This guy disappeared, right? Did he do an into-thin-air thing? Did he bail out of a 727? And why does anyone here care?

The University of South Africa has been providing distance learning to its citizens and people all over the world for about 130 years.   Currently black students (Africans, Coloureds and Indians) make up 73% of the student population.  

The effect has been to provide access to higher education for pretty much everyone in that country regardless of race or economic condition, and in the process help that nation overcome its developmental issues.  Even a socialist fuckwit like Nelson Mandela was able to earn a degree in prison thanks to distance learning.

Now, thanks to the efforts of another socialist fuckwit, George Loots-Gollin, citizens of Liberia have been denied the same access to education.  The Liberian National Commission on Higher Education has closed "all unknown and known distance learning/online universities" operating in Liberia.

Not surprisingly, the only three universities left with full accreditation in Liberia are the government-run University of Liberia, Episcopal Church-run Cuttington University and the William V.S Tubman Technical Colege.  

Just the sort of socialist worker's education utopia we in the US can expect if the cartel shills like Gollum have their way.  Government and wealthy private interests controlling the playing field and squeezing out innovative newcomers.

Take another bow, George Loots-Gollin.  You are a Liberian national hero (except with the few million poor people who can't afford to go to the three schools left in the country, but who gives a rat's ass about them, eh Georgei?)

I hope that someone can set the record straight. I thought that Peter French used the screen name "James Grey" to post at Degreeboard. If so, wasn't he just ripping John Bear a new a**hole several months ago? What happened and why would he now join DD?

James Grey posts at Degreeboard

I always get him and George Brown confused. Where does George Brown stand on Bear, Sainz, Janko, Douglas, et al.? I do remember when Brown quite his moderator position at DI during the gay porn scandal and thought that he took a very principled position at that time.

Irish International University is the target of a BBC investigation:

Quote:Bogus university scam uncovered  
Investigation
By Nigel Morris
BBC London Investigations Producer  

An international education scam that targets foreign students who come to study in the capital has been exposed by a BBC London investigation.

The bogus Irish International University (IIU), which offers sub-standard and worthless degrees, has been allowed to flourish in the UK - virtually unchecked by the government - for the last seven years.

Although the organisation is unaccredited, hundreds of students have been given educational visas to enter Britain and take its exams at private colleges in London.

The IIU, which has 5,000 students worldwide and thousands of graduates, maintains the illusion of a valid education through its elaborate but highly misleading website.

This illusion is enhanced by the university's continued use of Oxford and Cambridge facilities to stage its award ceremonies.

After each event photographs appear on the IIU website showing happy students receiving awards at the UK's best seats of learning.

Our investigation took us from London to Dublin, Oxford and finally Monte Carlo in search of those behind the IIU.

A BBC journalist and an actor posing as fake academic were invited to the IIU's award ceremony which, surprisingly, was held at the Divinity School, next to the Bodleian Library, in the very heart of Oxford University.

The ceremony was due to go ahead at Cambridge, but after BBC London alerted the university authorities the event was cancelled. That did not stop the IIU switching venues to Oxford at the last minute.

Dublin campus?

In Oxford, our journalist and actor secretly filmed the award ceremony and recorded meetings with university boss and Executive President Professor Hardeep Singh Sandhu, a Malaysian businessman and faculty member Dr Edwin Varo.

Dr Varo, told us that the IIU was not bogus and was registered in Ireland and that it had applied to the government and had been given approval to use the word university.

In Dublin, Sean O'Foghlu, Chief Executive of the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland, told BBC London: "To use the word university in a title it needs approval from our Department of Education and Science - no such approval has been given by our department."

The university website clearly stated that the university had a campus in Dublin. We visited the address given by the IIU on its website - there was no campus, just a mailbox.

The website also claimed that the IIU's educational programmes were accredited and quality controlled by the impressive sounding QAC-UK Ltd - the Quality Assurance Commission, based in North London.

