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Washington International University
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Washington International University is an
unaccredited institution of
higher education founded in 1994 and currently incorporated in the
British Virgin Islands. It describes itself as a "university without borders," serving clients from around the world via
distance education. The university website states that WIU's graduates have come from 112 countries.
The name "Washington International University" is used in promotional materials for other unaccredited distance learning institutions. There are no known accredited institutions by this name, but at least four accredited Washington universities exist: the
University of Washington,
Washington State University,
Washington University in St. Louis and
George Washington University (see "Similarity of names" section, below).
Contents
[
hide]
[edit] Academic programs
The school offers
bachelor's,
master's and
doctoral degrees in business,
liberal arts and engineering.
[1]
The school offers "traditional" and "accelerated"
degree programs. The traditional programs require students to complete just ten courses for a bachelor's degree and eight for a master's, along with a senior research project.
[2] The accelerated degree program allows completion of any degree within one year. For the accelerated program, according to the university's website, "There are no
textbooks to read,
curriculum to follow or formal exams to take." For either a bachelor's or a master's degree, a student must submit three book reports on books selected by the student's advisor and a research paper on a topic related to the student's field of study. For the doctorate, students must complete a
thesis under the guidance of an instructor.
[3]
The university points out on its Web site that its course materials "use simple language so that an average person can understand what is written."
[4]
The school's website lists seven faculty members, including two with doctorates, one with Ed.D, three with master's degrees and one with a
J.D. degree.
[5] According to a newspaper report in 2002, Karademir called the faculty "advisers", not "professors".
[6]
[edit] Accreditation status and recognition of degrees
The university has not sought
educational accreditation[7] and does not have a
campus. As of March 2010, the
Oregon Office of Degree Authorization states on its website that WIU is located in the British Virgin Islands and that its degrees are not recognized.
[8]
Lack of accreditation has consequences for WIU degree holders in some circumstances. For instance, the Michigan Civil Service Commission lists WIU among unaccredited institutions "from which degrees will not be accepted [...] to satisfy educational requirements indicated on job specifications."
[9]
The
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) lists degrees awarded from WIU as "substandard," meaning according to the THECB in this case, "a degree... conferred outside the United States by an institution that the Coordinating Board determines is not the equivalent of an accredited or authorized degree." The THECB describes WIU as having "[n]o accreditation from a CB (Coordinating Board) recognized accreditor. British Virgin Islands does not have postsecondary oversight capability."
[10]
[edit] History and locations
The school was founded in the mid-1990s and, as of 1998, was
incorporated in
Hawaii and the British Virgin Islands, although it was based in
Pennsylvania and owned by Yil Karademir, of
Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, who ran the university with his wife. According to
The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Hawaii location was meant for forwarding mail and telephone calls to the school's location on the mainland. As of 1998 a building pictured on WIU's website was "where the head of Washington University receives mail and messages", but a two-story house on a residential street in Bryn Mawr was the school's registrar's office where a staff of four took calls from students. Karademir explained to the
Inquirer that we "We are entrepreneurs, we are not educators."
[11]
Before 1998, the institution now called "Washington International University" used the name "Washington University," but Karademir added "International" to the name in June 1998 as part of the settlement of a lawsuit filed by
Washington University in St. Louis.
[12] Lawyers from the latter institution had accused Washington International of being "nothing more than a
diploma mill",
[11] but Mr. Karademir of Washington International University disputed this characterization.
[12]
The institution's incorporation in Hawaii was dissolved March 1, 2000.
[13] Earlier, the state of Hawaii had brought legal action against the school, alleging that it had deceived consumers by failing to disclose its lack of accreditation.
[14] The parties settled the case in 1999; one of the requirements of the settlement was that Washington International dissolve its Hawaii corporation and not promote itself as being incorporated in or registered by the state of Hawaii.
[15]
According to
Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning, Washington International started listing a
South Dakota mailing address in mid-2000.
