Open Letter from David Lady to DEAC Commissioners

Levicoff Finally Pontificates on WLC

Many years ago, before the plethora of online programs available today from both legit and non-legit institutions, I proposed that with advancements in the Internet, it would be easy to fabricate a college or university.

So, as a joke, I did: Plantation University. Its faculty included me, John Bear, Chip White, and a host of other well-known personalities from the distance ed world. Few took it seriously, and I ended the joke almost as quickly as I began it. But the point was made: you cannot trust every new school that comes down the pike and purports to offer degrees.

I will be submitting here that William Loveland College is, in short, an exercise in bullshit, beginning with its long history. From their website:

Bullshit. William Loveland College did not exist until 2014. Somehow Dave came up with an arrangement to take over the Institute of Logistical Management, which was located in New Jersey until that point and had been accredited by DEAC as a professional program (not a degree-granting institution), and parlay it into WLC.

Once he moved the operation to Colorado, Dave felt the need to describe its lovely surroundings. From the WLC website:

Bullshit. I’m sure that the City of Loveland is, indeed, lovely. But its environs are only relevant if you’re going to move there to go to school. WLC purports to be an online college (which, as y’all know, I’ve always considered an oxymoron). The beauty of its surroundings can best be described as irrelevant.

Moreover, even the photo of its alleged building is bullshit. Does WLC have the whole building? A suite in the building? A desk in an office service in the building? We have no idea, and we never will.

Even WLC’s alleged library is the Loveland Public Library. Anyone can utilize a public library as a resource, and most public libraries do not have the holdings that are necessary to fully accomplish what a student needs to do in any degree program. More bullshit.

In terms of faculty, every person listed on WLC’s staff page shows their graduate and undergraduate degrees by source. When it comes to Dave, however, we only see the source of his doctorate:

Dave’s other degrees can be found in other sources (such as his LinkedIn profile). But why are they omitted here?

Incidentally, only three persons on their staff page are listed as faculty. That’s not a hell of a lot of faculty for an M.B.A. program. And one is listed as:

Interesting, because elsewhere on the WLC web site there is a full page identifying the Chief Academic Officer as one Randell Orner, better known to us as Randell1234, a D.I. moderator. Randell has legit credentials and is, in fact, on the faculty of several reputable distance learning programs. My take is that Randell was involved with WLC in the beginning but was hip enough to see the direction in which it was going, ultimately deciding it would be wiser not to be associated with them.

To make a long story short, my take is that DEAC ultimately realized that it was conned into accrediting a college that traded off the Institute of Logistical Management’s accreditation, which was more limited n scope than a degree-granting program would be. Remember, before DEAC, even before its predecessor DETC, they were known as NHSC: the National Home Study Council, and they specialized in vocational programs. When they did accredit degree-granting programs in their early days, they were strictly undergraduate level (and tended to lean toward religious degrees).

One thing we can know is that an accreditor like DEAC, approved by both the federal DoEd and CHEA, is not about to issue sanctions (or show cause) lightly. They have come up with so many “issues” on the part of Loveland that I’m giving them benefit of any doubt on the legitimacy of WLC’s shortcomings.

Whether the DEAC claims are legitimate or not, when an accreditor makes claims against an institution, all the institution has to do is address them and make improvements that will ameliorate them. Instead, Dave turned tail, ran from DEAC, claimed that he’s no longer interested in being accredited by them, and sued them for over $17 million. A suit which is, needless to say, also bullshit.

And he has sued them out of New York. Why? Because his attorney happens to be in New York. That’s like MIGS, based in Florida, sued me out of Texas because that’s where Enrique was located (leading the Texas Attorney-General to fine MIGS some $237,000 because they were not authorized to do business there).

Dave’s attorney, Michael Koplen, indicates at his website Koplen Law Firm.com | Bankruptcy Lawyer Rockland CountyKoplen Law Firm.com | Bankruptcy Lawyer Rockland County that he specializes in “bankruptcy, family law, criminal defense, foreclosure, and more.” In short, while he may be a credible attorney (albeit a one-man firm), he is not an education attorney. Why is he taking this case?

It reminds me of what Art Carey wrote many years ago in The United States of Incompetence:

I find it difficult to conceive that an attorney would tall Dave to start making these cockamamie videos and posting them. You never give your strategy away until you have to, and these videos amount to even more bullshit.

You can believe that DEAC, as a federally approved accreditor, has attorneys (plural) who specialize in education and accreditation. That’s one reason that WLC will be trounced.

As many know, DEAC is not one of my favorite accreditors by any means. But for all intent and purpose, they seem to be right on in this case. And the result is some great entertainment for the rest of us.

There are some things that we do not know, and likely will never know. For example, since the MBA program at WLC haas only been around for a few years, how many people have actually graduated from it? How many students do they actually have? Or is it like MIGS, in which the student body is largely a figment? If Dave does not draw a salary from WLC (despite having such lofty titles like Executive Director and Provost), has WLC paid any of its faculty or staff? Or is it all just more bullshit? Is WLC, in short, another MIGS, or another Plantation University?