During secretly filmed meetings, Professor Sandhu told our undercover team that the QAC was an "independent body" that maintained the quality of education in the UK and elsewhere.

Faculty member, Dr Varo explained that the QAC staff: "Focus more on your curriculum - on your teaching; focus on your evaluation - they focus on your faculty - who are your faculty - what amount of real teaching takes place."

The QAC website listed an impressive roll-call of staff including the QAC Commissioner General and an Acting Commissioner General.

Our reporter visited the QAC and instead of finding a commissioner general we found four telephonists fielding calls for countless companies at yet another virtual office.

A further check at Companies House revealed that far from the being "independent" the QAC is in fact owned by university boss Professor Dr Sandhu.

Bona fide academic, Professor Geoffrey Alderman, gave evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee on the subject of bogus institutions.

He told us: "Some of these colleges will say, 'sure we're accredited', but when you say 'by whom?', they name an accrediting institution which in fact they themselves own."

University boss Professor Sandhu, who sits on the governing council is a Doctor of Letters, a doctorate awarded by another unaccredited university based in the Caribbean.

His professorship is "honorary", awarded by a European association set up to give out professorships.

On the website he also called himself "Sir H Sandhu" but his knighthood was not bestowed on him by the Queen.

One person missing from the Oxford award ceremony was the university's Honorary Chancellor, His Excellency Baron Knowth - real name Professor Jeffrey Wooller - a successful chartered accountant from London.

Professor Wooller, a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, owns a £1.2m townhouse in Kensington but spends most of his time living as a tax exile in Monte Carlo.

Our actor, again posing as a fake academic, arranged to meet Professor Wooller, at a hotel in Monaco. We secretly filmed this meeting.

'Dreamt up'

He told our fake academic that the IIU was not "recognised anywhere".

He admitted to our actor that the website was an illusion: "When you look at the website, it's a figment of someone's imagination. Someone's dreamt up what a university should look like, and that's what's on the website."

Professor Wooller told us that students paid a lot of money to attend the award ceremonies, adding: "If you can mention Oxford, Cambridge then the whole world thinks that it must be a good university."

He then said of the university's operation: "The whole thing's dodgy." He even said that the IIU's governing council, of which he and Professor Sandhu are both members, did not exist.

A BBC London reporter then confronted Professor Wooller:

Reporter: You said the whole thing is dodgy.

Mr Wooller: It is dodgy!

Reporter: Oh so you admit it's dodgy?

Mr Wooller: Of course it's dodgy.

He also told our reporter that he had been given his professorship by the IIU and that he had bought his "Baron" title.

Professor Wooller refused to quit as honorary chancellor stating that most IIU students were happy and that the university was good value for money.

Professor John Arnold of Loughborough University has seen coursework from an IIU graduate.

He said: "Students are paying for this, what I would regard as worthless and bogus qualifications. I would say buyer beware from the point of view of students.

"You know I really think that they'll probably be getting qualifications which are unlikely to be taken seriously at least in Western Europe."

'Banned'

Following BBC London's investigation the IIU will now no longer be allowed to use Oxford and Cambridge's facilities to stage their award ceremonies.

Oxford University issued a statement stating that they would not be renting its facilities to the Irish International University in the future.

The IIU website survives but since our investigation it has undergone a radical overhaul.

The reference to a Dublin campus has been removed, the QAC is "no longer involved with the Irish International University" and its logo no longer appears on the website.

Professor Sandhu told BBC London that the university will not renew its affiliations with any private colleges in London.

The government is promising that by 2009 all colleges wishing to bring overseas applicants into the country will need to be accredited.

Higher Education Minister Bill Rammell said: "Our universities are rightly regarded as world class and any attempt by bogus institutions or conmen to tarnish this hard won reputation will not be tolerated.

"The UK has some of the toughest regulations in the world governing the award of higher education qualifications. The vast majority of private colleges in London operate lawfully and provide a high-quality service to their students.