[16] In 2002 the
Argus Leader in
Sioux Falls, South Dakota reported that the school had a "small, broom closet-sized office" in that city but no employees. The school used a local secretarial service to answer the telephone and forward mail, and a local lawyer as an agent.
[6] For some period thereafter, completed applications to the institution were requested to be forwarded the Student Communication Center in
Pennsylvania.
[17] Similarly, as of February 2008, the university asks prospective students to forward completed application forms to the Washington Educational Organization in
Wilmington, Delaware, and the form states that it is incorporated in British Virgin Islands.
[18]
[edit] Prominent graduates
[edit] Similarity of names
According to
Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning, a different institution calling itself Washington International University, stated to be registered in
Delaware but using an address in
Kowloon, Hong Kong, marketed itself on the Internet beginning in 2002.
[16]
Another Washington International University, based in
Encino, California, advertises itself on the Internet as a
distance education provider, offering associate's, bachelor's, and MBA programs, all in the field of business.
[21] Its website domain, losangelessoftware.com, does not match the institution name and is not on the .edu
TLD.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Web page titled "Degree Programs Offered & Tuition" Washington International University website. Retrieved February 24, 2008
- ^ "Degree Programs - Self Study", Washington International University website. Retrieved February 24, 2008
- ^ "Degree Programs - Accelerated", Washington International University website. Retrieved February 24, 2008
- ^ Web page titled "Why Choose Washington International University?" Washington International University website. Retrieved February 24, 2008
- ^ Web page titled "The Faculty", Washington International University website. Retrieved February 24, 2008
- ^ a b Williams, Lee, "Degree-for-a-fee Web colleges have connections to Sioux Falls", Argus Leader of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, June 16, 2002, page 1
- ^ Degree Granting Authority, Washington International University website (accessed February 22, 2008). "WIU has never applied for, nor ever used any government funds or seek any accreditation."
- ^ Unaccredited Colleges, Oregon Student Assistance Commission, [Office of Degree Authorization (accessed March 8, 2010)
- ^ Web page titled "Colleges and Universities Not Accredited by CHEA" at the website of the state of Michigan, retrieved April 26, 2010
- ^ Web page titled "Institutions Whose Degrees are Illegal to Use in Texas" at the website of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, retrieved April 26, 2010
- ^ a b Raghavan, Sudarsan, "College by mail told: Stop cribbing name / Washington University in Missouri sues unaccredited namesake in Bryn Mawr," Philadelphia Inquirer, page 1. As archived online at NewsBank, inc. A Premier Information Provider, March 31, 1998. Retrieved from Newsbank website February 24, 2007 (subscription required)
- ^ a b Technology: Easy Degrees Proliferate on the Web, by David Koeppel, The New York Times, August 2, 1998
- ^ Washington International University, Hawaii Department of Commerce & Consumer Affairs (accessed February 21, 2008)
- ^ Complaint and Summons, State of Hawaii vs. Washington International University, Hawaii Department of Commerce & Consumer Affairs, January 25, 1999
- ^ Stipulated Permanent Injunction and Final Judgment Against Defendant Washington International University, Inc. fka Washington University, Inc., Circuit Court of the First Circuit, State of Hawaii, November 23, 1999
- ^ a b Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning, By John Bear and Mariah P. Bear, 2003, Ten Speed Press, ISBN 1580084311, page 223
- ^ Washington International University application form, archived June 16, 2004
- ^ Application, Washington International University (accessed February 21, 2008)
- ^ Kabila's official biographies list a bachelor's degree in international studies and diplomacy from Washington International University (see DRC: Key Figures in Congo's Electoral Process, IRIN Africa, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 28 June 2006)
- ^ Leah Janzen, "Tory candidate's PhD comes under scrutiny", Winnipeg Free Press, 14 January 2006, A15.
- ^ Washington International University (California) website
[edit] External links