Stossel is talking about K-12 education in this article. But when big government controls all higher ed--by driving out all the non-conforming, independent, unaccredited, nontraditional, alternative, etc. programs--will the result be any different?

Competitive private education? There's a concept more powerful than Steve McQueen!

Quote:The Education Blob
John Stossel
Jul 04, 2012

Since progressives want government to run health care, let's look at what government management did to K-12 education. While most every other service in life has gotten better and cheaper, American education remains stagnant.

Spending has tripled! Why no improvement? Because K-12 education is a virtual government monopoly -- and monopolies don't improve.

In every other sector of the economy, market competition forces providers to improve constantly. It's why most things get better -- often cheaper, too (except when government interferes, as in health care).

Politicians claim that education and health care are different -- too important to leave to market competition. Patients and parents aren't real consumers because they don't have the expertise to know which hospital or school is best. That's why they must be centrally planned by government "experts."

Those experts have been in charge for years. School reformers call them the "Blob." Jeanne Allen of the Center for Education Reform says that attempts to improve the government monopoly have run "smack into federations, alliances, departments, councils, boards, commissions, panels, herds, flocks and convoys that make up the education industrial complex, or the Blob. Taken individually, they were frustrating enough, each with its own bureaucracy, but taken as a whole they were (and are) maddening in their resistance to change. Not really a wall -- they always talk about change -- but more like quicksand, or a tar pit where ideas slowly sink."

The Blob claims teachers are underpaid. But today American teachers average more than $50,000 a year. Teachers' hourly wages exceed what most architects, accountants and nurses make.

The Blob constantly demands more money, but tripling spending and vastly increasing the ratio of staff to student have brought no improvement. When the Blob is in control, waste and indifference live on and on.

The Blob claims that public education is "the great equalizer." Rich and poor and different races mix and learn together. It's a beautiful concept. But it is a lie. Rich parents buy homes in neighborhoods with better schools.

As a result, public -- I mean, government -- schools are now more racially segregated than private schools. One survey found that public schools were significantly more likely to be almost entirely white or entirely minority. Another found that at private schools, students of different races were more likely to sit together.

The Blob's most powerful argument is that poor people need government-run schools. How could poor people possibly afford tuition?

Well, consider some truly destitute places. James Tooley spends most of his time in the poorest parts of Africa, India and China. Those countries copied America's "free public education," and Tooley wanted to see how that's worked out. What he learned is that in India and China, where kids outperform American kids on tests, it's not because they attend the government's free schools. Government schools are horrible. So even in the worst slums, parents try to send their kids to private, for-profit schools.

How can the world's poorest people afford tuition? And why would they pay for what their governments offer for free?

Tooley says parents with meager resources still sacrifice to send their kids to private schools because the private owner does something that's virtually impossible in government schools: replace teachers who do not teach. Government teachers in India and Africa have jobs for life, just like American teachers. Many sleep on the job. Some don't even show up for work.

As a result, says Tooley, "the majority of (poor) schoolchildren are in private school." Even small villages have as many as six private schools, "and these schools outperform government schools at a fraction of the teacher cost."

As in America, government officials in those countries scoff at private schools and parents who choose them. A woman who runs government schools in Nigeria calls such parents "ignoramuses." They aren't -- and thanks to competition, their children won't be, either.

Low-income Americans are far richer than the poor people of China, India and Africa. So if competitive private education can work in Beijing, Calcutta and Nairobi, it can work in the United States.

We just need to get around the Blob.

Quote:Jun 13, 2012
The 50 Best Sources of Free Liberal Arts Learning Online
by Staff Writers

A liberal arts education can be the foundation for a career in just about any field, from politics to business, not just those directly related to liberal arts majors. Through these courses, students learn how to solve problems, think critically, write well, and gain a whole host of important facts about history and culture. That’s what makes these kinds of courses so essential in a well-rounded college degree program, and why so many colleges require students to take them, regardless of major.

Even if you’ve already signed up to take the basic liberal arts courses at your school, whether for your major or to fulfill general education requirements, it never hurts to take a few more or to expand your knowledge beyond the material covered in a course. We previously compiled a list of the best free STEM resources and now it’s the liberal arts’ turn, with loads of courses, lectures, reading material, and more on this list for you to look at and learn from in your free time.

Universities

These universities offer a wide range of liberal arts courses that students can access for free.

