Preston University (United States)

Last updated

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. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Preston University is owned by Dr. Abdul Basit. [4]

About 30 affiliated campuses throughout the world were listed by Preston. [5] A number of degree programs ranging from associate to Ph.D. in a variety of disciplines were offered. [6] As of August 2012, the Oregon Office of Degree Authorization reported that the university was operated from Pakistan, had formerly operated in Wyoming and Alabama in the United States, had been active in Nepal in 2009, also had a presence in Dubai, and used several different institutional names in several world regions. [7]

History

Preston University states that it was established in 1984 and that its first United States campus was established in 1994. [6] As of 1998, the school was based in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and operated additional campuses in Africa and Asia, including four campuses in Karachi and two in other parts of Pakistan. At that time there were 30 full-time faculty and 30 part-time instructors working in Cheyenne, but most of Preston's revenue came from the campuses in Pakistan. [8]

Preston faced challenges in 1998 when the U.S. government imposed trade embargoes on Pakistan in 1998 after that nation tested nuclear weapons, [8] but by 2001, Preston's chancellor, Jerry Haenisch, told the Chronicle of Higher Education that Preston had 30 "affiliated" campuses in 19 countries and about 8,000 students, mostly in Pakistan. [9] Preston offered classroom instruction in Cheyenne as well as distance education. [10] As of 2001, about 18 students were reported to be taking classes at what was then Preston's official main campus in Cheyenne. [9]

In 2001, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that it had randomly selected two of Preston University's listed faculty members and inquired about their relationship with the university. They both said that they were not associated with Preston University and did not know that they were on the school's faculty list. [4] A Preston official acknowledged that only 15 out of 49 listed faculty actually worked for the university. [11] [12] Haenisch explained that over half of the faculty on their list had applied for jobs at Preston but had never actually been employed. They were listed in case a student was interested in the discipline the professor specialized in. Haenisch admitted that the practice was misleading and would be discontinued. [4]

In 2005, Haenisch said he was hoping the Wyoming legislature would pass laws that would allow the setting up an international accrediting agency to allow for expansion of Preston's as well as other schools online enrollment and bring more students to Wyoming; State Superintendent Jim McBride said he was opposed to any such law. [13] Haenisch had also voiced his concern about the potential for illegitimate or degree mill-type schools being licensed in the state of Wyoming. [14] [15]

Move to Alabama

In 2007, the state of Wyoming started requiring that higher education institutions operating in the state must be accredited. Because Preston remained unaccredited it moved its operations to Alabama. [16]

In February 2008 the Preston University website listed at least 30 affiliated campuses. [17]

In August 2008, The Straits Times reported that Preston University was a degree mill from which some leading businessmen in Singapore held PhD degrees. The Straits Times' assertions about Preston were strongly disputed by Jerry Haenisch, Preston's chancellor, who confirmed that the university had no accreditation from any US Department of Education approved body but said that the school was "absolutely not" a "degree mill". [11] [14] Haenisch said that careless inclusion of Preston University in the sensational reporting about degree mills is inexcusable and demanded that the newspaper apologize for publishing articles based on superficial research and for repeating erroneous assumptions and untrue innuendo from other writers. He said that the university was "legally licensed and authorized to operate by the state of Alabama". Finally he took issue with The Straits Times' statement that the move from Wyoming to Alabama was a sign of disrepute. He said the move was made because Alabama is more populated than Wyoming and has much greater support resources. He also pointed out that the US Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation both state the voluntary nature of accreditation in the country, and caution that a school's accreditation status should not be the sole criterion for assessing its quality or validity. [18] The Straits Times responded, "The Straits Times ... made it clear that it was not about to apologise to Preston University for telling its readers the truth about its credentials – or rather, its lack of. Said Editor Han Fook Kwang: 'We stand by our story and am satisfied that our journalist was accurate in her reporting of Preston University'." [11]

