Degree mills segment on Good Morning America on Wednesday

Well, I guess some character flaws are forgivable and some are unforgivable. Hitler was one of the top 3 mass murderers in history, and I would call that an unforgivable character flaw. Would you place padding an already impressive CV with one degree for the sake of vanity in the same "unforgivable" category?

 

"...formost experts"? John maybe, but certainly not me.

This isn't about accreditation. It's about a highly placed public official claiming a master's degree he didn't earn from a school that doesn't exist. A school that claims fake accreditation. A school kicked out of one state, only to open up again next door in another with even more lenient laws (for now).

For the record:

I've been paid by two unaccredited schools. The first, Greenwich, was in its early formation. I guided one student through a degree program as a test of the process and procedures. For this I was paid a tiny stipend. The rest of my work for Greenwich was as an unpaid intern, which ended before John sold his interest in the school. The second school was/is Virginia International University. VIU, a classroom-based school, is about 4 years old and has a handful of degree-seeking students. The vast majority are pursuing certificates and/or ESL courses. The school has to operate the degree programs successfully in order to pursue accreditation. Whether they get it someday is anyone's guess. I hope to help them get that, but other commitments are drawing me away from them. I won't be teaching any more students in the degree-level courses for awhile (if ever); whether or not I will still teach certificate students will be driven by my schedule and other commitments.

MIGS is often thrown into the mix. But I didn't work for them in a paid capacity. I agreed to do some work for them in return for a tuition-free ride. But as I've said many times before, I did some work, but I didn't take advantage of their offer. It became obvious over time that MIGS wasn't substantial; it didn't have the structure necessary to deliver on what it promised. Also, questions about the CEU's ability to award the degrees (questions that still remain unanswered) made it clear they were in trouble. My final straw was when the state of Florida returned their belated application for licensure as a foreign (non-Floridian) school as insufficient. That's when I severed my relationship with MIGS and began supplying information to state officials, which--I hope--hastened their decision to ultimately deny MIGS. (Levicoff's work in response to their suit, including spurring the Texas decision, was the real kicker, of course.)

The Greenwich experience was great. A lot of fits and starts, but it became my successful Internship for my UIU Ph.D. program. VIU has shown a lot of promise, and has led to at least one job offer (which I will decline) based on my experience working with foreign students. Hell, even MIGS taught me a few things about trusting some people. Internet trolls will forever dog me about these things. "plscott" may or may not be such a troll, but his post seems to tip the scales in one particular direction. So be it. The anonymity--and utter lack of accountability--of this medium makes such things possible. Would I make some decisions differently if given another chance? Sure. But they must be taken in the context of their times. I'm fine with each.

Charles Abell bought a fake master's degree. This alone makes him unqualified to sit in a high-level position, responsible for educational programs and policies. Accreditation isn't the issue--he wouldn't be under this kind of pressure if his degree was earned from an unaccredited school, instead of being bought from a fake school claiming fake accreditation.

 

Rich:

I hope you did not take that as calling you out. I have no problem with yours or others involvement with these schools. I was just saying that some schools with good, or bad intentions turn out to be bad. This guy is over much more than military education as you can see from the article, and I am sure from his background that his concentration may have been on other things. The point I was making is people who are experts even get caught up in, or tied with things which are less than wonderful don't you agree? As Mark pointed out Columbus claimed accreditation from WAUC. We know it is bogus, but not everyone does. Two years ago I did not know much of anything about accreditation, and had to learn the hard way myself.

My thesis is simply that I do not think everyone should jump in and throw stones, and salivate at the possibility of taking down a man with such an impressive career, especially when the degree in question was not required for the job.

 

That's what is most galling and puzzling to me...why someone with such an unblemished record would throw it all away by buying a degree, especially one that's not even required.

Whatever his military record, the man has forfeited any claims of credibility, and should resign forthwith to spare the country any further humiliation.