1 MIT OpenCourseWare:
MIT offers one of the largest collections of open courses anywhere on the web. While you might think they would just be STEM-related, there are actually a good number of liberal arts courses to choose from as well.

2 The Open University:
There are so many liberal arts courses to choose from on the Open University, from Art in Venice to the French Revolution, that you could take one every week and still not tackle them all.

3 Open Yale Courses:
Yale offers free courses in diverse fields, including African American Studies, Classics, English, History, and Art History, among many more.

4 UC Berkeley Webcasts:
Choose from courses in great liberal arts fields like anthropology and psychology when you head to UC Berkeley’s open learning site.

5 Carnegie Mellon Open Learning Initiative:
The bulk of the material on the OLI is technology-focused, but you can also find courses on French, speech, and soon, psychology.

6 University of Notre Dame OCW:
Notre Dame boasts an impressive collection of OCW in the liberal arts, with something to meet almost any students’ needs.

7 UCI OpenCourseWare:
Head to the University of California-Irvine’s OCW page to get access to courses in the social sciences, education, and the humanities.

8 OpenUW:
The University of Washington offers a limited number of courses for free, but some are on really great topics like the Civil War, Greek mythology, Hamlet, Shakespeare, and even JRR Tolkien.

9 Columbia Interactive:
While this site is no longer being updated with new material, the existing courses that are offered here are well worth your time to check out, covering everything from poli sci to literature.

10 Open Oxford University:
You don’t have to get accepted to this prestigious British school to take courses there. Instead, head to their iTunes U site and start learning about literature, nature, and much more.

11 Stanford University on iTunes U:
Stanford is another school with a standout collection of courses on iTunes U. Students can find everything from history to fine arts through the California school’s free offerings.

12 UMass Boston OCW:
Don’t miss out on the free resources offered by the University of Massachusetts-Boston. There’s a great mix of science, tech, and liberal arts courses to take advantage of.

13 Cornell University:
Architecture, communication, business, and music are just a few of the topics courses and lectures from Cornell focus on through their iTunes U site.

14 Cambridge University:
Find news, lectures, and even course material on this prestigious school’s iTunes U site.

15 Capilano University OCW:
Capilano offers free courses in liberal arts topics like art history, anthropology, English, geography, and philosophy.

16 University of Wisconsin-Madison:
Leading professors at UWM share their expertise through courses and lectures featured on this site.

17 King’s College London Podcasts:
Through free resources at King’s College, you can take a course in the history of philosophy or engage yourself in a humanities audio tour.

18 NYU on iTunes U:
Listen to lectures on subjects like French, Spanish, sustainability, architecture, and philosophy through NYU’s iTunes U portal.

19 Arizona State University OCW:
ASU provides a mix of OCW and lectures through iTunes U that can help you learn about a diverse selection of subjects, from geography to culture.

20 World Lecture Hall:
Use the World Lecture Hall site to help you find courses from leading universities around the world. Search by course, topic, or university.

Courses

You can also find great courses offered outside of universities, like those listed here.

21 Connexions:
On Connexions, you can search for free educational material on just about any liberal arts subject you can think of.

22 Wikiversity:
Whether you want to learn about architecture, ethnology, or history, head to Wikiversity for free course materials.

23 BBC Learning:
BBC Learning offers courses in topics like history, English, and religious studies, but some of their most popular courses can help you learn one of dozens of languages.

24 Fathom:
Find free seminars from around the world in liberal arts subjects when you use Fathom.

25 Saylor.org: This free collection of college-level courses offers students the chance to learn about everything from art history to English lit.

Lectures

If you are more interested in a short lecture than a whole course, there are plenty of options out there. Here are some that draw on professors, scholars, experts, and other high-quality sources.

26 Harvard @ Home:
Even if you live thousands of miles from Harvard you can get access to their lectures through the resources offered on their Harvard @ Home site.

27 Forum Network:
The Forum Network collects great lectures from authors, scholars, and public figures on just about every subject imaginable.

28 TED:
Some of the most brilliant minds in the world have lectured at TED events, and you can see what they have to say by visiting the organization’s website.

29 Princeton WebMedia:
Princeton is home to some seriously amazing lectures, a collection of which you’ll find here.

30 Academic Earth:
Use Academic Earth to find high-quality lectures from top universities in subjects like religious studies, art, history, literature, and political science.