As for Dave, I think it’s time for him to move on. Here, from Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park With George, is some moving on music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVC4MrUEBRo

 

I obviously do not have your experience, nor legal knowledge (3 exams at Northumbria notwithstanding). Yet in my experience, professional regulators can and do make dumb mistakes, and dug their heels defending them. Take Ontario College of ECE's and my friend with Ashworth degree. In this case, when the lawsuit was filed and the College's fancy lawyers finally took a look at evidence, the regulator immediately caved. And we did not have fancy specialized education lawyer: the lawsuit was prepared by a young attorney friend pro bono and incorporated analysis by me (a trove of previously submitted evidence included a letter from Dr. Bear. Thanks again!). The College, in contrast, employed one of the most successful firms in Canadian admin law. The problem was, they were dead wrong.
It should be noted, though, that in the aftermath they changed policies, so non-RA degree is out (because WES Canada does not recognize them). Oh well. I can take solace in the fact that we apparently influenced professional regulation in the province.

 

This is a possibility, unless second accreditors review finds that the school improved and is in compliance.
After all maybe the accreditors are not a "mafia".

 

Which begs the obvious question: Why not simply improve the school to meet the criteria of DEAC?

Unfortunately, Dave has made it clear that, despite all of his own degrees being from DEAC-accredited schools, he does not want to clean up the act with DEAC. He merely wants revenge. Which makes this a proverbial case of the fox and the sour grapes.

 

If what Dr. Lady said is accurate:

1. WLC performance standards were allegedly met and approved by DEAC in several written letters (?).

2. Then DEAC allegedly and abruptly falsified a date (on a sub-performance letter) that reportedly stated that WLC was not in compliance, thus contradicting themselves (refer back to #1 above).

3. The alleged deadline that DEAC gave WLC (to fix alleged deficiencies) was not possible because it was reportedly arbitrarily cut short (in violation of DEAC's policy timeline).

If points 1-3 are true, then it would be folly for WLC to attempt to work with DEAC and, hence, Dr. Lady has lost faith in DEAC.

Dr. Levicoff, doesn't Dr. Lady also have RA degrees?

 

Indeed he does. What's going on? Dr. Lady, did you manage to piss off Steve somehow? Or Dr. Levicoff just longs for his signature flame war?

 

I am aware that Dave holds his doctorate from Northcentral University, which is RA. However, his earlier degrees are, by his own admission, DEAC accredited. I'm not impressed with Northcentral, but that is irrelevant to this discussion.

No, I have no hard-on against Dave at all, and if anyone is flaming in this discussion, it's Dave flaming against DEAC (which, as y'all know, I am also not impressed with).

As for Dave's LinkedIn profile, it seems to have disappeared. How conveeeeenient.

What I did find, however, is DEAC's report on the show cause - at http://www.deac.org/UploadedDocuments/Public-Notices/02272017.pdf. It's damning, to say the least. And well worth reading.

But what I still do not understand is why Dave simply doesn't address the issues raised by DEAC instead of acting like a spoiled brat.

By the way, just on a cursory reading, I noted that DEAC remarked on "low student numbers." Perhaps Dave would care to share just how many students Loveland has had. And how many actual faculty.

My take is still that it's a bullshit school. Regardless of my motivation in saying that, or in Dave's motivation in making them appear to be a premier institution, you can't argue with the truth. I don't think much of DEAC, but when it comes to this case, I'm on their side.

To those who would defend Dave and his reactionary tirades on this issue, I suggest you look up the term "halo effect" - common in the human resource development field. Essentially, you want to defend Dave because you like him. I have never had a reason to dislike him, and he has, indeed, been a member of this community for many years. But acknowledging that does not change the fact that there's a lot of bullshit being spewed in this case.

I say that at the risk of Dave suing me next. But I doubt that he or his attorney will be that unwise. All I have done is expressed subjective opinions and asked some pointed questions, and I'm sure that they would not want to open the discovery process when it comes to their records. DETC's motivation in this case is simply ensuring institutional quality. My motivation, if it were necessary, would be to have as much fun as I had with MIGS. But I'm willing to do without that pleasure.

Past that point, my motivation is based on what it has always been based on: (1) RA or the highway - in my case, of course, both; and (2) "online college" and "online university" are oxymorons. I'm also a liberal arts guy who has never given a crap about MBA programs. And, as you all know, I'm intellectually superior to the rest of you. I also take none of this, including myself, seriously.

Ultimately, I'll admit, I find the whole situation pathetic. And funny. Okay, pathetically funny.

 

Right or wrong, lawsuits can drag on for years if that's what someone wants. In the meantime WLC is not in a great position.

