Berne achieves the accreditation for which it yearned.

While browsing the internet to try to find out what happened to Berne founder Dale Berne, I found a press release from the government of St. Kitts (www.stkittsnevis.net/media/july99.html)

"...in 1995, [Berne] was granted legal status to operate...but it was not until two Saturdays ago that [they] received the documentation [for which they] yearned: the accreditation necessarily for societal acceptance in the United States."

And for what accreditation did they yearn? The press release continues:

"Berne University...has recently been accorded full accreditation status by the prestigious International Accrediting Commission for Schools and Colleges [of Beebe, Arkansas]... This in effect means that a graduate of Berne University is universally accepted and recognized."

My response, in one word: Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

But I never did find Dr. Berne. Nor have I yet discovered where the Prime Minister of that bastion of academic integrity, Doctor Denzil Douglas, earned his doctorate.

 

The emergence of Berne coincided with my departure from this field for quite awhile. Is this the first time Berne's IAC accreditation has seen the light of day? I certainly didn't know about it. One more reason to question the whole unaccredited, unlicensed thing.

 

I recently wrote: "Nor have I yet discovered where the Prime Minister of that bastion of academic integrity, Doctor Denzil Douglas, earned his doctorate."

Turns out he has a medical degree. Good for him.

 

FWIW I found the following info on rootsweb.com:

Edited for privacey:

Dale Berne
xxx Forest Rd
Wolfeboro, NH 03894
Phone: 603-569-xxxx

Using a search of Dale Berne

 

Hmm, just down the road from the umcampus.

 

Dr. Bear,

You are unequivocally the primus inter pars in distance education field. If it wasn't because of your book and your advice, I will probably be parading Kennedy Western University master's and doctoral degrees now. I am about to finish my dissertation work in a RA school. Your advice saved me from embarrassment that certainly would have come one day. I have agreed with you on almost all DE matters because you are the first among equals and I doubt that your equals actually exist. I have also agreed with you because I have a limited knowledge of DE.
On Berne's accreditation however, I have a divergent view. We still have to do more work before conclusions could be reached on Bern's accreditation. The info you posted is not current. Berne does not currently claim IAC accreditation. Please take a look at Berne's accreditation page.
http://www.berne.edu/accre_recognition.htm

Note that there is no mention of IAC in Berne's accreditation statement. We have to remember that some schools that claimed bogus accreditation in the past did receive recognized accreditation eventually.

 

Thanks for your comments, Ike. As I yammer, over and over, the crucial factor is whether any degree will meet the user's current and future needs.

It's that "future" part that involves risk taking. Maybe Northcentral will get accreditation before I complete my degree. Maybe LaSalle will still be around when I need my transcripts in ten years. Maybe my next employer, after my current Fortune 500 company goes belly up, will accept my Kennedy-Western degree, and so on.

We take risks every day. We play the odds. We believe that car will stop at that red light. Sometimes they don't.

If you were in quest of a Ph.D. and knew, with certainty, that 93% of your potential employers over the next 30 years, would accept a Berne degree would you do it? What if it were 61%? 22%? 3%? Each person decides his/her own risk.

At the AACRAO (registrars and admissions officers) convention in Seattle last year, where I presented my research on acceptance of various kinds of degrees by registrars, co-presenter Jason Vorderstrasse did an interesting bit of informal research with the registrars in attendance. He described certain kinds of schools in detail, without mentioning their name, and then asked, by show of hands, how many people present would accept that degree. For his example of a US-based university, offering the Ph.D. based on 30 days of residency, accredited only by a tiny Caribbean nation with no resident universities of its own, the show of hands for acceptance was precisely zero.

 

You know how I feel about this. I've concentrated almost exclusively on the credentialling function of nontraditional universities.

Berne grads--as well as grads from similar schools--must certainly count on the fact that the above explanation/description doesn't take place very often. Of course people would reject a degree from a school described in that fashion. But if the school is examined at all, one will first see a New Hampshire address, not one in the Caribbean. Then, if accreditation gets brought up, the rationalizing begins about foreign universities not being "accredited," that governments perform that function, that Berne is approved ("accredited," actually, according to them) by their host government, etc.

You gotta peel a lot of layers of that onion to get at the true nature of the school and its degrees. When you do, it's not a pretty sight. And without someone like Jason laying it out for them, I suspect many (most?) people don't peel down that far. Hence, the success of Berne, et. al.

 

I also stumbled across this and "a" Dale Berne's address and phone number after my curiosity was aroused by Kristin's post. I believe this might have been her subtle way of getting a point through to "us" people that like to find our own info.

I also searched the Caribbean news archives (what I could find) for Mr. Berne. Nothing. Wouldn't a person think this info would be released by a valid University? Maybe it has been, but with several people looking without success I doubt it. It suggests he is still involved with Berne U.

Tony

 

I think you are correct Rich. If you described Capella in a similar fashion you would likely not get a universally postive response either. Paraphrasing Jason's question "Would you accept a PhD from a regionally accredited school that operates from office space, rents a campus from residential school, and requires around one month's worth of residency for a PhD." Likely to get more positive response than Berne U but .....

As mentioned earlier Bear's info is very old and I think he forgot as I believe it was discussed on aed a long while ago. I think as bad as ACI they may have had WAAUC at the same time. They of course dropped both, cut down the number of degrees offered and then there is the case of Dale Berne. I agree with Tony it is not the usual thing. Normally, founders or respected leaders get made Chancellor Emeritus, etc. Berne just diappeared and Berne U says "he is no longer with us".

When are you anticipating finishing your program Rich. I look forward to reading your research.

North

 

North's comments ab out Capella and other RA institutions

North, to be honest the folowing tyhpe comment amazes me...

"Would you accept a PhD from a regionally accredited school that operates from office space, rents a campus from residential school, and requires around one month's worth of residency from a PhD." etc.

Particuarly when you are seeking the followign degree...

Doctorate in Christian Cousneleing (In Progress)

Christian Counseling degrees from ANYWHERE (even a Harvard type school if they had this type of degree) are pretty much useless in most work settings. (Maybe Gods is okay) In essence, you might want to take a look at your own academic preparation without advising others...

All I can say is, LOL, LOL, LOL and LOL.

May God be with you,

R.

 

Re: North's comments ab out Capella and other RA institutions

Greetings capellapsy,

First, let me correct a misperception. I have nothing but respect for Capella. I realize some of their limitations common to all distance learning schools BUT Capella has been a very well run school. It achieved accreditation in record time & this no doubt due to the professional competency of those involved. They achieved this over the objects of the Regents (IIRC) for the state university system. I wish you the best of luck in your program.

As for my doctoral program, it is for personal growth and at some point depending on the direction my career takes it may become professionally helpful but that is not a concern. To be honest many doctorates may or may not strictly benefit one professionally. Counseling from a Christian perspetive is as much an area for academic research as any other counseling paradigm. As I say this is for personal growth (possibly professional) so I am not sure what the point is behind your attack on my area of study. Wes is pursuing his doctorate from ACCS and it apparently will have work setting utility in terms of licensure in Tennessee. There are many areas of academic research and interest which do not have what you look for in terms of work setting utility but people puruse them for a variety of reasons. It would be a sad world for learning if all of it was simply for mundane work utility and it was considered not work learning.

At any rate, my the best of luck to you and welcome to the fourm.

North

 

Berne U.................the enigma.

Where are the Berne shills when you need them. "Who is Dale Berne", and, more importantly, where is he and what is he doing?

Tony