 

Fine. But this isn't just some Joe off the street. This is a highly placed government official making policy decisions over many things, including education. He should know better. Also, it's not just a matter of having attended a school that later went bad. There is no indication that Columbus was ever a university, before, during or after Abell took his degree there. Add that to the fact that Abell has been utterly evasive about how he "earned" his degree (with good reason), and you have every reason to think he's made himself unqualified for that position because of a distinct lack of integrity.

Was the degree required? No. Did he make it an issue by purchasing a fake degree? Certainly.

 

Battle lines drawn over downsizing, leadership issues

The 1 December Navy Times (no doubt also in the Army Times, Air Force Times, and Marine Corps Times) has an article, Cutting back commissaries.

Our hero, Charles Abell, is getting set to play his role in the errosion of a valued military benefit.

A few exerpts from the article:

"Defense officials have laid the groundwork for funding cuts for military commissaries and told the services of a plan to weaken their power on the defense board overseeing the stores' operations.
With the pending retirement of the three-star Air Force chairman of the board, defense officials propose replacing him with a senior Pentagon civilian.
"The goal in making these changes is to sustain the commissary benefit with a smaller subsidy of tax dollars,' David S.C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, wrote in a Nov. 13 memo to service secretaries."
Chu Proproses to name his principal deputy, Charles Abell, as chairman of the Commissary Operating Board, a job traditionally held by a lieutenant general or vice admiral. The current Chairman, Lt. Gen. Michael Zetter, the Air Force's deputy chief of staf for installations and logistices headquarters is retiring."

"That announcement is causing ripples far from Washington. The commanding general of U.S. Army Europe has weighed in with his objections to proposed closures of four commissaries in Germany, one each in Idar-Oberstein and Neubrucke and two near Stuttgart.
"To close these facilities, which are operated for local military families, at a time when military sponsors are deployed to hostile-fire environments, in my view approaches the unconscionable," General B.B. Bell said in a letter to Abell. "Seeking relatively minor fiscal efficiencies through reduced services and loss of benefits in this overseas environment during a war erodes the commitment we have made to the total force.""

"Commissaries receive about $1 billion a year in taxpayer support for operating costs, which allows stores to sell items to patrons at cost, plus a 5 percent surcharge plowed back into store construction and renovation projects. Commissary customers save an average of more than 30 percent compared with commercial grocery stores outside the gates."

"Military advocates said they have no personal issues with Abell, but are concerned about curtailing service representation on the board."

 

Okay
But did the Degree Mill segment go to air or not?
Dr Anatidae

 

Yes.

 

Great, but we in 'paradise' would like to know whether a USA national hero received the public execution some prominent DegreeInfo members believed he should receive?
Dr Anatidae

 

Abel, should not have listed his ill-gained masters and should take it off his resume. By showing it off as a valid credential smites me with arrogance that includes:

A.) No one would check or care.

B.) He thinks he deserves the degree because of his position or experience.

C.) A masters would look good on his resume -- see a and B above.

It goes against those who have worked hard for their graduate degrees and actually earned one. Someone in his position obviously knows better.

John

 

No, it doesn't follow my logic. Both John and Rich were involved with legally operating schools. This is very different than buying your degree from a diploma mill.

I do find it interesting that you make a connection between unaccredited and fraudulent.


Tom Nixon

 

True. As a veteran myself, I wouldn't either. Of course I do require the pilot to honor the commitment made. President Bush did not.

As presidents go, there have been none in my lifetime (from 1961) that have been particularly honest. Certainly the closest would have been President Carter and he was not a particularly stellar president.


Tom Nixon

 

Yes, as a veteran, I would agree. However, the pilot needs to honor the commitment. It's been established time and again that President Bush likely did not.

In my lifetime there have been no presidents who have not made poor choices. I think we're all smart enough to realize that one event, in most cases, should not a presidency make. Both hardcore Republicans and Democrats fail miserably at this.

I think that the eventual downfall of the United States (and history tells us that what goes up *always* goes down) will be related to the inability of individual Americans and political parties to see past their very narrow view of life.


Tom Nixon