Preston University's license to operate legally in Alabama expired on December 1, 2008. [16] On February 6, 2009, Preston University was ordered to cease and desist operations by the State of Alabama for failing many of the standards enacted for educational institutions in that state. The rules set by the Alabama Chancellor of Education, effective on October 1, 2008, require all private schools to become accredited. Section IV, B, 3, a, 4. states: “All privately licensed degree granting, post-secondary educational institutions must be accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE), the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), be a candidate for accreditation or in process of application for accreditation as determined and monitored by the Department. This requirement becomes effective beginning October 1, 2008 for any degree granting institutions applying for initial or renewal licensure.” [19] The Alabama Department of PostSecondary Education rejection letter to Preston states that "during the on-site visits, it was determined that the location for the institution is based out of a virtual office setting which is not staffed properly nor has operating equipment." Also, "The admissions policies are not rigorous and are unacceptable." Also, "All assessment decisions are based on a fee for diploma rather than class attendance, lecture participation and projects...", and finally "Evidence has been received by the Department that Preston University issues Honorary Degrees for a fee." [20] The letter did not mention what evidence had actually been received and appears to be in contradiction with Preston University's website which states that the Academic Program Coordinator would recommend award of the appropriate degree only when the following requirements have been met:

Move to California

Preston University moved its headquarters to Los Angeles, California in 2009. [22] [23]

In December 2011 the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) denied Preston University's application to operate in California and in May 2012 it issued a "statement of issues" where it asked that Preston's "Application for Approval to Operate an Institution Not Accredited" be denied by the Director of the California Department of Consumer Affairs on the basis of "incomplete application". A number of reasons were given in the BPPE's statement about this incomplete application, including Preston University's failure to provide the bureau with pertinent information about "cease and desist" orders it had received in the states of Wyoming and Alabama, as well as insufficient information about the institution's education programs and resources. [1] As of September 2012, the Preston University website stated that the school had established its world headquarters in Los Angeles and was registered as a private post-secondary education institutional business in the state of California and the city of Los Angeles. It states it is applying to the "Board of [sic] Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE)...for an official license to operate" and "will continue to serve its alumni and graduates with transcript service, degree certification, and record keeping" during the BPPE review process. [2]

In December 2016, Preston University's website stated that it no longer offered enrollment in academic programs in its distance education division and that the university had ceased operations in the USA. However, past students and graduates who required copies of diplomas, official transcripts, and certifications could contact the Registrar's Office. [22]

Fairmount International University

After Preston moved from Wyoming to Alabama in 2007, Preston chancellor Jerry Haenisch announced that a new distance education school, Fairmount International University, would offer an online business program from Preston's former Cheyenne offices. Preston and Fairmount were both to be owned by Abdul Basit, who served as president of both institutions, and Jerry Haenisch would serve as chancellor of both. [24] However, Fairmount International University was not established and does not operate in Wyoming. [25] [ failed verification ]

See also

Related Research Articles

Bronte International University is an unaccredited post-secondary educational institution formerly in South Dakota. It is widely considered to be a diploma mill, operated from an unknown location. Its website offers "fast" degrees for "life experience."

A diploma mill is a business that sells illegitimate diplomas or academic degrees. The term diploma mill is also used pejoratively to describe any educational institution with low admission and graduation standards, low job placement rate, or low average starting salaries of its graduates.

Hamilton University was an unaccredited institution based in Evanston, Wyoming. According to the Oregon Office of Degree Authorization, it was first established in Hawaii as American State University. It has since been closed by court order in Wyoming and has relocated to the Bahamas under the name Richardson University.

Columbia Pacific University (CPU) was a distance learning school in California. It was founded in 1978 and closed by California court order in 2000.

Breyer State University, also called Breyer State University-Alabama, is an unaccredited distance education, for profit, private university that formerly operated in the U.S. states of Idaho and Alabama and now reports a location in Panama. It has been described by The New Republic magazine as a diploma mill that "claimed official-sounding accreditation to attract hundreds of people to obtain degrees". Breyer State University disputes this categorization.

American Central University (ACU) was an unaccredited distance learning private, for-profit university licensed by the state of Wyoming in 2004. The Oregon Office of Degree Authorization stated that the institution may be run from Malaysia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Northern Virginia</span> For-profit university in Virginia, United States

The University of Northern Virginia (UNVA) was an unaccredited for-profit private undergraduate and graduate university in Annandale, Virginia, The university offered bachelors, Masters and doctoral degrees. Although UNVA was not well known within the United States, it called itself the most popular American university for students from India.

St Christopher Iba Mar Diop College of Medicine was a medical training establishment in Luton, England, as a college within the University El Hadji Ibrahima Niasse of Dakar, Senegal. The Luton, England campus was closed in 2011.

Abraham Lincoln University (ALU) is a private, for-profit online university based in Glendale, California.

The American University of London (AUOL) is an online diploma mill. The company disputes the label and instead describes itself as a for-profit unaccredited educational institution offering undergraduate and graduate degrees solely by distance learning. It is a different organization from the American University in London.

