Maxine Asher
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maxine Klein Asher (born August 15, 1930, Chicago, Illinois), an Atlantis researcher who founded and operates American World University, an institution which sells degrees, and the World Association of Universities and Colleges, an institution which "accredits" American World University, as well as other universities selling mail-order degrees which pay for accreditation by that body.
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[edit] Personal life
Raised in California, Asher earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and after graduation, worked as a public school teacher.[1] She later returned to school and earned a master's degree in ancient history from California State University, Northridge, a doctorate in education from Walden University, and a doctorate in linguistics from the University of Granada.[1] She is married with three children, and suffers from fibromyalgia.[1]
[edit] Atlantis research
In 1973, Asher organized an expedition, sponsored by Pepperdine University, in search of the mythical continent of Atlantis off the coast of Cadiz, Spain. Consisting of 70 teachers, students, and other interesed parties, the members of the expedition planned to skin dive along the coast of Spain and Morocco, seeking evidence of the lost island. Employed at the time by Pepperdine as an audiovisual instruction expert, Asher expressed confidence from the onset that the trip would be a success.[2]
The group subsequently claimed to have discovered and photographed Atlantean artifacts, but they were forced to seek refuge in Ireland after running afoul of the Spanish government, who believed that they were spies. Asher claims that there were murder attempts, and that at one point she was forced to jump from a moving car to evade kidnappers.[1] She has written an unproduced screenplay about her Spanish experiences.[1]
Asher has continued her studies of Atlantis-related topics. She is the director of the Ancient Mediterranean Research Association, an organization she co-founded with Julian Nava, and she has written or co-written several books on Atlantis. Her car's vanity license plate is "ATLANTS".[1]
Asher has claimed to have psychic abilities, and credits these abilities with helping her find Atlantis, as "the highly civilized people of Atlantis also were very psychic".[1] She has also claimed that her discoveries have been suppressed by "the Jews and the Catholics" because the discovery of Atlantis would contradict the teachings of the Bible.[1]
[edit] Higher education
Asher is the founder of American World University, a postsecondary distance learning institution which is commonly considered to be a diploma mill. The school, which was founded in 1990, awards course credits for life experiences and does not require fluency in English.[3] Foreign students make up more than 90% of the "student body",[3] which consists of approximately 7,000 people[1]. Tuition costs vary by country, and international students are attracted through local representatives, who handle regional advertising and in return receive half of the money they generate as a finder's fee.[1]
AWU does not have a physical campus. It was based in Iowa City, Iowa until forced out by the passage of new state legislation governing postsecondary institutions in 2000.[3] AWU relocated to Rapid City, South Dakota, but was forced to move again by the creation of a similar law.[3] It is currently based in Mississippi, with some operations such as the grading of papers also taking place at Asher's home[3] in Westwood, California. The school also has a branch in Brazil, where Brazilian government officials estimate that it generated revenues in excess of four million dollars over its first two years in that country.[3]
AWU is accredited only by the World Association of Universities and Colleges, an accrediting body founded by Asher which is not recognized by the United States Department of Education. Founded in 1993, the WAUC offers or offered accreditation to several institutions which have been classified as diploma mills by the federal government or state governments, including Lacrosse University, Columbus University, and Madison University. Neither AWU nor the WAUC are officially recognized by either the US Department of Education or the District-based Council on Higher Education Accreditation.[4]
A degree-fraud expert who has worked with the FBI has described AWU as "dreadful, useless, and terrible",[3] while a former temporary employee describes the operation as a "total fraud", stating that Asher told her to write comments on students' papers "so that students would feel like they were being read".[3]
Asher has defended the academic rigor of AWU's curriculum, stating, "We're not Harvard, we're not Princeton, but I think we do a very credible job educating people."[4] She claims that AWU is modeled on a fusion of American and European approaches to higher education.[1]
[edit] Bibliography
- Discovering Atlantis
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- Ancient Mediterranean Research Association (unknown binding) - 1974, 114 pages
- Ancient Energy: Key to the Universe
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- Harper & Row (unknown binding) - 1979, 181 pages, ISBN 0060603989
- Tapping Into the Force (with Ann Miller)
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- Hampton Roads Pub. Co. Inc. (hardcover) - 1990, 194 pages, ISBN 0-9624375-2-2
- The Atlantis Conspiracy
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- Selene Books (paperback) - 1991, 110 pages, ISBN 0-933601-20-4
- The Waves of Atlantis
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- Bookhenge (paperback) - 1997, 136 pages, ISBN 0-7734-8525-2
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Maxine Asher Has a Degree for You", Thomas Bartlett and Scott Smallwood, the Chronicle of Higher Education, published June 25, 2004, accessed February 22, 2007.
- ^ "College Credit for Fun", Time Magazine, published July 16, 1973, accessed February 22, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "'Stealth U' in Iowa City duped many, experts say", Ryan J. Foley, The Daily Iowan, published January 27, 2003, accessed February 21, 2007.
- ^ a b "Johnson Deputy Defends Degree - Unaccredited School Granted Doctorate", Paul Schwartzman, The Washington Post, p. B1, published May 21, 2004, accessed February 22, 2007.