31 MIT Video:
Check out the liberal arts-related channels on MIT’s great lecture site to explore the cutting edge of the arts, humanities, and social sciences.

32 Boston College Front Row:
You can score yourself a front-row seat to some of the best lectures at BC when you visit their website.

33 Conversations with History:
The University of California Berkeley sponsors and shares this seriously amazing series on history.

34 London School of Economics Podcasts:
Give yourself a free economic education by listening to a few of the hundreds of podcasts uploaded to the London School of Economics’ website.

35 Public Radio International:
Here you’ll find some great stories from public radio stations, covering topics like history, culture, and language.

36 Museum of Modern Art:
You can learn more about art history by listening to the resources offered by the MOMA, exploring the works of great artists like Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Barnett Newman.

37 UCLA OID Webcasts:
The Office of Instructional Development at UCLA shares free video lectures of important campus events featuring great speakers and faculty research here.

38 Duke University:
Get a free education from Duke when you head to iTunes. Currently, the only full course they offer is in chemistry, but there is an amazing collection of free lectures that can be great learning tools.

Educational Resources

Do research, learn, and collaborate using these great educational resources in the liberal arts.

39 Bio Network: The Bio Channel is a great place to read more about some of the most important figures in world history.

40 Library of Congress American Memory:
On the Library of Congress site you’ll find documents, photographs, music, and more from some of the most pivotal events in American history.

41 National Archives:
Whether you’re doing research or just browsing, the National Archives are a great place to learn more about American history and life in other eras.

42 Federal Resources for Educational Excellence:
The U.S. Department of Education offers some great learning materials here on a wide range of liberal arts subjects.

43 Smarthistory:
Created by the Khan Academy, this online history learning tool puts standard history textbooks to shame.

44 Livemocha:
If you’re trying to learn a new language, give this interactive social learning site a try.

45 Smithsonian Folkways:
The Smithsonian shares its collection of traditional music from around the world on this iTunes U archive. It’s a great way to broaden your understanding of world cultures.

Reading Material

Pair your free courses and lectures with some free reading material offered through these sites.

46 Wikibooks:
Wikibooks offers access to a number of free textbooks and reading materials, which can often be a great supplement for other free courses.

47 Google Scholar:
Use Google Scholar to find academic articles on just about anything, including the social sciences and psychology.

48 Project Gutenberg:
When books reach a certain age, their copyrights expire and they’re free to share. You’ll find hundreds of these books, some great works of literature, on the Project Gutenberg site.

49 Bibliomania:
Bibliomania is another great place to look for free books, from fiction to drama to poetry.

50 FlatWorld Knowledge:
FlatWorld develops open source textbooks. Currently, you can access great reads on writing, college life, job hunting, geography, history, and psychology.

What's up with Gus? On Feb 21, 2012 there was action on the civil court registry followed by some County Recorder activity in May. I couldn't get my computer to print the County Recorder documents.

05/21/2012 PROOF OF PUBLICATION PUB DATE :05/14/2012
05/08/2012 TEXT NOAP ON UNKNOWN TENANT
05/08/2012 AFFIDAVIT OF DILIGENT SEARCH
05/08/2012 AFFIDAVIT OF DILIGENT SEARCH
05/08/2012 AFFIDAVIT OF DILIGENT SEARCH
05/08/2012 AFFIDAVIT OF DILIGENT SEARCH
05/08/2012 NOTICE OF ACTION - PUBLICATION PUB DATE :06/14/2012 DN01 DN02 DK01 COPY OF NOTICE & COMP. MAILED (4)
05/08/2012 NOTICE OF FILING: ORIGINAL AFFIDAVIT DILIGENT ETC & AFF OF AVOIDANCE ETC.
03/13/2012 SERVICE RETURN FOR UNKNOWN PARTY
03/13/2012 SERVICE RETURN FOR UNKNOWN PARTY
03/13/2012 SUMMONS RETURNED - NO SERVICE DN02
03/13/2012 SUMMONS RETURNED - NO SERVICE DN01
02/24/2012 28008 / 4558 Pages: 1 LIS PENDENS BK:28008 PG:4558
02/21/2012 COMPLAINT
02/21/2012 FILING FEE FOR MTGE FRCLS $ 1906.00
02/21/2012 SUMMONS ISSUED DN01 DN02
02/21/2012 CIVIL COVER


Party Code Party Name
PN 01 US BANK NA
DN 01 SAINZ, MARIA
DN 02 SAINZ, GUSTAVO A
PK 01 C-BASS TRUST 2006-CB9
PK 02 C-BASS MORTGAGE LOAN ASSET BACKED ETC
DK 01 SAINZ, MARIA SALOME

Klempner and his klonetards advocated expanding the "Stolen Valor Act" to apply to "fake degrees," i.e., any degree that doesn't pass through their strict sphincter of scrutiny. See, e.g., http://www.degreediscussion.com/forums/v...&sk=t&sd=a

Today the Supreme Court struck down the Stolen Valor Act on First Amendment grounds.

