Saint Regis University---need HELP!

I must take exception...

Respectfully, I take exception to the term “excuse.” It was not an excuse. It was a reason. As for transferring to a traditional institution, you may be correct in certain instances. However, I am active in the SRU Alumni forum, and a great number of members report acceptance from traditional schools, as well as industry.

It should also be noted that I do not have an SRU PhD. After my portfolio was evaluated, I was informed what I would qualify for. I was not seeking,, nor did I did qualify for a PhD.

I understand that you are a “traditionalist,” and I respect that. However, I don’t respect references to SRU being a “Diploma Mill.” The implication in that disparaging statement is that SRU confers degrees without any legal basis, accreditation or requisites. That is not the case. I will concede that the requirements are far less stringent than those of a US school, but that is the “attraction.”

The bottom line is, I am not using my degree to perform brain surgery, pilot a commercial aircraft, or design bridges. I’m a “working Joe” who is not attempting to use a degree to influence anyone beyond the parameters of the talent and knowledge that I can substantiate. My degree does not negate the value of your degree.

Although I respect your opinion, I would appreciate it if you reassess how it is delivered.

Again, best of luck to you.

 

SRU

Quite honestly, I am considering getting a second bachelor's degree but I will not use SRU. I will stick with a company that i know is held in high esteem and has a proven track record. The school I am talking about is Excelsior College formerly Regents.

 

Just a thought

It seems the original question was whether or not St. Regis can issue "legal" degrees. It would seem before negative statements are made regarding the legitimacy of an institution, one should first check these things out before making them. While I don't condone "diploma mills", it is my understanding that a "diploma mill" can not issue a legal or government recognized degree. Concordia is another institution recognized by the MOE of Liberia and accredited through NBOE. I know this because I hold a letter in my hand from that government that says it is. They have a similar process of assessment of their students qualifications. I've read this entire posting and there are some good points expressed on both sides. I do not think we need to attack the credibility of Liberia or their government officials. If the schools are legit, then they should be recognized as such. US RA institutions are slowly allowing more and more credit for "life experience" or "prior learing". If a school in the U.S wants RA accreditation, they will spend more like 250k rather than 50k for Liberian recognition. Either way, this blessing from high costs money. It would seem these institutions have met the legal criteria to issue valid degrees that some legit evaluation services in the US will recognize. You cannot compare these institutions to the ones operating without RA or MOE recognition that simply issue paper backed by fake or no accreditation at all. So in answer to the question "are they legal?" in checking with the Government of Liberia and the agencies that issue them a license to operate, the answer appears to be yes. Do foreign institutions have the legal right to use assessment vs traditional instruction as a means to award a degree, it would seem that would be up to the MOE of that government to decide.

 

Paulie: I am deeply skeptical about SRU (no hidden bias, then). My question, however, is seriously meant: what did you present as your portfolio to SRU--number of credits, levels of courses, kinds of work/life experience, required documentation?

Why do I ask? It might be helpful to a reasonable discussion to see how SRU's assessment process and requirements compare to the assessment process and requirements of the RA assessment colleges.

 

Re: Just a thought

Come one guys, you are very naive if you think that accreditations coming Liberia are real. Many other countries are also in the same path, some even sell passports of the country, degrees and titles for some US dollars. Take the example of Melchizedek, a country that will sell you passport, degrees and titles for some money.

http://www.melchizedek.com/


In any case, why Liberia when you can get a B.Sc from Trinity College for $212 with Spanish accreditation (At least is a western european country).

http://www.trinityeducation.com/

"No Residency or Attendance is required in Spain.
Everything by Mail, Government Accreditation
Reference: JPA(L)130/10/2-6kit.128"


Some time ago, I remember a university in Panama with some accreditation from the Panama goverment selling you also degrees. The reality is that you are buying a degree, the "experience for degree" argument is just a way to present it so the potential customer feels less guilty.

 

Re: Just a thought

Yes, this is true, I work for an institution that allows "experience" accreditation. However, this is limited to few credits and it is very well documented. You are normally required to write a very detailed document of about 20 pages with references, background and body in order to get three credits. Prior learning accreditation is also acceptable by passing examinations.

 

Just a thought

Yes, this is true, I work for an institution that allows "experience" accreditation. However, this is limited to few credits and it is very well documented. You are normally required to write a very detailed document of about 20 pages with references, background and body in order to get three credits. Prior learning accreditation is also acceptable by passing examinations.

Imagine 20 years ago if you approached your dean of studies and suggested that you wanted to complete a BS degree in 4 months by portfolio assessment the reaction you would have received. What I am attempting to illustrate here is that there is no defacto standard on portfolio assessment that has been adopted as a worldwide standard. Universities always have and always will argue who is better and who is right. If you happen to reside in the US, RA is absolutely necessary or the foreign equiv which is a degree recognized by a government's minister of education.

Students likewise can argue who had to work harder for their degree. Imagine students of RA institutions, one earns a degree through portfolio assessment and the other though traditional attendance. Will they agree their degrees carry the same weight just because they are "legal"? Will a Harvard graduate think his education is better than the student that graduated from a Florida State college (RA of course)?

I think once you have determined that your degree is legal, recognized by the appropriate authority authorized to recognize them, what remains is (is the degree useful and does it help you to achieve your goal?)

