 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
| Type | Non-traditional, distance learning |
|---|---|
| Active | 1978–2000 |
| Location | Novato , California , United States 38°04′16″N122°31′43″W / 38.07119°N 122.52872°W |
Columbia Pacific University (CPU) was a distance learning school in California. [1] It was founded in 1978 and closed by California court order in 2000. [2]
In 1983, after four years of operating under a basic authorization licensing, CPU's programs in administration and management received institutional approval from the California Department of Education Private Postsecondary Education Division. [3] On June 2, 1986, the California Department of Education granted all of CPU's programs full institutional approval for a three-year period, ruling that CPU's curricula met California Education Code Section 94310(b)'s statutory requirement of being "consistent in quality with curricula offered by appropriate established accredited institutions which are recognized by the United States Department of Education." [4]
California passed the Private Postsecondary Education Act, changing state regulations for approved schools in 1989. [5] This law established the Council for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education (CPPVE) as the single State agency responsible for reviewing and approving private postsecondary institutions in California. [6] Legislation in 1997 providing "authorization for continuation of the Reform Act was vetoed due to political pressures and concerns about the level of fees, the way in which Council staff was carrying out its responsibilities, and the absence of an administrative appeals" process. In a meeting of the ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION the veto of CPPVE was said to be caused by unfairly high fees charged to smaller institutions [7] and "vindictiveness by Council staff" to institutions that didn't comply. With new legislation in 1997 "the Legislature created the Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education" within the Department of Consumer Affairs, and transferred "responsibility for administration of the Reform Act from the Council to the Bureau" placing CPU under the authority of the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education (BPPVE). Staffing and funding of the Bureau was transitioned over a period of years such that the Council continued to operate until 2005 and BPPVE ceased operation in 2007 due to a sunset clause in the law. California Department of Education Private Postsecondary Education Division also ceased operation in 2007. Institutions that were in good standing with BPPVE were allowed to continue operation under existing approvals that were valid for two years, until the (BPPE) "Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education came into existence on January 1, 2010, following passage of Assembly Bill 48, known as the California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009" (California Education Code, Title 3, Division 10, Part 59, Chapter 8). [8]
The BPPVE was not intended to be a recognized accreditor, [9] nor did its approval serve as a substitute for educational accreditation. California laws were in transition for several years leaving the future of unaccredited institutions in doubt. Under BPPE both accredited and non-accredited institutions may apply for approval to operate in California. [10] [11] Under BPPVE state approval was, however, a prerequisite in order for a private institution to become accredited. [12] BPPVE informational materials stated "Approval is not the same as accreditation." [12]
In 1994, Marin County inspectors discovered eight permitless dormitories on CPU founder Les Carr's property. Marin County officials cited Carr for "multiple zoning, safety, and health violations". Carr was forced to remove the dormitories, as well as to remove references to the property as "a retreat center on a beautiful 14-acre (57,000 m2) ranch in northern Marin county" in CPU's promotional literature. [13]
An August 1995 site visit committee of the Council for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education found that CPU had not met the new regulations. It failed the 1995 visit on the basis of 88 points. The council's review of CPU listed numerous violations of academic standards, including:
On November 15, 1995, CPU submitted a response challenging the CPPVE findings. CPU's response argued that the CPPVE's August report "is grossly in error in most details, as documented in the 86 errors of fact enumerated", and therefore argued that the CPPVE report was "utterly unreliable as an objective and thorough evaluation of CPU". [15]
CPU's response argued that the CPPVE Visiting Committee's review of CPU dissertations was based on superficial judgments. In "Error of Fact No. 27", for example, CPU's response says that the complaint about the lack of "evidence of competency in statistical research" was erroneous because "many dissertations do not require statistical analysis". In "Error of Fact No. 28" and "Error of Fact No. 31", regarding CPPVE's finding that a Ph.D. dissertation was submitted in Spanish and reviewed by faculty who could not speak the language, CPU responded that the indicated student "provided an authenticated English translation" and had been working with a Spanish-fluent mentor who resided in Venezuela.[ citation needed ]
CPPVE director Kenneth Miller issued CPU a Denial of Application for Approval in December 1995.
CPU administrators appealed the decision to close the school, but an administrative court judge ruled against the appeal on June 10, 1997. Among other items, the administrative appeals judge found that CPU:
In the state's 1997 lawsuit to compel CPU to close, California Deputy Attorney General Asher Rubin called the correspondence school "a diploma mill which has been preying on California consumers for too many years" and "a consumer fraud, a complete scam". The suit also referred to Columbia Pacific University as a "phony operation" offering "totally worthless [degrees]...to enrich its unprincipled promoters". [14]
On December 2, 1999, the Marin County Superior Court ordered the school be shut down, [16] also levying $10,000 in fines against CPU for its "deceptive and unfair practices" in operating without authorization and failing to disclose its status to prospective students during the appeals process. Judge Lynn Duryee noted in her decision that "The decision is not whether or not the students are dissatisfied... I mean that is not the test. It's like saying, you know, that prostitution should not be illegal because the customers are satisfied. It's not the test." [13]
This appeal was lost in 2000 and CPU was ordered to close. The Supreme Court of California upheld the denial of CPU's approval to operate. [2]
CPU alumni acquired all rights to the CPU name and registered a "Columbia Pacific University", a non-profit organization in Delaware.[ citation needed ] Until 2007, the CPU Press continued its publication program.[ citation needed ]
Soon after CPU's closure in California, founder Les Carr relocated to Missoula, Montana, and formed Columbia Commonwealth University (CCWU). [17] [18] [19] Columbia Commonwealth University obtained approval from the Republic of Malawi to operate as an accredited educational institution in the African nation. [18] [20] [21] In 2001 CCWU moved to Jackson, Wyoming, [18] and was based in Rock Springs, Wyoming until 2007; CCWU was still operating in Malawi as of 2016. [22] CPU founder Les Carr still serves as chairman of the board of trustees of CCWU. [23]
California recognizes CPU degrees earned before June 25, 1997, as "legally valid" for use in the state. CPU degrees earned on or after June 25, 1997, are "not legally valid" for use in California. [2]
Michigan: "Please note that individual degree programs that have not been accredited by the recognized programmatic accrediting body might not be accepted." [24]
Texas: "Texas has recognized CPU degrees recognized by California as legally valid." [25]
California Miramar University (CalMU) is a private for-profit university in San Diego, California. The university offers degree programs through distance education and a combination of online and classroom (hybrid) delivery. It is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission.