Stolen Valor Act struck down

Quote:The 6-3 decision, authored by Justice Anthony Kennedy with Justice Stephen Breyer filing a concurring opinion, found that the First Amendment does shield military phonies who only claim to have earned their awards. Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia, and Clarence Thomas filed a dissent.

The decision upheld a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that found that California man Xavier Alvarez, who claimed he was a Medal of Honor recipient when elected to a local water board position, was simply exercising his free speech rights with the claim.

"The American people do not need the assistance of a government prosecution to express their high regard for the special place that military heroes hold in our tradition," Kennedy said in the majority opinion.

I remember John telling a short story he thought was very funny. It was about a Ph.D. student at Greenwich. The student needed a doctorate for some reason and got in touch with Bear. They worked out the details and the student was awarded the diploma in slightly under 30 days. John giggled as he wondered what an accreditor would have said about this. He of course defended it as being a completely honest and good process. But, he still did the girly giggle thing.

But here is the thing about this little event. Why was it funny in the first place and why the smirk and smile. If anyone else had done this Bear would have been on fire ranting and raving about mills. According to Bear it is possible to honestly grant life experience degrees in thirty days (if he is the one doing it). Ok, then why does he make such a big joke of others who mention similar such actions. He of course made light of his own actions ( just a little bit of course, though he let one know it wasn't something he thought much of or spent much time considering the action.

It seems to me that Bear always took the subject as something to do with a wink and a nod. He was never really serious about the small private dl schools. Just something to dabble in and make some bucks. Of course that's little comfort to the people spending thousands of dollars on his little boy hi-jinks.

He asked one student from a small dl school ( state licensed ) how he could be proud of a degree from that school. Guess what? Bear had listed the school as one of the best schools in America and even told the student it was a decent choice.

Bear has some balls. Tells you soup is good for you and then laughs at you when you eat it. What a great man he is. Don't believe me. Then just ask him.

Taking a serious look at Bear is like picking up a handful of Jello. No matter how hard you squeeze it gets away.

Talk about an oxymoron.? The "Obama Truth Team" has ordered the shutdown of a website critical of Dear Leader's handling of his Fast & Furious scandal.

Hey Obama: FUCK YOU!? We don't use the spineless, dickless GoDaddy libtards, so kiss our collective asses, you nazi fuck!?

But you know who does use GoDaddy?? Some little guy down in Miami who runs a board to facilitate the nefarious activities of his stalking co-conspirators.....hmmmm......

Quote:"Obama Truth Team" Orders GoDaddy To Shut Down Website
Information deemed "maliciously harmful to government"?

Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
Tuesday, June 26, 2012

A political website that contained stinging criticism of the Obama administration and its handling of the Fast and Furious scandal was ordered to be shut down by the Obama campaign's "Truth Team", according to private investigator Douglas Hagmann, who was told by ISP GoDaddy his site contained information that was "maliciously harmful to individuals in the government."

Hagmann, CEO of Hagmann Investigative Services, Inc., a private investigative agency serving a roster of Fortune 500 clients, was given 48 hours by GoDaddy to find a new home for his website before it was deleted.

Hagmann was told the reason for the shut down was because the website featured "morally objectionable" material. After GoDaddy refused to identify the complainant, only saying that it was not "any official government agency," further investigation by Hagmann revealed that the order came from a group tied to Obama campaign headquarters.

Speaking with the chief investigator in the GoDaddy Abuse division, Hagmann discovered, "Ultimately it was found that the complaint originated ostensibly with a group associated with the campaign to re-elect Barack Hussein Obama."

Turning to his contacts within government, Hagmann then spoke with another source who confirmed that the "Obama Truth Team" was responsible for the shut down order.

"I'm laying this right on the doorstep of the Obama Truth Team," said Hagmann.