I've seen lots of statements about ticking bombs in your resume. The thing to remember is to be honest about your education. If you are listing a legal, verifiable, accredited, and evaluated degree from a foreign institution, most employers will accept that. If you lie and list degrees you don't have, degrees that have no accreditation or fake accreditation, or lie about how you obtained it should you be asked, then you may face the fate that you would deserve in such cases. If you earned your degree through portfolio assessment, certainly it would be unwise to sit and tell your employer about the hundreds of hours you spent in the classroom being the class clown. Whether your portfolio assessment yielded a RA degree or a degree recognized by a MOE, you have no reason to be ashamed unless you lied in your portfolio.

As far as the guilt factor, if you take the time to check out an institution, verify it is legal, verify it is accredited, verify the credentials can be converted to RA equiv in the US (if you live in the US), and verify the institution is in good standing with the agencies that license it to operate, whether you earn the degree through assessment of your portfolio, sitting in a classroom, taking tests, combinations of all of the above, is really up to the student and the institution they choose to enroll in.

Now if you verify the things I listed above and learn the institution is illegal or has no accreditation, and go forward to obtain a so called degree from them, you have good reason to feel guilty.

I wonder 10 - 20 years from now, what will the standards be? What we turn our noses up at today may somehow become accepted tomorrow.

 

Re: Just a thought

A degree mill will be always a degree mill. My guess is that as most of the degree millls, SRU will be shut down in even less than 20 years , go to bankrupt, change name or accreditation to another government that is willing to sell it.

 

In my case, I had to document and submit my transfer credits, as well as other "meaningful" training courses I had completed. For example, I am a graduate of a Police Academy, I've been trained by the IRS in Financial Investigation, Pilot's license, etc. The most difficult part in preparing my portfolio was the "quantification" of my learning experiences. They weren't interested in what I had done. They were interested in what I had LEARNED from what I had done.

I'll give you an example. Since I graduated from a police academy, I was able to meet some requirements for PSY and general electives. Then I went to work for 11 years as a police officer. If I had simply documented that I had been a cop, I doubt I would have received much credit. However, I documented what I had learned about human behavior and so on. Also, I was a sergeant in charge of the patrol division before becoming an investigator. So, I documented what I had learned from managing 60 officers over a period of 5 years. Does that deserve credit? I think so.

I could go on, but I'm sure you get the picture.

Look, if you don't have the experience necessary for your chosen craft, go to a traditional school. Learn it. But if you already know the subject matter, place out.

All the best to you.

 

Paulie: Thank you for the information. I am also sure that I can benefit from your advice on inexperience and learning my craft; God knows I'm not very far along.

To people with Big 3 experience: how does this information compare to what you encountered?

 

I wonder HOW he documented prior credits? Were transcripts sent from the previous Colleges? For each class he received credit for how much documentation was required? What were the requirements for the degree? What distributions were required? Is this documented anywhere?

Paulie you may be a very learned man, but you are also a man with a degree mill degree. While I wish you well, I think you do yourself an injustice. I hope others are smart enough to avoid your mistakes.

 

March 21 2003
Liberian President Charles Taylor has slammed the United States for leading a "unilateral" war on Iraq and hailed French President Jacques Chirac as the keeper of the world's conscience.

"Jacques Chirac is the moral conscience of the world," he said, applauding him and his anti-war allies for upholding the sanctity of the UN Security Council.


President Tubman must be spinning in his grave.

 

Chuck's fighters were responsible for some of the most stomach-turning atrocities of the second-to-most-recent "civil war" in Liberia. That he views Jacques Chirac as the "world's conscience" is, to me, an intersting commentary on both a) Taylor and b) Chirac.

By the way, if you see Taylor, tell him he's still wanted in Massachusetts for that tiny, insignificant little escape from jail in the 1980s.

 

Degrees and blood diamonds, fine country they have going there.

One article of dozens.

http://www.republicofliberia.com/folly.htm

 

Hey, where's my post from yesterday?!!?! Just proves that this board is run by persons with their own interest at heart!

 

I suspect that it is still where you last left it. Where were you when you saw it last?

 

There's a post under Distance Learning forum - Doctor of Astronomy thread on the 21st.

There may seem to be an agenda here but they would prefer criticizing St. Regis to having a post disappear.

You really don't have the administrators running scared in the belief that Liberian accreditation is going to supplant regional accreditation, rendering their accumulated degrees useless.

 

Whose agenda? The moderators? Others? This implies some sort of coherent approach. Could this just reflect the collective opinions of a bunch of free agents?

The moderators post a lot less than others who have nothing to do with running the board. Who coordinates their thoughts and posts?

The reason why so many people are critical of unaccredited schools and the credentials they issue is because so many people feel critical about them, so they post. No agenda, no conspiracy, no coordinated effort. Just collective judgment.

 

I like to believe that it's a conspiracy led by Rich Douglas and supported by the guys in the black helicopters looking to overthrow democracy in America and replace it with a UN led occupation force. Or am I just paranoid?

 

I only pay lip service to the conspiracy propoganda pushed by Rich. I secretly wish everyone to send their hard earned dollars to the Burlap University degree mill. Until I get my scam fully set up though people should just use fully accredited schools. (I keep forgetting to go to Mailboxes Etc to lease my school building.)