Oxford Graduate School (Dayton, TN)

Anyone know anything about this school? I don't believe it is accredited, is it?

 

Michael,

OGS does not have USDoE recognized accreditation.

Russell

 

Earlier this year, Oxford Graduate School received its first site visit from the bigwigs of the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, a US Dept. of Ed. recognized accrediting agency. I've been keeping my eye on this situation, and am awaiting word on whether or not OGS will be granted candidacy status by TRACS. If so, this will be a very significant development. The primary degree offerred by OGS is the DPhil. TRACS has been granted the authority by the Dept. of Ed. to accredit degrees through the doctoral level. However, while at present several TRACS-accredited schools offer the DMin., no TRACS-accredited school offers anything like the PhD. So, OGS would constitute a significant first for TRACS.

So, it will be interesting to see how a PhD-type degree granting institution will be viewed by TRACS, and how a PhD-type degree from a TRACS accreditted institution would be viewed by the rest of the academic community.

 

Two points also worth mentioning:

- OGS requires residency for the doctorate.


- OGS has been around for 20 years (since 1981).

Though these factors don't make OGS wonderful (or at least not wonderful enough to be called "Oxford"), they do seem to clearly remove the school from the "possible degree mill" category. I'll be very interested in seeing what transpires.

TRACS does accredit D.Min. programs (Rick Walston actually graduated from a residential TRACS-accredited D.Min. program), so this would be akin to what the DETC might be doing if it went for the full monty with UNISA -- making the move from first professional doctorates to academic doctorates.


Peace,

------------------
Tom Head
www.tomhead.net

 

OGS has an excellent reputation in the state of Tennessee. I live in Nashville and have had significant contact with this institution and their graduates. OGS's D.Phil is widely accepted in Tennessee. TRACS visited OGS in March. Because OGS does offer the D.Phil some areas had to be polished for TRACS. It is rumored that TRACS was unusually hard on OGS as they too were being evaluated by CHEA at the same time and thus this site visit was put under the CHEA microscope, so to speak.

My insider informant tells me that TRACS was very impressed and advised OGS that candidacy is recommended but that a formal announcement won't be made until November.

OGS does have numerous on-campus course sessions. I think six is the minimum for persons transferring in the maximum number of credits.

Regards to all, Wes

 

Hey, Wes!

It's good to hear of your favorable impressions of OGS. Everything I've ever heard has been quite positive, also. I'm also pleased to learn of how things are taking shape between TRACS and OGS. This relationship stands to be very good for both OGS and TRACS. OGS would benefit from accreditation, and TRACS would benefit from the process of working through the accreditation of a DPhil-granting institution.

Very exciting news!

 

I must admit that this use of the Oxford name is the only thing that I find overtly unfortunate about OGS. I think it would be inappropriate for me to move to Trinidad and Tabago and found a seminary called "Harvard Theological Seminary," or something like that. For me to capitalize upon the respect associated with a particular institution's name, like "Oxford" or "Cambridge", without really having any meaningful connection or affiliation with that institution, seems a bit opportunistic. It is definately more difficult to make a name for yourself, but striving to do so certainly strikes me as the more credible approach.

Now, mind you, I don't at all think poorly of OGS. I have actually given some thought to checking out their DPhil program. I simply have had some reservations about attending a school that potentially could be perceived as attempting to "ride the wave" of another institution's reputation and tradition.

Should they change their name? I don't think this is necessary. However, if they are going to emerge in reputation and credibility, it couldn't hurt.

 

Tom and all,
can someone please post the website of OGS ? I am interested in checking them out.

Thanks,
Tim

 

Tim,

Here it is: http://www.oxnet.com

 

Hello, there!

Is this "Oxford Graduate College" near to Oxford, Mississippi, or does this college have some sort of connection with Oxford, Mississippi? Maybe that's the reason why it is called Oxford.

I believe that not only the city of Oxford, Oxforshire, England, has the right to have an educational institution called Oxford.

Best regards,


Karlos Albert Lacaye
[email protected]

 

OGS's name has no apparent geographical significance. From reviewing their website, I have gained the impression that, in using the Oxford name, they have sought to reflect the fact that their institution in some way identifies with the Oxford academic tradition. This appears to be an association-by-name that they have bestowed upon themselves, not one granted them by the University of Oxford.

I certainly agree that no one istitution or geographical locality has total rights to a given institutional name. For example, I think that it is perfectly acceptable that there is an Indiana University of Pennsylvania (located in Indiana, PA). Yet, it would not seem appropriate to me to name a newly-founded institution "Harvard University of North Dakota" for no reason other than to ride the wave of another institution's good name.

 

I reckon they´re just located on Oxford Street, Drive, Avenue or whatever - that must be reason enough

 

Dear CLSeibel,

Greetings!

Yes, I agree. Still, there is a "Harvard High School" in Harvard, Nebraska, and another "Harvard High School" in Harvard, Illinois. I think they have the right to name themselves "Harvard". By the same token, if a university is opened in any of those cities, they have the right to name themselves "Harvard (something)", I think.

Best wishes,


Karlos Alberto Lacaye
[email protected]

 

Exactly! About an hour commute from where I live there is a small community called Trinity. I do hope if they decide to build a university, it isn't named Trinity College and University.

Russell

 

Yep, I'm with you all the way. Here in North Dakota we could have a University of Leeds, York University, University of Hamburg, University of Oslo, and University of Warsaw.

 

Hey, CLSeibel!

I think I didn't express myself correctly. I should have used "(something else)" instead of "(something)".

While the universities' names that you mentioned are clearly plagarized, if you have cities with those names in North Dakota, it is possible and even legal to use, for example, the names of "Global Leeds University", "York Intercontinental University", "Metropolitan University of Hamburg", "Oslo Eastern University", and "Altantic University of Warsaw", hypothetically speaking.

Best wishes,


Karlos Alberto Lacaye
[email protected]

 

It seems to me that there may have been some recent changes to OGS' website. I seem to remember them promoting the supposed Oxford connection much more heavily in the past. Perhaps I just couldn't find the page this time, but I remember them pushing this American Centre for Religion-Society Studies of theirs a lot harder, stressing that it is located in Oxford England as well as in TN. There was stuff about how Oxford University was cooperating with OGS and how OGS had been approved as an external site for Oxford 'external delegacy' exams or something. I can't find that stuff this morning.

And what are those buildings pictured on the OGS website? Faux "old English" buildings in Tennessee, or photos of Oxford England?

 

Yes, I remember reading some things along these lines, as well.

 

There is still reference to the Oxford connection. From what I have gathered and has been reported here they are quite legitimate and reputable. It appears that whoever founded it was definitely an anglophile. Their web site makes mention of the Tennessee Valley being an area of English influence (or something to that effect). I have never set foot in Tenn. so I don't know.

My problem would be with having to say "Not that Oxford". I have also seen web pages where individuals make mention of belonging to the Oxford Society of Scholars which certainly leaves the impression of Oxford GB rather than Oxford TN.

Oh well, I guess with the University of Zululand I won't have to say "Not that University of Zululand".

North (who may consider OGS for his next degree if they get TRACS accreditation but would not mind them changing their name).

 

I should add that I mean the school itself is quite legitimate and reputable. I realize that the attempts to tie seminars at Oxford to the University itself is overdone (by others as well eg. the Graduate Theological Foundation). It might be as well for OGS to leave it off unless they can develop a definite cooperative relationship with Oxford U.

North