The "Obama Truth Team" is an outreach of the Obama 2012 re-election campaign that urges supporters to "help fight back against the attacks on President Obama and his record" by reporting supposed misrepresentations and lies. However, as ABC News reported, the "Truth Team" has mischaracterized legitimate criticism as smears in an effort to chill dissent against Obama. It has also been caught fibbing on a number of other occasions.

The same methods of intimidation were also very much in force during the 2008 campaign season. Under the guise of the "Obama Truth Squad", influential public figures in Missouri including St. Louis County Circuit Attorney Bob McCulloch, St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce, and Jefferson County Sheriff Glenn Boyer, promised to "respond quickly, forcefully, and aggressively" to "lies" about Obama.

As ABC News highlighted, this helped to create a chilling atmosphere in which "Missourians might be afraid of being prosecuted for criticizing Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill."

This is by no means the first time political websites have been shut down on a whim with no due process after official pressure is brought to bear on ISPs.

In December 2010 Amazon responded to pressure by Sen. Joe Lieberman and the Department of Homeland Security by axing the Wikileaks website from its servers.

GoDaddy itself is not renowned for its support for free speech. The company lost 37,000 accounts last year over its initial failure to oppose the controversial Stop Online Privacy Act (SOPA).

Despite the fact that his son was getting married on the same weekend, Hagmann was eventually able to move his website - HomelandSecurityus.com - to another server before it was deleted by GoDaddy.

"It took an incredible number of man hours and it was a tedious (and costly) process, but I have successfully moved my site out of reach," Hagmann told us.

Hagmann noted that his story from last month about a DHS inside source warning of coming mass civil unrest, which went viral on the Internet, was one of the primary reasons behind the effort to shut down his website.

Hagmann is now warning that any independent website which forcefully dissents against the Obama administration could be targeted next.

"I respectfully ask that you spread the word -- that the Obama "Truth Team" is out in full force, scouring any U.S. based web sites of any size or influence (yet small enough to be pushed around) that contains any information deemed "objectionable" to the Obama re-election campaign. Perhaps it's already too late. Regardless, people need to wake up now and listen to what we"ve been saying. There might not be a tomorrow," Hagmann told us in an email.

Watch a video about the Obama Truth Squads below.



See one of the GoDaddy emails sent to Hagmann below (click for enlargement).



*********************

A press-release from unaccredited Almeda University, datelined San Juan, Puerto Rico. Let the klone stalking of "Richard Smith" begin!

Quote:Almeda University Discusses Path Forward for Online Learning Revolution
By Almeda University
Published: Tuesday, Jun. 12, 2012 - 3:11 am

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 12, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- The Wall Street Journal recently published a story announcing edX, a $60 million online educational partnership between Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. EdX is just the beginning of a revolutionary change in the educational system, the two schools claimed. Almeda University, an online educational resource, agreed that a revolution is coming for online education and it is not slowing down. In fact, Almeda believes the revolution will pick up steam in the coming years.

But some critics are skeptical of online learning, saying it will destroy the "college experience," which normally encompasses students being in campus and interacting with professors face-to-face. However, Richard Smith of Almeda University said the skeptics are "living in another time" if they truly think online education is harming a person's chances of experiencing college. Almeda University has provided online educational opportunities for the past 15 years. Although the experience is different, it is also new and unique to students.

"The college campus experience has always been exclusionary to a large percentage of the population," Smith said. "Almeda University began its mission in 1997 as an inclusive process whereby access to education was open to everyone. We believe that education should not simply be a small limited club -- but should be open to all who are interested."

Supporters of online education argue that students do no need to physically be on campus to get in a college education. One professor can reach thousands, if not millions, of students online at a more affordable price. Some people think online education equals only lectures, but Almeda University students gain so much more. They are exposed to an array of teaching tools and can work at their own pace.

In addition, online learning offers a substantial cost savings on not only the students, but the school too, Smith said. "Online learning allows significantly larger classroom sizes without creating a burden on administration," he said.

Despite what critics believe, online education does include social interaction, even if it's not in the traditional sense people have become accustomed to in past years. "The 35,000 strong Almeda University alumni have created a unique bond through online groups where they interact, exchange ideas and promote each other's businesses," Smith said.

