American Central University

American Central University (ACU) was an unaccredited distance learning private, for-profit[1] university licensed by the state of Wyoming in 2004.[2][3] The Oregon Office of Degree Authorization stated that the institution may be run from Malaysia.[4]

Controversy

According to the Associated Press, "For not having even one qualified instructor in Wyoming, the (Wyoming Board of Education) prepared last fall [2004] to pull the school's license—only to have the process bog down while state attorneys deliberate how to do that."[3]

American Central University was investigated for offering students false degrees from state universities through their online courses.

The Associated Press noted, "Wyoming licensed a Laramie-based online school last year even as its owner helped direct a Hawaii online school that was offering illegal medical degrees and was later shut down by a judge."[3] The article further explained, "The owner of American Central University, Adalat Khan, was the Malaysian regional director for American University of Hawaii, a fact that Wyoming education officials concede they overlooked in the documents Khan provided on his background."[3]

In July 2006 Wyoming passed a law requiring all schools to either have accreditation or be a candidate for it.[5] ACU applied for accreditation one day prior to the deadline, July 1, 2006, after which the law gives schools five years to get the accreditation.

Affiliations

American Central University claimed to be affiliated with the Mina Resource/Mina Management Institute in Malaysia.[3][6] Adalat Khan was the director/president of Mina Management Institute.[6]

It has been reported that "Khan runs a school in Perak, Malaysia, called the Mina Management Institute. For a time, American Central and American University of Hawaii were listed next to each other on the Mina Management Institute Web site as "distinguished partners" of the institute."[3][7] Adalat Khan's doctorate was bestowed in 1999 by the now defunct American University of Hawaii.[3]

The Oregon Office of Degree Authorization at one time said that "A web site called International DETC that recently emerged as part of an unaccredited entity called American Central University, is a fraudulent attempt to hijack the genuine DETC name and school list in order to advance the goals of a diploma mill. The diploma mill is probably operating out of Wyoming and/or Malaysia."[4][8]

Accreditation status

ACU was not accredited by any organization recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation or the United States Department of Education. The use of unaccredited degree titles may be legally restricted or illegal in some jurisdictions.[9] Jurisdictions that have restricted or made illegal the use of credentials from unaccredited schools include Oregon,[10][11] Michigan,[12] Maine,[13] North Dakota,[11] New Jersey,[11][14] Washington,[10][15] Nevada,[10][16] Illinois,[10] Indiana,[10] Texas[17][18] and Korea.[19] Many other states are also considering restrictions on the use of degrees from unaccredited institutions.[20]

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See also

References
  1. Profit Corporation - Domestic Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, ACU filing at Secretary of State's Office, Wyoming. Retrieved 16 January 2008
  2. "Private School Registration". Wyoming Department of Education. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved April 11, 2008.
  3. Mead Gruver (March 12, 2005). "Tie to illegal degrees doesn't block Wyo. school licensing". Casper Star Tribune. Retrieved February 20, 2007.
  4. Warning - fake DETC web site: Archived October 15, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Oregon Office of Degree Authorization
  5. Schools seek accreditation, by Mead Gruver, Casper Star Tribune, July 03, 2006
  6. Mina Institute Approvals page Archived July 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  7. About Us, Archive of MINA Management Institute web page,
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-01-08. Retrieved 2009-08-18.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. Diploma Mills and Accreditation Archived August 26, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, U.S. Department of Education
  10. Unaccredited Colleges Archived July 15, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Oregon Office of Degree Authorization
  11. State mulls online learning Archived January 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine by the Associated Press, Billings Gazette, January 30, 2005
  12. Colleges and Universities not accredited by CHEA Archived June 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Michigan Education and Children's Services
  13. Accredited and Non-Accredited Colleges and Universities Archived June 6, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Maine's List of Non-Accredited Post-Secondary Schools
  14. Disputed degrees spur state changes, The New Jersey Star-Ledger, September 4, 2008
  15. Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board Archived January 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Washington Consumer Information
  16. Use of False or Misleading Degrees Archived December 24, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Nevada statute NRS 394.700
  17. Institutions Whose Degrees are Illegal to Use in Texas Archived May 10, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
  18. Two less doctors in the house - Hebert, Wilson back away from Ph.D.'s issued by ‘diploma mills', by Stephen Palkot, Fort Bend Herald, September 28, 2007
  19. Guide to teaching English in Korea Archived April 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Koreapot.com
  20. Is Oregon the only state that disallows use of unaccredited degrees? Archived August 30, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Oregon Office of Degree Authorization
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