California Coast University (CCU) is a private for-profit online university based in Santa Ana, California. It is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission and approved by the State of California. It enrolls approximately 8,000 students.
California Pacific University was a private university originally founded in Escondido, California. Its law school was originally located in Bakersfield, California. The business school was aimed towards working professionals in business management, and the law school was aimed at working professionals seeking to become attorneys or work in the legal profession.
The California Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education (BPPVE) was a unit of the California Department of Consumer Affairs whose purpose was to protect students by establishing academic standards for private institutions of higher education in California. BPPVE approval or exemption was required by the State of California to ensure consumer safety from fraudulent or substandard education providers. The agency ceased operation on July 1, 2007, when the legislative authority for its creation expired. A new agency, the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, took its place on January 1, 2010.
California Pacific School of Theology was a higher-education Christian theological school in the United States non-accredited at this time, issuing religious degrees in West Hills, California. The school offers distance education for Graduate and Undergraduate programs.
Haven University is a private Christian university in Garden Grove, California.
Abraham Lincoln University (ALU) is a private, for-profit online university based in Glendale, California.
Preston University is a private for-profit unaccredited institution that offers a variety of academic degree programs by distance learning. Preston was originally based in Wyoming and in 2007 was based in Alabama. As of 2012, Preston identified Los Angeles, California as its base of operations.
Frederick Taylor University (FTU) is an unaccredited, formerly state-approved private institution of higher learning located in Orange, California, currently offering resident and nonresident certificates in business, as well as undergraduate and graduate degrees in Christian leadership.
International American University (IAU) is a private for-profit university in Palmdale and Los Angeles, California. It started operations in 2005 in Los Angeles, as the Management Institute of America, Inc.
Diploma mills in the United States are organizations that award academic degrees and diplomas with substandard or no academic study and without academic approval by officially recognized educational accrediting bodies or qualified government agencies. The purchaser can then claim to hold an academic degree, and the organization is motivated by making a profit. These degrees are often awarded based on vaguely construed life experience. Some organizations claim accreditation by non-recognized/unapproved accrediting bodies set up for the purposes of providing a veneer of authenticity.
Silicon Valley University (SVU) was a private, non-profit higher educational institution located in San Jose, California. The university was accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) at the bachelor's degree and master's degree levels until December 7, 2017. On April 5, 2018, the state regulators of California ordered SVU to close and refund students' money within 45 days. On May 24, 2021, SVU was granted an Approval to Operate for an Institution Non-Accredited by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) by the State of California.
The Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality (IASHS) was a private, unaccredited, for-profit graduate school and resource center for the field of sexology in San Francisco, California. It was established in 1976 and closed in 2018. Degree and certificate programs focused on public health, sex therapy, and sexological research.
NIU College, Trade School was founded in 2005 in Lancaster, California, and in July 2012 it was moved to Los Angeles then the name was changed from TechExcel to NIU College, which is a trade school approved to offers 16 programs in the areas of Medical, Legal, HVAC & Automotive. NIU College offers a wide variety of programs at a fraction of the cost of other colleges.
The California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) is a unit of the California Department of Consumer Affairs charged with regulation of private postsecondary educational institutions operating in the state of California.
Stanbridge University is a private for-profit university in California with locations in Irvine, Alhambra, Riverside, and San Marcos. The university offers education in nursing and allied health in Orange County, Los Angeles County, Riverside County, San Diego County, and online. It is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Career Schools and Colleges, ACCSC.
The University of Antelope Valley (UAV) was a private, for-profit university in Lancaster, California. It offered master's, bachelor's, and associate degrees as well as certificate programs and continuing education courses. The university was accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission, but it was placed on accreditation probation in 2023 for failing to meet several of the accreditor's standards following the university's 2022 purchase by Genius Group Limited, a Singaporean technology company.
Gurnick Academy is a private for-profit higher-education institution in California providing nursing, imaging and allied health programs. The school’s corporate office is located in San Jose, California, and it operates six campuses, in San Jose, Concord, Modesto, Fresno, Sacramento and Los Angeles, as well as offering distance education online. The academy is operated and owned by the Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts, with Konstantin Gourji as the chief executive officer.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)