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To the Editor:
I read with great interest all of the articles regarding diploma mills in The Chronicle's June 25 issue, but I am disturbed by defining nonaccredited universities as mills. Since my institution, Kennedy-Western University, is specifically mentioned in the series, I want to respond. ...
In "What's a Diploma Mill?," your reporters acknowledge at the outset that the Council for Higher Education Accreditation says "there is no single, agreed-upon definition" of a diploma mill. Yet in the past year there has been a growing effort to define nonaccredited universities as diploma mills merely because they operate online. This is intellectually dishonest and a grave disservice to consumers and students. ...
The definition put forth by Alan Contreras on his Web site generally makes sense. The problem is that Mr. Contreras has made no effort to determine whether his criteria apply to Kennedy-Western. If he had, my institution would not be on his list of mills. ...
Would a diploma mill invest the significant sums of money that Kennedy-Western has to provide degree programs of academic integrity comparable to those of traditional universities? A diploma mill wouldn't choose to be licensed in a state that requires a $100,000 annual performance bond. ... Kennedy-Western has made these investments and many others.
All of our professors have degrees from accredited universities. Three-quarters of them have doctorates, the balance master's degrees. ...
Many of our professors also teach at major traditional universities. ... Many of our professors' profiles are listed on our Web site for all to see. None have any ownership stake in Kennedy- Western. ...
At best, it is flippant for The Chronicle to suggest that professors "moonlight" at Kennedy-Western. Other accredited institutions have no full-time professors either. However, our professors actively participate in the development of the curriculum and the selection of textbooks, and -- unlike at some other accredited online universities -- our professors actually teach all of their courses. ...
Unlike the diploma mills you mention, Kennedy-Western University has never sought accreditation from the World Association of Universities and Colleges, which obviously maintains criteria that don't reflect our academic rigor, faculty standards, and systems of learning management and delivery. ...
Unlike many diploma mills, our offices aren't hidden in some out-...