ABOUT:

Founded in 1997, Almeda University has provided online educational programs to its students for many years. The educational facility offers a variety of courses so students will meet their academic and professional goals. The institution incorporates innovative technology into its Web-based environment to cater to different learning styles. Because of this effort, Almeda University can reach students of all ages and help them achieve their educational goals in a timely manner. For more information, go to www.almedauniversity.org.

SOURCE Almeda University

This is interesting, the genocidal Khmar Rouge which murdered over a million people was led by a former student at a French University.

Quote:In 1935, Sar left Prek Sbauv to attend the École Miche, a Catholic school in Phnom Penh. His sister Roeung was a concubine of King Sisowath Monivong, so he often visited the royal palace.[15] In 1947, he gained admission to the exclusive Lycée Sisowath, but was unsuccessful in his studies.

Quote:After switching to a technical school at Russey Keo, north of Phnom Penh, Saloth Sar qualified for a scholarship for technical studies in France. He studied radio electronics at the EFR in Paris from 1949 to 1953. He also participated in an international labour brigade building roads in Zagreb in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1950. After the Soviet Union recognized the Viet Minh as the government of Vietnam in 1950, French Communists (PCF) took up the cause of Vietnam's independence. The PCF's anti-colonialism views attracted many young Cambodians, including Sar.

In 1951, he joined a communist cell in a secret organization known as the Cercle Marxiste ("Marxist circle") which had taken control of the Khmer Student's Association (AER) that same year. Within a few months, Saloth joined the PCF. His poor academic record was a considerable advantage within the anti-intellectual PCF who saw uneducated peasants as the true proletariat.

Quote:CUNY biz school fixed Wall Streeters' GPAs to keep receiving tuition: sources
By SUSAN EDELMAN, CYNTHIA R. FAGEN and CANDICE M. GIOVE
Last Updated: 10:50 AM, June 17, 2012
Posted: 12:16 AM, June 17, 2012

While teaching how corporations cook their books, a CUNY business school was fixing grades.

An administrator at [regionally accredited] Baruch College’s prestigious Zicklin School of Business forged professors’ names to raise the grade point averages of students seeking master’s degrees to become dealmakers and corporate leaders, The Post has learned.

An internal CUNY probe found the course grades of “approximately 15 students” were falsified to keep their GPAs high enough to stay in the programs, Baruch officials acknowledged.

The trickery prevented enrollees, including many mid-level Wall Streeters whose firms picked up their tabs, from flunking out — and kept their fat tuition checks flowing in.


PASS FAKE: Chris Koutsoutis allegedly forged grade changes
while working as an administrator for dean John Elliott.


GRADUATE DEGREE BURN: Baruch College’s business school,
at its Midtown campus, has been rocked by grade-fixing in
its accelerated “executive” master’s program.

The accelerated “executive programs” in business and finance allow students to earn a master’s degree in 10 to 22 months while working full-time.

The tuition: $45,000 to $75,000.

“It was done for money,” an insider said of the scam. “They get a lot more money from those students. They don’t want to lose these people, so they changed their grades.”

Baruch has referred the matter to law-enforcement agencies, the college said in a statement. Spokeswoman Christina Latouf would not say if students knew their grades were being changed or were complicit in the scheme.

But Baruch has started calling some recent graduates with disturbing news: Their sheepskins are invalid.

“What do you mean? My diploma’s on my wall. How can you tell me I don’t have a degree?” one grad said, according to a source.

Chris Koutsoutis, a top administrator of the executive programs, allegedly forged professors’ signatures on “change of grade” forms, CUNY sources confirmed.

“I won’t have a comment about that,” Koutsoutis said when confronted by The Post at his home in Flushing, Queens.

Professors submit students’ final grades electronically. Any change requires the submission of a “change of grade” form in which a professor gives a reason for the revision and signs his or her name. The form also requires the approval and signature of supervisors.

The CUNY probe also found “forged contracts,” officials said. Koutsoutis inked contracts with vendors who made travel and other arrangements for class trips to cities such as Milan, Copenhagen and Rio de Janeiro.

Koutsoutis would not comment on the forged contracts except to deny he profited from them.

“All I will say is whatever allegations that I did it for financial gain, they are false,” he said. “No students, faculty or administrators gave me any money. I never took any freebies. I was offered trips but never took any.”

Koutsoutis, who worked at Zicklin for 11 years, was “removed” last August, Latouf said. Sources say he was escorted out of his office at the college’s 24th Street campus.

