Another time bomb goes off: Salina, Kansas school board member

A school board member was found to have his only degrees, two of them, from Trinity College and University, the former South Dakota, now Caribbean mill. The story, in today's Sunday Salina Journal, is at:
http://www.saljournal.com/stories/100701/new_dubois.html

 

So all the explosions today weren't coming from Afghanistan.

If everything that guy said is true, you sort of have to feel bad for him. Then again, you'd think he would wonder how a Bachelor's and Master's degree "value pack" cost less than his legitimate Associate's degree.


Bruce

 

and with an Associate's degree plus 100 units from RA schools (his claim) he could have aleast pulled off a Bachelor's degree from COSC, Excelsior or Thomas Edison.

Dan

 

Could we add 35 cents and GO LARGE with this value pack? This would be a BA, MA and a Ph.D. as well.

Russell

 

No, no Russell, GO LARGE will only get you the BA, MA, and a graduate certficate. If you want the Ph.D., you gotta SUPERSIZE it!!!


Bruce

 

These are all interesting cases, and as any who can read will be aware, I am totally against a witch hunt, exposure and so on. I could no longer ever give anyone up, or go evidence against them.

(That arises from being a tenacious company auditor for many years resulting in people being put away, and a ferocious change manager, followed by a period of intense personal review and assessment that resulted in a complete change of direction in my life.)

However, that being said, I do think that any of us know whether we are being shortchanged, or taking a short cut. Maybe there are some exceptions, but they must be in the neanderthal arena surely?

We are at an advantage, in that some of us eat and sleep RA/non-RA and accreditation, and others are by comparison somewhat ignorant. Others have followed DE for several decades, and remember the ground breaking advice of John Bear many years ago, and his promotion of Greenwich, CPU, Fairfax and others - now keep your shirts on as I am NOT having a go at John bear - OK? In those days there were very few, if any alternatives to rigid and unreasonable demands and excessive costs to qualify for a degree.

The general population does not have our advantage, but they MUST still have an awareness when they are being had, or having others. There MUST be a certain degree of doubt somewhere sometime surely? That being the case, the decision was made, however consciously, to take the risk. Unfortunately society is not very forgiving, and therefore there maybe, is sometime somewhere to some extent, a price to pay.

Clearly, foundational studies must stand any test, or we are taking a very high risk. In the US in professional areas, this would be Bachelor and Master degree level, and if in academia, presumably at the Doctorate level also. In Australia and other countries where we qualifiy fully at the professional level with our undergraduate studies, it would clearly at least be at Bachelor degree level. In my case, all of my professional and undergraduate level qualifications (Accountancy, Banking & Finance, Industrial Engineering, and Teaching) stands solidly, and my 2 Masters degrees (Education and Accountancy)are hignly regarded.

The next step is where some of us differ. I can teach, write and practice professionally with the traditional qualifications that I have, and in most cases outqualify most of my peers. What I then do in my studies, has no affect on my positions or product, despite that Steve Levicoff used to hold to the view that ONE non-RA degree completely offsets the verity of all other accredited qualifications. Therefore I may choose to go the non-RA non-traditional path in search of a learning experience, that is not professional necessary, but benefits me personally.

I have taken that course of action twice, and have not regretted it, particularly when I book a restaurant table. In each experience I have learned a lot and clearly made an advancement in my knowledge from various aspects. However, I am clearly aware of the variable quality that is acceptable, and although it can be argued by degree mill apologists (of which I am NOT one) that this variation of quality and requirements happens even at the top institutions, THIS is one of the major factors that lets down the non accredited institutions. I have produced work that is of the standard, and I have produced work that is NOT of the standard belonging to a doctorate, yet I got the doctorate in each case. Some was an advancement in the area, and some was a regurgitation of what was already done. Some people produce an brilliant doctoral thesis of 40 pages, and others a bachelors term paper of 400 pages

I used to use my 'Dr' is various situations, but NEVER to get a position, and NEVER in a position, but now would not even do that. To finish off this rambling letter I wish to show you what the Board of Regents of the particular State has to say about the degrees ...

" Mr. French,
I am writing you in an attempt to clear up any questions regarding degrees
conferred by XXXX University. I hope you understand that the Board of
Regents must be very careful in how it responds to requests regarding the
standing, legality, or value of a degree. This is especially true when the
degree was conferred from an exempt institution.
As was explained to you in earlier correspondence, XXXX University has
operated in Louisiana under specific exemptions in law. Neither the Board
of Regents nor any other state agency has jurisdiction over the operations
of XXXX University. If your question is whether XXXX University was
operating legally under Louisiana law when it conferred your degree, I
would answer in the affirmative. However, operating legally does not and
should not infer any level of quality or value to that degree. The state
had no jurisdiction over the institution whatsoever, so the value or
meaning of the degree is wholly unknown. I reiterate this since oftentimes
individuals assume that if the institution is operating legally in the
state, that the state somehow has given its stamp of approval and the
degree must have some value. I am not saying it has no value. I am saying
that we do not know since the institution is exempt from any and all oversight.
Likewise, you ask whether the degree is 'valid'. If by valid you mean
that the institution had the legal authority to grant the degree, then I
would answer affirmative. If by valid you mean the degree has some value
or meaning, I can not answer since the Board of Regents has never assessed
the value of XXXX University's education or product.
I hope I have been able to answer your questions. If I have not, I am
sorry and will try again to respond to your requests."

And further ...

"I realize that this has all been quite confusing. For years, XXXX University was exempt from oversight due to its federal tax status. It was
under that exemption that XXXX offered the EdD program. With the change
in law in 1999, the tax status exemption was removed from law. In response
to losing its exempt status, XXXX University sought and received another
exemption from state oversight by discontinuing all secular degree programs
and offering only religious degrees. However, you completed a program
which existed under the previous exemption. The EdD program is no longer
offered by the now religious exempt XXXX University.

Therefore, since you completed a program which was allowed under an
exemption in force when you began the program, and since you have to have
the opportunity to complete the program (no new admissions to program), the
degree you were conferred was both legal and valid, meaning that the
institution was operating legally in Louisiana as an exempt institution
when you enrolled at XXXX. Again, the State of Louisiana has no
jurisdiction over the institution and can not comment on the meaning or
value of the degree you were conferred."

I have purposely NOT mentioned the University out of respect for those who are its graduates, and are held in high esteem in their particular professions. The particular Institutuon is NOT the issue, but the quality of what is acceptable is, and the stated position of the Board of Regents also.

If somehow, we could get what the BoR state across to people, then their choice would be clearly their total responsibility. People have the RIGHT to make their own choices, and we are not installed to counter that. However we clearly have a responsibility to ensure that their decisions are informed decisions.

Peter French
Australia