"We are working very hard on behalf of students to ensure that all private institutions meet strict quality standards.

"Where we are not satisfied that this is the case with a particular college, we will not hesitate to investigate and if necessary, close it down.

"I would encourage all new students to carefully check the credentials of the college they wish to enrol at and if they have any concerns, contact their local trading standards team."

The full investigation can be seen in two parts on BBC London News at 6.30 pm on Monday 7 January and Tuesday 8 January.

The College of Law of England and Wales now has an online LLM program.  Actually a couple, one in International Legal Practice for students outside the UK and the other in Professional Legal Practice for UK students.

Not cheap at £9,500 (about US$18,750 at current exchange rates) total for the six courses and "assignment" (15,000 word paper).

"Study is carried out via supervised on-line modules that combine on-line study with one-to-one on-line supervision from a College of Law tutor. We offer a wide range of specialist modules, allowing you to tailor your LL.M programme to suit your area of interest."

The College of Law states that it is "the UK’s largest and longest established law school."  It is a recognised body authorized by the UK DFCSF (formerly DFES) to grant degrees.

Up until now there have only been a couple of online LLM programs, most notably the LLM in International Taxation originally offered through St. Thomas University in Florida, now being offered through the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego.

We know that Quinn tired of the abuse at DI/DD and destroyed and repudiated the doctorates he earned through brilliant work. His unaccredited academic work was probably more quoted in subsequent doctoral level research than anyone on these forums. Has a glass jaw with which he leads.

We know that Peter sucked up to the DI/DD guys. Peter flip-flopped a lot over the years but used to be an advocate of and a 4 time doctor from unaccredited schools. A couple of them were real schools.

Kersey seems to be doing the preacher thing and I haven't noticed his eloquence in any posts anywhere. I think he tired of it all. Another really talented guy.

I think Henrik got tired of the irrational abuse and moved on.

Jimmy used to be a supporter of unaccredited schools but now is just as likely to attack them. So desparately wants approval from the toe suckers.

Neil and James are here. I'm sure Redlyne Racer is here. Dennis is here.

It just isn't as much fun as it used to be. The toe suckers are afraid to leave their safe houses and debate seriously. This site has done much to discredit the mouths at DD/DI but it isn't a lot of fun anymore. 5 - 10 years ago it was a blast.

I see Peter French has now joined Degreediscussion - with one of his first contributions being something that he thought the RA or NO WAY gang would like to read:

"Has anyone noticed that Neil Hayes now lists himself as N Hayes PhD[Dishon]?"

Obviously Peter, who is suffering badly for 'old-timers disease', has forgotten that he has at least four unaccredited degrees and that he was often referred to as "DR DR DR DR FRENCH"!

Uncle Janko provided a fairly rationale response in the following heated DegreeDiscussion thread.

Jack (Tracey) posted a link about a proposal for Baylor University to initiate a masters program in "creation science." Almost immediately Rich Douglas took the extreme secular humanist position, insulting everyone who didn't share his extreme view and casting aspersions on the rigor of Jimmy Clifton's academic training. Some things never change. This sent Bill Grover (always a pleasant guy) into orbit, taking, IMO, the opposite extreme view. Uncle J seemed to be the voice of reason, articulating a suprisingly balanced view on the topic.

Levicoff weighed in on the side of Bill Grover, as usual taking the opposite position of Rich Douglas. Later on, Lev basically b-slaps Douglas by bringing up the Bomber's involvement with MIGS and his current misleading DD signature line. Lev has had it in for Douglas for quite some time and there is always some humor in their exchanges.

I've perused the various DL boards in the last day and saw one notable person (as well as a number of losers) missing ... Quinn Tyler Jackson. I always found Quinn a very interesting, albeit occasionally verbose, individual. Did he leave the DL fora for any particular reason or did his interest simply wane? I'm sure that he must have made an announcement as I don't think it is in his makeup to quietly walk away.

I had actually forgotten about this weirdo. What's the latest on this deviate?