Concordia College and University

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See Concordia University (disambiguation) for the various unrelated educational institutions that have similar names.

Concordia College and University is an entity with a primary mailing address in Dominica that represents itself as a higher education institution that awards associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees 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.

1 Accreditation
2 Investigations
3 Alumni
4 References
5 See also
6 External links
- 6.1 Official links
- 6.2 Resources

[edit] Accreditation

Concordia College and University is not accredited by any accreditation body recognized by its country. As such, its degrees and credits might not be acceptable to employers or other institutions, and use of degree titles may be restricted or illegal in some jurisdictions. [1]

Concordia College and University claims to be recognized and accredited by the governments of Indonesia and Liberia, but it is not accredited by any 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". ^[1]

The Oregon Office of Degree Authorization lists a "Concordia University" in its list of unaccredited degree suppliers, and notes it is a Class B Misdemeanor in Oregon to use an unlawful degree. Concordia College and University also appears on a State of Michigan list of non-accredited colleges and universities.[2]

Concordia College and University claims that its degrees are recognized by the National Academy of Higher Education [3], an entity that is not recognized as a higher education accreditor by either the United States Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation^[2] and that several educational organizations identify as an unrecognized^[3]^[4] accreditation organization or accreditation mill.

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" such as "an entity called Concordia College & University" in which "many North Dakota students attend Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, located near the border of the two states."^[5] 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."^[5]

[edit] Investigations

According to John Bear, Concordia College and University has an address in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and gives degrees based on "life experience".^[6]

The East Carolinian, the student newspaper of East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina wrote, "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."^[7]

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 Web site domain is in Pakistan."^[7]

In October 2006 a Seneca County, Ohio grand jury "indicted the new police chief of Fostoria, Ohio on two felony counts of tampering with records and two misdemeanor charges of falsification involving his qualifications.^[8] The Toledo Blade noted he "obtained a criminal-justice degree from Concordia College and University, an online degree program in the Virgin Islands."

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.^[9] 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"^[10] A few weeks later it was revealed that the degree had not been awarded to the dog, but to a human. Greg Peiffer, general manager and president of Fostoria radio station WFOB, came forward as the actual purchaser of the degree, which he said was obtained with minimal effort.^[11]

[edit] Alumni

Louise Wightman – Indicted on charges she practiced for years as an unlicensed psychologist^[12]
John McGuire - Police chief of Fostoria, OH. Was indicted on charges related to misrepresenting his credentials when applying for his current position. Continues to serve as chief of police, trial was scheduled for March 2007, but delayed.^[13]