Unaccredited institutions of higher education are colleges, trade schools, seminaries, and universities which do not have formal educational accreditation.

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.

Rutherford University, previously doing business as Senior University International and Stratford International University, was an unaccredited private institution that offered degrees online. It operated from 1993 through 2009 and offered the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Business Administration, Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Business Administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diploma mills in the United States</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silicon Valley University</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newport International University (Wyoming)</span>

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.

American City University (ACU) is a private unaccredited distance education university headquartered in Pasadena, California. The school currently offers an online MBA program.

Warren National University, previously known as Kennedy-Western University, was an unaccredited private distance learning university that claimed to offer undergraduate and graduate degrees in the United States from 1984 to 2009. It has been described by federal investigators and news sources as a diploma mill, a designation it has disputed. Its administrative offices were located in Agoura Hills, California.

References

  1. 1 2 "Statement of Issues In the Matter of Preston University, Case No. 997878" (PDF). California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education. May 1, 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Preston University website" . Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  3. ↑ Dave Featherly (6 April 2009). "Preston University, which fled from Wyoming rather than attempt accreditation and then was ordered to "cease and desist" in Alabama, found a home in Los Angeles" (PDF). Cheyenne Herald. Cheyenne, WY. OCLC   51310460. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 January 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 Dubious Universities Archived 2009-07-04 at the Wayback Machine , by Q Isa Daudpota, Chowk, November 4, 2004
  5. ↑ Educational Partners, Preston University (Accessed 3 May 2009) Archived April 27, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  6. 1 2 Welcome to Preston University, Preston University website (accessed 29 April 2009) Archived April 30, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ "Unaccredited Colleges". Oregon Office of Degree Authorization. Archived from the original on 15 May 2007. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  8. 1 2 Deidre Forster (July 13, 1998). "Sanctions Hurt Local University". Wyoming Tribune-Eagle. Cheyenne, Wyoming. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015.
  9. 1 2 Sara Carr and Andrea L. Foster, States Struggle to Regulate Online Colleges That Lack Accreditation, The Chronicle of Higher Education , March 23, 2001
  10. ↑ Kelly Milner (August 7, 2000). "School Fighst Turbulent Past". Wyoming Tribune-Eagle. Cheyenne, Wyoming. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 "Preston Uni a degree mill? ST stands by story; responds to Preston advertisement". The Straits Times . Singapore. September 5, 2008. Archived from the original on 2009-04-18. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
  12. ↑ Foster, Andrea (2001). "Some Professors Are Surprised to Be on a University's Roster". The Chronicle of Higher Education . Archived from the original on 2007-02-08. Retrieved 2007-03-13.
  13. ↑ "Preston University: Higher Ed Could be Big as Coal in Wyoming". Diverse. Fairfax, VA: Cox, Matthews and Associates, Inc. Associated Press. January 12, 2006. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
  14. 1 2 "» Board Of Education Takes Up Private School Licensing :: Education, Careers & Professional News". news.education4india.com. Archived from the original on 2005-12-13.
  15. ↑ "Board of Education takes up private-school licensing". 10 May 2005.
  16. 1 2 Warren National University (formerly Kennedy-Western University) to close, by Dave Featherly, Cheyenne Herald, Cheyenne, WY, OCLC   51310460, February 2, 2009 Archived October 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  17. ↑ Preston University Affiliated Campuses Archive of February 2008 Preston University website
  18. ↑ "Varsity demands apology from ST", Today Online , September 5, 2008, archived from the original on September 28, 2008
  19. ↑ "Guidelines for Policy 720.01: Private school licensure in Alabama" (PDF). Alabama Community College System. p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-03-16. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
  20. ↑ Alabama license rejection letter, by Lynne R. Thrower, J.D., Private School License Director, Alabama Community College System, accessed June 27, 2009, from cheyenneherald.com
  21. ↑ Preston University: Programs Archived April 1, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  22. 1 2 "Preston University Home Page". Archived from the original on 2008-04-19. Retrieved 2008-04-14.
  23. ↑ http://www.manta.com/c/mt1jhy4/preston-university [ bare URL ]
  24. ↑ Gruver, Mead (March 15, 2007). "New law prompts online school changes". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2018-11-19. Retrieved 2007-03-13.
  25. ↑ Private School Registration Archived 2009-12-29 at the Wayback Machine , Wyoming Department of Education (Accessed 20 April 2008)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.