Koutsoutis said he wasn’t terminated but retired.

“They did not like the way I was doing my job, and we mutually agreed I should leave,” he said, adding he stayed on the payroll until February to cash in unused vacation and sick days.

Others connected to the scandal are facing disciplinary charges or leaving quietly.

The dean of the Zicklin School, John Elliott — who directly supervised Koutsoutis — quietly resigned to take a job as dean of the University of Connecticut’s business school, starting in August.

Elliott did not return a call for comment. A UConn spokesman would not say whether Elliott informed them of the Zicklin mess.

Baruch President Mitchel Wallerstein told the Faculty Senate about the forgery scandal at a meeting in March.

“The college believes the grade changes were intended to keep some students’ GPAs high enough to remain in the programs,” Wallerstein said, according to minutes of the meeting.

If students do not earn a 3.0 or “B” average each trimester, they can be put on probation or kicked out. Before each trimester, students must pay tuition installments of $11,000 to $13,500.

The total cost of the 10-month executive MS in finance program is now $44,000. The 10-month executive MS in financial statement analysis is $45,000, and the 22-month executive MBA program costs $75,000. Books, meals for night and Saturday classes and a trip abroad are included.

“This is a profit center for the university,” a Zicklin alumnus said.

But the programs were found in such disarray that Baruch has put them “in receivership,” taking them over from Zicklin, the faculty was told.

The business school is named after investment manager Larry Zicklin, who donated $18 million to the institution in 1997 and made a $2 million endowment to its Center For Corporate Integrity.

Zicklin, who worked for the asset-management firm Neuberger Berman, could not be reached for comment last week.

Zicklin officials gave a sales pitch for prospective students last week, but directors and professors made no mention of the problems.

Instead, they promised “respected and well-recognized” degrees that would put grads on the path to become chief executives and financial officers.

“This is a master’s program on steroids,” one said.

“If you’re not up to the challenge, shy away now.”

The financial statement analysis program teaches students how to ferret out financial malfeasance.

“We want to know what the accountants are doing, and how they are cooking the books,” professor Al Ghosh, the program’s academic director, told prospective students at the session.

The highlight of the programs is the trip to learn about business in other countries.

“We had a blast,” a rookie prof said of the experience. “You can go for drinks at night without worrying about your wife and children waiting for you at home.”

The college is now “tightening its management oversight to ensure the integrity and quality of the programs going forward.”

One professor said the college has begun sending them confirmations of grade changes to ensure that alterations are not made without their knowledge.

A faculty committee will examine cases of students whose grades were forged and give them the chance to complete any work required to earn their diplomas.

“The college does not currently anticipate that it will be necessary to rescind degrees because of this unfortunate incident,” Baruch said.

But a recent grad of the executive finance program told The Post she’s livid the scandal may discredit her degree, which she says she earned without cheating and for which she paid $42,000.

“I don’t want to be associated with that,” she said. “I especially don’t want future employers to associate me with that.”

Just as most of us suspected, misandry runs rampant in the classroom. Hey, teacher, leave them kids alone!

Quote:Female teachers accused of giving boys lower marks
Richard Garner
Thursday 16 February 2012

A key reason why boys lag behind in the classroom is revealed for the first time today – female teachers.

Ground-breaking research shows that boys lower their sights if they think their work is going to be marked by a woman because they believe their results will be worse.

It also shows their suspicions are correct – female teachers did, on average, award lower marks to boys than unidentified external examiners. Male teachers, by contrast, awarded them higher marks than external examiners.

The findings, published by the Centre for Economic Performance today, could have immense repercussions for boys because of the dearth of male teachers in the profession. Only 15 per cent of primary school staff are men.

The findings were yesterday described as "fascinating" by one of the country's leading academic researchers, Professor Alan Smithers, of the Centre for Education and Employment at the University of Buckingham.

He said the research, carried out among 1,200 children in 29 schools across the country, had shown a possible reason for the glaring gap in performance between girls and boys right through schooling.

It also revealed that girls tried harder if they had a male teacher because they believed they would get better marks. Their suspicions were not borne out, though, as the male teachers tended to give them exactly the same marks as the external examiners.

The study showed boys believed their answers would be 3 per cent lower if marked by a woman. The girls thought their results would be 6 per cent higher if marked by a man.

Professor Smithers said: "It is fascinating research. It does stress the importance of independent marking for high-status examinations."