Nova International University

More seriously though, a short message to Gregoire: The members of this board have, on multiple occasions, shown their willingness to support and even applaud start-up endeavors. However, over the years there have been any number of frauds and cons trying to sell their bogus products on this site and we've come to be rather skeptical as a result. In addition, we have as members of this board more than a few people who have either started a new university or been employed by universities in positions that give them first hand knowledge of what is required to make a university run effectively. The people on this board are, collectively, among the smartest people you'll meet anywhere. You can not bullshit us. Because of this, if you want to convince us then you'll have to weather the storm of skepticism. Running away will only convince people they were right in their initial thoughts, that you're not for real. So come back, re-engage, answer the questions, even if it hurts a bit. If you're making a genuine effort we can be good friends.

 

A prime example would be Nations. Just a few weeks ago I said, with utmost confidence, that Nations would never be accredited. I was quite skeptical that they were even seriously pursuing accreditation. Nations could have stomped their feet, threatened to sue me, send me a glitter grenade or simply walked away.

What Nations did have going for it was a strong group of supporters who were well represented on this board basically cheering for NationsU to pull it off and letting people like me know that they hadn't given up hope on their school. I was wrong. I'll admit that. And I'm sincerely happy to have been wrong. I don't like the fact that there are diploma mills in the world. I don't like telling people that I suspect their hard earned money was spent buying a piece of worthless paper from a guy running a scam out of a post office box. That brings me no pleasure whatsoever. I would love it if every university was, at a very minimum, legitimately operating. But this is not the case.

When a school quacks like a diploma mill we're going to call it a diploma mill. If that's an unfair characterization then stay the course and prove that this is a legitimate school. I hate that we live in a world where a new (and subsequently unaccredited) school has to prove that it isn't a scam. I wish there was a way for schools (especially in the U.S.) to start up without that presumption of guilt. But too many people abused the system too many times and the public trust is likely forever lost.

Personally, I would love to one day start a completely legitimate school for humanist theology. I would likely incorporate it and base it in a state with religious exemption. That would put me in some very unpleasant company and the burden would be on me to show that my school was worthy of anyone's respect.

I don't think it is terribly unlike many other startups. Even if you start up with the best of intentions there are going to be detractors. If you let them derail your plans then you were never going to succeed. And if you spend all of your time trying to silence them then you will never get any actual work done. Do what you do and carry on. If people are skeptical, prove them wrong. If people are making assumptions then engage them in meaningful dialogue. Maybe you'll win a supporter or two. Maybe you'll learn something from someone who walked that path before you. But getting all litigious isn't going to help your university become a reality and it certainly isn't going to silence the opposition. Quite the contrary. It will just make even more opponents.

 

That makes me think of Jeff Wooller, actually.

Now, where I work, we can, if we want to, admit graduates of unrecognized/unaccredited universities, or graduates of US universities with national accreditation. And we do, from time to time. Accreditation and recognition are important, sure, but we take other things into consideration as well. If we think a university is legitimate and offers quality education, we don't automatically turn down an application because the university isn't accredited and/or recognized. We might ask a lot of questions, though, and the way in which the university reacts and replies to those questions can be very enlightening.

 

Johann = The Gandalf of DegreeInfo ?

 

Fielding Mellish: I object, your honor! This trial is a travesty. It's a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham.