Concordia College and University 4860148 221126565 2008-06-23T04:13:16Z Rjwilmsi 203434 gen fixes + format *date= in cite news/web/paper templates - full explanation [[User:Rjwilmsi#My_correction_of_dates_in_templates|here]] using [[Project:AutoWikiBrowser|AWB]] :''See [[Concordia University (disambiguation)]] for the various unrelated educational institutions that have similar names.'' '''Concordia College and University''' is an entity with a primary [[Address (geography)|mailing address]] in [[Dominica]] that represents itself as a [[higher education]] institution that awards associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral [[academic degree|degree]]s in almost any subject, based solely on the purchaser's work and life experience, without any class attendance, study, or academic examinations. Concordia College and University is widely considered to be a [[diploma mill]]. ==Accreditation== {{confusing}} {{unaccredited|Concordia College and University}} Concordia College and University claims to be recognized and [[school accreditation|accredited]] by the governments of [[Indonesia]] and [[Liberia]], but it is not accredited by any [[List of recognized accreditation associations of higher learning|higher education accrediting body recognized]] in the [[United States]] or most other countries where its degrees are advertised. The school has been called a [[diploma mill]] by Allen Ezell, a retired [[FBI]] agent who co-authored the book "Degree Mills". <ref>[http://164.109.57.252//dynamic/images/stories/undercover/fake_diploma.html Fake Diploma] Fox News25, May 18, 2005</ref> According to [[John Bear]], Concordia College and University has an address in [[Sioux Falls, South Dakota]], and gives degrees based on "life experience".<ref>{{cite book |last=Bear |first=John |authorlink=John Bear |coauthors=Mariah Bear |title=Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning |date=2003-01-01 |publisher=Ten Speed Press |id= ISBN 1-58008-431-1}} page 211, 212</ref> Concordia College and University claims that its degrees are recognized by the [[National Academy of Higher Education]]<ref>[http://www.concordia-college.net/Frame-145826-aboutconcordiapage145826.html?refresh=1149723531498 concordia-college.net]</ref>, an entity that is [[List of unrecognized accreditation associations of higher learning|not recognized as a higher education accreditor]] by either the [[United States Department of Education]] and the [[Council on Higher Education Accreditation]]<ref> {{cite news | url=http://www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation/| title=Institution Accreditation Database | publisher=[[United States Department of Education]] | date= 2007 | first= | last= | accessdate = 2007-03-13}}</ref> and that several educational organizations identify as an unrecognized<ref name="CW">[http://www.credentialwatch.org/non/agencies.shtml Credential Watch]</ref><ref name="CPEC">[http://www.cpec.ca.gov/CollegeGuide/NonAccredited.asp Unrecognized Accreditation Agencies]</ref> accreditation organization or [[accreditation mill]]. In 2003 Concordia College and University was reported to be claiming accreditation by the [[Distance Graduation Accrediting Association]], which is not recognized as an accreditor by the U.S. Department of Education or any foreign equivalent.<ref name="Barname">{{cite news | url=http://chronicle.com/weekly/v49/i21/21a03301.htm | title=North Dakota Lawmakers Move to Bar the Use of Fake Degrees | publisher=[[The Chronicle of Higher Education]] | date=2003-01-01 | first=Dan | last=Carnevale | accessdate = 2007-03-13}}</ref> In September 2004, ''The East Carolinian'', the student newspaper of [[East Carolina University]] in [[Greenville, North Carolina]] reported that "There are at least a half-dozen legitimate Concordia colleges and Concordia universities around the country. But Concordia College and University is a [[diploma mill]] that offers degrees in as little turnaround time as 12 hours."<ref name="East">[http://www.theeastcarolinian.com/media/storage/paper915/news/2004/09/30/Features/Diploma.Mills.Offer.Degrees.For.A.Price-2209285.shtml?norewrite200610282306&sourcedomain Diploma mills offer degrees for a price and not much else], [[The East Carolinian]], September 30, 2004 </ref> The article noted, "The fake Concordia College and University admonishes Web surfers to 'be safe and purchase a government approved degree.' The government, it turns out, is war-torn [[Liberia]]. The school's offices are in [[Dominica]], and its U.S. mailing address is in [[Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands]]. Its website domain is in [[Pakistan]]."<ref name="East" /> While Concordia College and University has more recently claimed to be operating from a legitimate [[.edu]] domain, this has invariably turned out to be one of a number of ruses: * It has used subdomains of edu.tf - a free redirector operated by unonic.com. While [[.tf]] is the [[Internet]] country code top-level domain ([[ccTLD]]) for the uninhabited [[French Southern and Antarctic Lands]], "edu.tf" itself is an individual .tf site like any other and therefore does not signify that an institution holds any form of accreditation. <ref>UNONIC's edu.tf is a free redirection service; www.edu.tf merely redirects to UNONIC.com's main site</ref> These addresses may be redirected anywhere on the web and may be obtained by anyone with an e-mail address. * It has used shared subdomains of edu.ms - a domain shared through afraid.org's [http://freedns.afraid.org Free DNS]. While [[.ms]] is the [[country code]] [[top-level domain]] for [[Montserrat]], "edu.ms" is an ordinary .ms domain like any other and does not necessarily signify an accredited institution.<ref>[http://edu.ms edu.ms] is part of afraid.org's FreeDNS server.</ref> FreeDNS has shut down both concordia.edu.ms and www.concordia.edu.ms due to abuse. * A name search on smartdots.com's edu.tc web redirector shows a concordia.edu.tc as formerly-registered there but now defunct.<ref>Smartdots.com operates [http://www.smartdots.com/check/?LANG=US edu.tc] as a web redirector.</ref> The edu.tc domain itself is registered in [[Turks and Caicos Islands]] by Interdots International, a [[Greece|Greek]] company, and is an ordinary domain like any other. * It has also used freely-shared subdomains of a domain registered to intec.edu, a small computing institute in Panama City. Intec did validly qualify for .edu before [[Educause]]'s tightened requirements for registration came into force in [[2001]].<ref>[http://whois.educause.net Whois] - Educause .edu registry</ref> Nonetheless, Concordia College and University is neither affiliated with nor endorsed by Intec in any manner. Afraid.org FreeDNS has shut down two of these shared subdomains (concordia.intec.edu and www.concordia.intec.edu) and, as of [[2007]], new shared Instituto Tecnológico de Computación subdomains are no longer being made available<ref>Shared Intec domains were removed from [http://freedns.afraid.org/domain/registry/?q=.edu this list] due to abuse</ref>. All of these pages were merely redirected (using frames), most often to their main .net domain or to false pages in various free services, such as freewebs.com <ref>[http://www.freewebs.com/freewebwikipedia/Concordia_College_%26_University.htm This page appeared briefly as www.wiki.pedia.nu], using free provider freedns.afraid.org</ref> == Concerns by U.S. state regulators == The [[Oregon Office of Degree Authorization]] lists a "Concordia University" in its list of unaccredited degree suppliers, and notes that it is a Class B [[misdemeanor]] in [[Oregon]] to use an unlawful degree. <ref>[http://www.osac.state.or.us/oda Oregon Office of Degree Authorization]</ref> Concordia College and University also appears on a State of [[Michigan]] list of non-accredited colleges and universities.<ref name="Michigan">State of Michigan, [http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Non-accreditedSchools_78090_7.pdf Colleges and universities not accredited by an accrediting body of the Council on Higher Education Accreditation]</ref> In 2003 the [[North Dakota Legislative Assembly]] moved forward a bill "that would punish anyone trying to use a degree from a diploma mill as a legitimate credential." In a 2003 article discussing the legislation, [[The Chronicle of Higher Education]] stated that "state officials are concerned that illegitimate institutions are mimicking the names of legitimate ones," citing as an example "an entity called Concordia College & University" whose name is similar to that of [[Concordia College]] in [[Moorhead, Minnesota]], an accredited school attended by many [[North Dakota]] students.<ref name="Barname">{{cite news | url=http://chronicle.com/weekly/v49/i21/21a03301.htm | title=North Dakota Lawmakers Move to Bar the Use of Fake Degrees | publisher=[[The Chronicle of Higher Education]] | date=2003-01-01 | first=Dan | last=Carnevale | accessdate = 2007-03-13}}</ref> The article further noted that for Concordia College & University "No classes or exams are required. Associate and bachelor's degrees cost $599, master's degrees $699, and doctorates $1,099, including shipping and handling, the site says, noting that degree recipients get a certified diploma and two transcripts, complete with watermarks."<ref name="Barname" /> ==Individual cases == === Seneca County, Ohio === In October 2006 a [[Seneca County, Ohio]] grand jury indicted [[John McGuire (police officer)|John McGuire]], the new police chief of [[Fostoria, Ohio]] on two [[felony]] counts of tampering with records and two [[misdemeanor]] charges of [[forgery|falsification]] involving his qualifications. The ''[[Toledo Blade]]'' noted he "obtained a criminal-justice degree from Concordia College and University, an online degree program in the Virgin Islands." <ref>[http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061020/NEWS03/610200332/0/NEWS13 Police chief in Fostoria accused of tampering] ''Toledo Blade.'' October 20, 2006</ref> In February 2007, the paper reported that documents filed in a drug case showed that a police dog of the Fostoria police department had also received a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice from Concordia in 2006.<ref>Jennifer Feehan and [http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070228/NEWS03/702280424 "Police dog's bachelor's degree prods legal howling about chief"], ''Toledo Blade'', February 28, 2007</ref> The dog's degree was planned to be used as evidence in the court trial, but the prosecutor noted "I don't think it's necessary to bring the actual dog"<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,255823,00.html| title=Dog With Online Criminal Degree May Be Use in Trial as Evidence | publisher=[[Associated Press]] | date=2007-03-01 | first= | last= | accessdate = 2007-03-13}}</ref> A few weeks later it was revealed that the degree had been purchased by Greg Peiffer, general manager and president of Fostoria radio station [[WFOB]], who said it was obtained with minimal effort.<ref>Sandra Whitta, [http://www.reviewtimes.com/News/backissues/2007/Mar/ar_news_032707.asp#story2 Lawsuit threatened over alleged 'trash talk], ''Fostoria Review Times'', March 27, 2007.</ref> The trial was of McGuire was originally scheduled for March 2007<ref>''Fostoria Review Times'', [http://www.reviewtimes.com/News/backissues/2006/Nov/ar_news_110906.asp Chief's day in court will be in 2007], November 9, 2006</ref> but was delayed.<ref>[http://www.reviewtimes.com/News/backissues/2007/Apr/ar_news_040507.asp#story3 Shuff cleared to hear case], ''Factoria Review Times'', April 5, 2007</ref> In May, McGuire testified that the degree was based on a combination of life experience and transferred credits from courses he took at the U.S. Air Force Community College. The judge in the case ruled that McGuire "earned his degree", noting evidence that McGuire had helped search for bodies at the [[World Trade Center]] site after the September 2001 terrorist attacks, had attended the [[FBI Academy]], had assisted in the search for Olympic Park bomber [[Eric Robert Rudolph]], and had served in [[Operation Desert Storm]]. With regard to the diploma awarded to the dog, the judge said that "This court finds no similarity between those two degrees."<ref>Jennifer Feehan, [http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070516/NEWS02/705160412 "Fostoria police chief is acquitted: Judge tries to clarify matters in tampering case"], ''Toledo Blade'', May 16, 2007</ref> ===Louise Wightman=== In May 2007 [[Louise Wightman]] of [[Norwell, Massachusetts]], was convicted of [[fraud]] and [[larceny]] for misrepresenting herself as a licensed [[psychologist]] and for falsely advertising that she held a doctorate in psychology. Part of her crime was claiming to have a Ph.D. based on having received a degree from Concordia. She holds a valid [[master's degree]] and devoted five years of study to a Ph.D. program which she did not complete. She is therefore legally qualified to use the term "psychotherapist" but not "psychologist" according to state licensing requirements. She told the [[jury]] that she felt she had earned a Ph.D., so she paid about $1,300 to obtain her degree (Ph.D. with a major in psychology) over the Internet from Concordia College and University.<ref>[http://www.boston.com/news/globe/city_region/breaking_news/2007/05/_george_rizergl.html Ex-stripper found guilty in fraud psychology case] by Megan Tench and Andrew Ryan, ''[[The Boston Globe]]'', May 4, 2007.</ref> This credential ultimately proved to be worthless. <ref>Also see [http://164.109.57.252//dynamic/images/stories/undercover/fake_diploma.html "Fake diploma"], ''Fox 25 Undercover'', Fox News, Boston, May 18, 2005, for the story of her indictment in 2005.</ref> ==References== <!--See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags--> {{reflist}} ==See also== * [[Diploma mill]] * [[List of unaccredited institutions of higher learning]] * [[Educational accreditation]] == External links == * [http://www.concordia-college.net/ http://www.concordia-college.net/] * [http://www.cu-edu.us/ http://www.cu-edu.us/] * [http://www.concordia-university.net http://www.concordia-university.net] * [http://www.concordia.intec.edu/ http://www.concordia.intec.edu/] [[Category:Unaccredited institutions of higher learning]] [[Category:For-profit universities and colleges]] [[Category:Résumé frauds and controversies]]