 

Dr Lady, I am still not convinced that doing all this public negotiating after filling the suit is wise. Everything goes - no one wins. It is a draw for you on DI and I am being kind and DEAC has not even said a single word as yet; wise legal counsels on their part.

 

They're right, Dave . . . With all of your public posts and the videos, you're hanging yourself out to dry.

So, do tell us more . . . I'll get some cheese to go with your whine. (Ba-da-bum!)

 

Dave, I think many people like you from your days at Aspen and wish you well. I am not an attorney but echo some of the sentiments expressed here. Normally, people do not expose their strategy before going into court. The other side certainly has an idea but you want to keep the element of surprise so that you can keep them off balance when they say x and your attorney says but "it is not the case that y". You say you have been advised to argue your case here. To an untrained eye, it appears you are putting out all of your argumentation. This means that DEAC will not be on the defensive in court but able to go on the offensive. They will have answers by that time to everything you have brought up.

The other thing is that by putting all of this out and doing videos, you run the risk of creating a negative impression AND possibly saying things that could be used against you in a lawsuit if DEAC feels you attempted to unfairly damage their reputation.

I would urge some caution and take the time to think through these things. I understand you are hurt and angry and feel that an injustice has been done.

 

FWIW I agree with Garp and am in the camp that votes for silence. I know it's a cliché but it seems to be true in this case...."Loose Lips Sink Ships". I
too remember your cogent posts from your Aspen days but your goodwill from that time will only last so long. Most people have a short memory. Just some food for thought.

Disclaimer: I am not an attorney either and this should not be construed as legal advice.

 

I am with you on this.

 

Two Items of Interest...

An external article about DETC's show cause against WLC: https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/edcentral/new-transparency-cracks-open-black-box-accreditation/

And the Better Business Bureau's report on WLC: https://www.bbb.org/wyoming-and-northern-colorado/business-reviews/schools-academic-colleges-and-universities/william-loveland-college-in-loveland-co-46092708/Alerts-and-Actions

Apparently, the BBB requested specific information from WLC, and WLC did not respond. How conveeeeeenient.

This is becoming funnier all the time. :naughty:

 

I don't see a need for WLC to reply to the BBB regarding their student survey claims, especially if this didn't come about from a student complaint at least. It's funny to me that the BBB says they "require" anything from an entity that isn't even a member of their service, on top of the fact that they're not some kind of governmental/educational authority.

WLC has no complaints but have a B- rating there. I bet the BBB has people search sites, find something they can pick at, and then contact businesses asking for info and when the business disregards the BBB's contact the BBB then drops the rating of that business and posts a deal of what the business is "not doing properly", all as a way to create leads and have businesses sign up and pay for their services.

 

Just checked: no it's not.

Aaaand the whole meat of Dave's complaint is that this exact report is full of lies. As a liberal arts guy, you surely know that you can't support a statement with itself.

This argument has nothing to do with any of the two positions being advanced, Steve. WLC may be a bullshit institution; it may be small; it may be offering generic MBA trying to pretend it's something else. It still is entitled to due process; DEAC is still not entitled to lie in public reports. And, Steve, you surely do not expect DEAC to stake a position against "online colleges" and programs of vocational nature do you? Because that'd be bizarre.

It, again, reminds me of our struggles with Ontario College of ECEs. T%hey tried to advance poorly-articulated argument that DEAC-accredited Ashworth is no match for Ontario public community colleges. This may or may not be true, although I'd doubt this due to the fact that academic content of most ECE degrees is largely bullshit anyway. However - however! - this argument did not address the question of whether Ashworth meets their own, rather clear, definition of a "recognized institution" - and, unfortunately for them, it clearly did. They fixed the perceived problem much later by simply adding words "and is evaluated as recognized by WES Canada" or close equivalent; but that was way after the fact. Steve, up until now, you were much sharper than the geniuses of CECE Ontario. What happened?

 

First item clearly says that by sanctioning WLC, DEAC improved its perceived transparency while being under review itself. Dave already made this point but gee thanks, I guess.

Second item does not make an iota of sense. Sorry.

 

Dr. Lady's LinkedIn profile has changed significantly since last week.

1. William Loveland College is no longer mentioned at all, even as a consultancy.
2. He is no longer listed as President of Geospace Labs.
3. He is no longer listed as CEO of Daxeon Corporation.
4. He no longer lists his Executive Certificate from M.I.T.
5. He no longer lists his military experience, including (as I recall) Counter-Intelligence.

 

I noticed that . . .

It's like he's becoming the Donald Trump of DegreeInfo. :slaphappy:

 

A colleague who has a good educational and work history has simplified his linkedin profile by describing himself in one word: farmer (he does gardening as a hobby)

Other colleagues list:
- every job title ever held
- every former employer
- every certificate obtained
- every degree or college attended
- all groups joined
- hopes, aspirations and dreams
- et al

Simplification can be a good thing.