American Management University and new accreditation

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Steven Nguyen, Aug 11, 2024.

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  1. Steven Nguyen

    Steven Nguyen New Member

    I discovered that this unaccredited US university has now acquired a new accreditation from a Kyrgyzstan agency. It is quite interesting. I do not know anything about the legitimacy of this agency: Independent Institute of Accreditation, Rating and Certification (IARC/NIARS). Does anyone have ideas about it?
    453783437_519533837263935_2000166492900440880_n.jpg
    https://www.qahe.org.uk/american-management-university-achieves-5-year-accreditation-from-iarc-niars-through-qahe-dual-accreditation-arrangement/?fbclid=IwY2xjawEljhFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHbEnnXCbSJH7SZT5FzkQLB6_nEbgpfDSbcHpqveZn6MkmWYSd0Oq8mef7w_aem_M94EEFiKo0VaZ-xpH3Smbw
     
  2. tadj

    tadj Well-Known Member

    Other QAHE institutions may also obtain this type of joint accreditation with IARC: "Joint accreditation is a comprehensive quality assurance process that is only available to current QAHE (International Association for Quality Assurance in Pre-Tertiary & Higher Education) accredited schools. This accreditation allows institutions to undertake a whole-school evaluation, going beyond the assessment of individual programmes."

    Link: https://www.qahe.org.uk/dual-accreditation-with-iarc/

    "Created in 2019, IARC/NIARS carries out its activities in accordance with the laws and regulations of the Kyrgyz Republic. In 2021, the Institute obtained a license from the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic to accredit programs in areas such as "Expert in the field of education," "IT," and "I&C". IARC has also fostered collaborations within the country, including a memorandum of cooperation with the Agency for Education Quality Control and Career Development, and an agreement with the Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University."

    While IARC is listed here (https://www.inqaahe.org/membership/members/?region=asia-pacific&country=kyrgyz-republic&type=&n=), I don't see the benefits of this type of accreditation for an American university. It would not help with degree recognition in other countries.

    The accredited institutions of the Kyrgyz Republic are listed here: https://edugate.edu.gov.kg/universities

    The American Management University isn't listed among these country-recognized institutions.
     
  3. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    An American higher academic institution is accredited by another country's educational authority is fishy.
     
    datby98 likes this.
  4. tadj

    tadj Well-Known Member

    And it's not even accredited. I don't see it listed as THEIR institution.
     
  5. tadj

    tadj Well-Known Member

    Whatever quality assurance (accreditation) process the American Management University has gone through in the Kyrgyz Republic, it has not resulted in becoming a recognized/accredited institution of higher education in that country, so this is not a case of an American-based school becoming accredited in another country.
     
  6. Mac Juli

    Mac Juli Well-Known Member

    Sometimes, I think QAHE is an anti-accreditation. If an institution is listed there, it can't be good. - Prove me wrong.
     
  7. tadj

    tadj Well-Known Member

    It appears that Pebble Hills University has also taken the "Kyrgyz route" in addition to QAHE;

    Quote: "PHU is fully accredited by The Public Foundation “Independent Accreditation Agency ‘BILIM-STANDARD'” of Kyrgyz Republic."

    There are some nationally recognized/accredited institutions that have taken QAHE accreditation as an extra add-on. They may be fine, despite the association. I am thinking of normal universities like this;
    https://www.qahe.org.uk/institute/kyrgyz-national-agrarian-university/ (also listed here; https://edugate.edu.gov.kg/universities)
     
    Mac Juli likes this.
  8. Steven Nguyen

    Steven Nguyen New Member

    I think because QAHE and 2 Kyrgyz accredited agencies have dual/ join accreditation schemes.
    https://www.qahe.org.uk/dual-accreditation-with-aakr-for-qahe-accredited-institutions/

    https://www.qahe.org.uk/dual-accreditation-with-aakr-for-qahe-accredited-institutions/
    Thus, the Kyrgyz universities, which are accredited by these 2 agencies, may obtain QAHE accreditation as ad on
     
  9. mbwa shenzi

    mbwa shenzi Active Member

    I'll just quote myself here then:

    "Many years ago, Pebble Hills was operating out of a cellar in the Antico Principato di Seborga, and the President of the PHU Nigerian Chapter was a bloke who called himself His Eminence Lord Monarch O. Ojierenem. He was Nigerias first Grand PhD, a title bestowed upon him by the World Information Distributed University in Moscow. Googling him won't yield many hits nowadays, but back then, he was around, so to speak. Started his career at Obe & Nkem, an outfit interesting for a number of reasons, 419 to be exact."

    Nowadays, Pebble Hills is just an Axact clone. American Management University is a school where you'll run into, well virtually at least, people with connections to and/or degrees from Charisma University, for example Guy Langvardt and Francis Pol Lim.

    As for QAHE, well the honorary president, Sir Professor Dr Bikash Sharma will be able to tell you a thing or two about Da Vinci University where he's on the Grand Board of Trustees with, among others, that World Acclaimed Distinguished Professor Sir Bashiru Aremu.

    Among the leading members and directors of QAHE you should know, according to QAHE, I take a walk down memory lane when I realise Professor David Le Cornu is an honorary director of QAHE. David Le Cornu is very much linked to St Clements University, a school that originally operated out of an office located above the pub Earl's Tavern, within walking distance from the South Australia Department of Education.

    And finally, among QAHE's Honorary QA Auditors, I pleased to note the presence of Professor Usman Ali Awheela, of Irish Business School, later Irish International University - "when you look at website, it's just a figment of someone's imagination. Someone has dreamt up what a university is supposed to look like, and that's what's on the website". And of course - "of course it's dodgy, the whole thing is dodgy".

    Remind me to reply to the thread about ASIC accredited schools in the US sometime.
     
    Mac Juli likes this.
  10. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Kyrgyzstan? I guess Elbonia turned them down.
     
  11. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    How about now?
     
  12. Michael Burgos

    Michael Burgos Well-Known Member

    Could it be that it may take some time for the Kyrgz gov't to update their website? The OP noted this is a new development.
     
  13. tadj

    tadj Well-Known Member

    It's possible. I would then expect to see all the other QAHE schools that claim government 'accreditation' in the Kyrgyz Republic to be listed. This would include Pebble Hills University and other controversial schools. From that moment, they would be treated like truly accredited schools in (at least) one country. It would be a significant development. Probably even bigger than Charisma U. becoming accredited by TRACS.
     
  14. tadj

    tadj Well-Known Member

    Pebble Hills U. has an address in Belize and a Polish (edu.pl) domain name (Very odd thing. This reminds me of a Costa Rican Business university, which took up the Polish domain in the past). It also claims to possess Kyrgyz government accreditation. I wonder how the global credential evaluators are going to treat the school and other QAHE schools of this nature, if the Kyrgyz government accreditation thing turns out to be real and I concede that as a possibility. Being listed alongside genuine government-accredited Kyrgyz universities would definitely help, but we're still waiting to see this development.
     
  15. Michael Burgos

    Michael Burgos Well-Known Member

    That really surprised me. Honestly. Anyhow, I'd be interested in seeing what quality assurance requirements are involved with QAHE.
     
  16. cacoleman1983

    cacoleman1983 Well-Known Member

  17. tadj

    tadj Well-Known Member

    IARC - established in 2019. The Institute carries out its activities in accordance with the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Civil Code of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On Non-Commercial Organizations", the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On Education", the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On Science and the Fundamentals of State Scientific and Technical Policy" and other regulatory legal acts of the Kyrgyz Republic.

    American Management University has "International Online Institutional Accreditation" from IARC. But AMU has their contact office in California, while their headquarters are currently moving to the Commonwealth of Dominica. They aren't treated as an accredited institution in the U.S. or the Commonwealth of Dominica (I just looked up the website of the National Accreditation Board there). They aren't a Kyrgyz-based institution either, which would be relevant to any credential recognition. This act of accreditation won't change the "neither here nor there" status.
     
    Last edited: Oct 15, 2024
  18. cacoleman1983

    cacoleman1983 Well-Known Member

    That’s crazy how these schools go about accrediting themselves with international accreditors without being accredited in their own country. In any case, they may be a good option for completing professional training or continuing education with plans to go into the private sector or entrepreneurship.

    If I were offered a full scholarship or close to one from a legally exempt or non-accredited institution that’s not a diploma mill, I would pursue a degree from there if I had no plans to complete further education that required that particular degree to be accredited at the same level or accreditor. Even then, these partnerships of accreditors will lead to a degree that could be considered fully recognized by validation.
     
    Last edited: Oct 19, 2024
  19. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Less likely to get caught like that, huh?
     
  20. cacoleman1983

    cacoleman1983 Well-Known Member

    Yeah, the private sector doesn't care as much as universities and many public sector jobs do when it comes to the type of accreditation. Provided that the school is not classified as a diploma mill, has legal standing, the degree is verifiable, and there are several students attending the school, it will likely be classified at the very least as continuing education. These are very similar in a lot ways to Propio degrees as they are not fully accredited but have legal standing. What I find funny about the US is that the restrictions for degrees that are non-regionally accredited are generally prohibited in much of the public sector (unless it is CHEA recognized at some level) and matriculation into regionally accredited universities, but are generally accepted in the same way as the Spanish Propio in their country.
     
    Last edited: Oct 19, 2024

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