http://www.universityforintegrativelearn...orum2.html

I hadn't read this for several years. I enjoy it a lot. I think the guy's amazing.

http://www.degreediscussion.com/forums/v...6&start=60

Quote:Family tree
by John Bear on Wed Jul 15, 2009 7:25 am

Many years ago, I had a family tree diagram going, that suggested that just about every then-unaccredited school was connected in some way with any other.

Fred Calabro, the founder of Kensington was California Coast's lawyer. Forte left Kensington to start Pacific Western. Tom Lavin left Kensington to start Bedford and a few others. Ray Chasse left Pacific Western to start American Coastline, Summit, and a bunch of others. Frank McConnell left California Coast to start the University of Beverly Hills. Paul Saltmann left Beverly Hills to start Kennedy-Western. Don Breslow left Beverly Hills to start Century. Saltmann's doctorate was from DaCosta's Indiana Northern. Ray Sarna left Beverly Hills to start Louisiana Pacific. The president of one of the big California-authorized schools originally claimed his doctorate from Ernie Sinclair's Atlanta Southern. Sinclair later started California Pacifica and Hollywood Southern. And on and on and on.

It grew unwieldy and I stopped long ago. But I'd love to see it updated.

Quote:Accreditation has been shown over and over again to be wholly inadequate as an indicator of minimal quality.

Quote:The reason for placing the cutlines at regional accreditation and nonprofit status is that it is very rare for our office to receive, and have to process, student complaints about schools with those two characteristics. The state's concern is less with whether accreditors maintain a theoretical commitment to a minimally acceptable academic baseline (they do), but whether accreditors are capable of handling complaints and consumer-related problems in a meaningful way (they are not).

Another candidate, IMHO, is Bill Grover - a senior poster on degreediscussion.com and one on degreeboard.com. In case of the latter board, he did not stay there for long because he could not deny the tone he got used to on degree discussion.com:

http://www.degreeboard.com/forums/Religi...at-t47665/

Despite the fact that I (my real name is Dr. Muhammad Schmidt) have had a fight with Bill Grover and his likes over the past 2 years because of some unfounded accusations they have made on degreediscussion.com, I also find the following highly problematic:

Grover tends to "advise" other posters on theology degree matters on various forums and sells his words as holy and non-questionable, expecting applause from everyone. This may not only mislead those seeking advice in adopting a larger perspective on the issue at hand (by not only following Grover?s way of looking at things) but it also includes an implicit insistence on that he is always right. If the latter (a mere speculation on my part) is true, then this would not be so uncommon: the bitterness of some old men who cannot accept that their time is over. If this applies, consequently, the entire set-up that Grover creates around himself is a "problem" reduced to a problem of his own ego and a self-serving muppet show.

It seems that degreediscussion.com is the home for all such more doubtful figures with some sort of doubtful degrees and and other background details and who in addition are incapable of discussion in a good, i.e. "scholarly", manner. A degree as such - whether "first" or "second class" - does not make one a scholar automatically. Something more is required in terms of intellectual performance (e.g., publications) and a personality that can communicate on controversial issues without becoming "personal". Too many pretend scholars around there at degreediscussion.com.....

The kind of posts that Bill Grover and his likes make tell more about them than what others might say about them - rightly or wrongly. Really revealing!

Anyone have any contact or experience with the Far Eastern National University? Here are the links:

http://www.fenu.ru/
http://en.openuniversity.ru/?section=9

They have some attractive programs, however after repeated inquires I've yet get a response..

I thought that my eyes were deceiving me. Bill Grover departs degreeboard.com and Johann shows up. WTF?

degreeboard.com link

Couldn't we get those two well-respected, experienced posters to post in the same forum at the same time? Or, might it just be a case of Clark Kent and Superman?

What follows is merely anecdotal experience.
I periodically visit a world famous tourist area that even international celebrities visit from time to time.
Now we all hear the claims that schools in the hospitality/tourism business make: that a hospitality and related degree is a surefire way to gain very good employment, especially in areas where tourists flock to.
I dine out at different places and of course I expect to find all those youngsters trained in some hospitality school...
WRONG.
There are many tourists...British, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, German, French, Spanish...
Waiters and other personnel are typically clueless...they may know a few broken phrases and words, if at all, but cannot function in even the most elementary situation...
Recently a Russian couple had a hard time ordering water...
When I got tired after the waitress and a German couple had been misunderstanding one another for a long time and told her what they wanted, she looked back at me with eyes smoldering with hate...
Another time a Dutch couple complained they wanted Coca Cola LIGHT, and the waiter offered to light their cigarette...all restaurants were pretty upscale (no road houses...).
So...
1 They got that famous hospitality degree but slept through classes
2 Most probably they are untrained personnel, which begs the question why hospitality schools exist.
Of course five stars hotels and such typically do employ hospitality graduates with a minimum proficiency, but those make up only a minute fraction of the entire industry serving tourists.

Re: Regarding Dr. Muhammad Schmidt and NationsUniversity
by Jimmy on Sun Jul 12, 2009 5:39 pm

Bill wrote:
...You' have my dissertation. See Hoover and the HTR mentioned on pages 174 & 261


Actually I don't. I loaned it to Janko. Who knows where it is now.

http://www.degreediscussion.com/forums/v...=30#p53358

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/07/08/churchill

Don't get me wrong, Churchill is an ass but he was fired for political reasons.

The judge was happy trying the case up to the point of the verdict. When the ignorant, illiterature, subhuman jury came to a different conclusion than the judge he would have none of it. The judge then determined that the trial he just held was, in fact, not appropriate to judge the actions of the board of governors, a quasi-judicial board.

I guess that means governors of state universities can now sponsor Christian activities without fear of the courts.

UNIVERSITY OF MALTA

Apparently EU citizens are liable to pay very small fees for postgraduate studies:
http://home.um.edu.mt/finance/PG%20COURS...2008-9.pdf

Quote:ii. [COLOR="Red"]The fees payable for the Master of Philosophy courses are € 232.94 per academic year in tuition fees and € 349.41 examination fee.[/COLOR] The fees payable for
[COLOR="Red"]Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Sacred Theology programmes are € 349.41 per academic year in tuition fees and € 582.34 examination fee.[/COLOR]
iii. The fees quoted are annual fees, unless otherwise indicated, and are applicable for Maltese and EU nationals. Fees are subject to changes in Legal Notices.
Full fees are to be paid each year prior to the commencement of the academic year.