis sites). Assuming that the two ACU sites really are independent, in spite of their apparent representations of the same university and the same set of accreditations, then my evaluation by the ".org site" conveys no information about the practices of the ".edu site."

It is instructive to compare various aspects of the two sites.

Both sites state that "ACU is an agent of and branch division of the International University Of Fundamental Studies (IUFS)." I sent email to IUFS asking for clarification of its relationship with the two ACU's, and am awaiting a reply. It is to be noted that the IUFS site's front page contains a link to http://www.amercoastuniv.edu/homeland.html (which is on the ".edu site") but has no links to the ".org site."

The ACU seal is the same on both sites.

The main text in the ".org site's" "about us" page is the same as the text on the ".edu site's" front page. In addition, the list of accreditations which ACU holds is the same in both sites' web pages.

The IP address of the ".org site" is 66.96.82.254. Here is some of the SamSpade information for this domain:

Registrant:
R.J.H [email protected] +1.22289000
American Coastline Univ
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxx,xxxx,US 72310

Record last updated at 2003-08-18 03:45:52
Record created on 2003/8/18
Record expired on 2004/8/18

Note that almost no information is available about the registrant; the zip code 72310 is in Armorel, Arkansas. Also note the recent creation date for the domain information record.

It is possible that someone intends for the registrant ("R.J.H.") to be taken to be Dr. Richard J. Hoyer, the President and CEO of Global Capital LLC. However, it seems improbable that someone choosing to withold information about the domain registrant's identity would use his/her true initials. (Dr. Hoyer is the author of A College Degree in Your Spare Time Through Distance Learning and his cv describes his association with a number of schools which offer distance learning programs. His remarkable curriculum vita lists six doctoral degrees and states that he has "written the entire degree curricula for the environmental science, environmental engineering, occupational safety and health, and health science degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate degree levels for three universities.") Dr. Hoyer can be very forthcoming about the registration of his sites. For example, the State Duma Committee on Foreign Relations site at the apparently Russian domain http://www.stateduma.ru/ (with IP address 66.150.0.108) is openly registered to Dr. Hoyer.

The IP address of ACU's .edu site is 216.171.74.182, identical to that of Heritage University. Here is some of the SamSpade information for this domain:

Registrant:
American Coastline University
5000 West Esplanade Ave., #197
Metairie, LA 70006
UNITED STATES

Domain record activated: 04-Jan-1996
Domain record last updated: 24-Dec-2002

The address agrees with the ACU incorporation information available on the Louisiana Secretary of State's web site at http://www.sec.state.la.us/cgibin?rqstyp=crpdtl&rqsdta=34470521N. The ".edu site" is quite open about presenting its registration information.

The accrediting organizations and recognitions mentioned in the sites are these:

* National Board of Education (NBOE, Liberia; NBOE manages Saint Regis university), with email contact [email protected].
* Educational Quality Accrediting Commission (EQAC), with email contact [email protected].
* Accreditation Governing Commission United States of America (AGC-USA), with email contact [email protected].
* International Interacademic Union (MMC)
* Christhomas Consortium London (CCL), with email contact [email protected].

I have emailed the accrediting organizations with available contact information and am waiting for their replies. I will post it as it arrives. NBOE does not list its members on its web site so it is not possible to find a link to one (or both) sites on its web page. EQAC lists the ".edu site" on its web site, as does AGC-USA. I could not find a list of institutions on the CCL site.

Please bear in mind that the domain used by the ".org site" is recently created so that it is not possible to draw reliable conclusions until hearing from the accrediting organizations.

Local copies were made 8/28/2003 for most files listed below.

I can't find a list of courses offered by the ".org site" instantiation of ACU anywhere; the catalogue in the ".edu site" instantiation of ACU does not list courses.

I was curious to see how rigorously the ".org site" would evaluate the credentials of applicants for credit for life experience. Since the initial evaluation by the ".org site" instantiation of ACU is free, I filled in the appropriate form to learn what would be required of me to earn a PhD in Aerospace Engineering. I didn't hold back any information, pasting my entire cv (including employment history and list of publications) into the cv box on the form.

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