| Columbia Pacific University | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1978–2000 |
| Type | Non-traditional; Distance Learning |
| Location | San Rafael, California, USA |
Columbia Pacific University (CPU) was an unaccredited nontraditional distance learning school in California.[1] It was founded in 1978 by Richard Crews,[2] a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, and Lester Carr, a former president of Lewis University,[3] and operated with state approval. Distance learning and education authority John Bear gave "high marks" to the school in his 1982 "Bear's Guide to Non-Traditional College Degrees, 8th edition." [4]
CPU was closed by California court order in 2000.[5] The court also ruled that CPU had granted degrees legally between 1978 and mid-1997, a period when it was approved for operation by the State of California.[5]
CPU alumni acquired all rights to the CPU name and registered a "Columbia Pacific University" non-profit organization in Delaware.[6] The CPU Press continues its publication program.[7]
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In 1983, after four years of operating under a basic authorization licensing, CPU's programs in administration and management received institutional approval from the California Department of Education. On June 2, 1986, the California Department of Education granted all of CPU's programs full institutional approval for a three-year period, ruling that CPU's curricula met California Education Code Section 94310(b)'s statutory requirement of being "consistent in quality with curricula offered by appropriate established accredited institutions which are recognized by the United States Department of Education."[8]
In 1989 California passed the Private Postsecondary Education Act, changing state regulations for approved schools in 1989.[9] The Act placed CPU under the authority of the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education (BPPVE). The BPPVE was not a recognized accreditor, nor did its approval serve as a substitute for educational accreditation. State approval was, however, a prerequisite in order for a private institution to become accredited.[10] BPPVE informational materials stated "Approval is not the same as accreditation."[10]
In 1994 Marin County inspectors discovered eight permitless dormitories on CPU founder Les Carr's property. Marin County officials cited Carr for "multiple zoning, safety, and health violations". Carr was forced to remove the dormitories, as well as to remove references to the property as "a retreat center on a beautiful 14-acre (57,000 m2) ranch in northern Marin county" in CPU's promotional literature.[11]
An August 1995 site visit committee of the Council for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education found that CPU had not met the new regulations. It failed the 1995 visit on the basis of 88 points. The council's review of CPU listed numerous violations of academic standards, including:
On November 15, 1995, CPU submitted a response challenging the CPPVE findings. CPU's response argued that the CPPVE's August report “is grossly in error in most details, as documented in the 86 errors of fact enumerated”, and therefore argued that the CPPVE report was "utterly unreliable as an objective and thorough evaluation of CPU.”[13]
CPU's response argued that the CPPVE Visiting Committee’s review of CPU dissertations was based on superficial judgments. In “Error of Fact No. 27,” for example, CPU's response says that the complaint about the lack of “evidence of competency in statistical research” was erroneous because “many dissertations do not require statistical analysis”. In "Error of Fact No. 28" and "Error of Fact No. 31", regarding CPPVE's finding that a Ph.D. dissertation was submitted in Spanish and reviewed by faculty who could not speak the language, CPU responded that the indicated student "provided an authenticated English translation" and had been working with a Spanish-fluent mentor who resided in Venezuela.[13]
CPPVE director Kenneth Miller issued CPU a Denial of Application for Approval in December 1995.
CPU administrators appealed the decision to close the school, but an administrative court judge ruled against the appeal on June 10, 1997. Among other items, the administrative appeals judge found that CPU:
In the state's 1997 lawsuit to compel CPU to close, California Deputy Attorney General Asher Rubin called the correspondence school "a diploma mill which has been preying on California consumers for too many years" and "a consumer fraud, a complete scam". The suit also referred to Columbia Pacific University as a "phony operation" offering "totally worthless [degrees]...to enrich its unprincipled promoters".[12]
On December 2, 1999, the Marin County Superior Court ordered the school be shut down,[14] also levying $10,000 in fines against CPU for its "deceptive and unfair practices" in operating without authorization and failing to disclose its status to prospective students during the appeals process. Judge Lynn Duryee noted in her decision that "The decision is not whether or not the students are dissatisfied... I mean that is not the test. It's like saying, you know, that prostitution should not be illegal because the customers are satisfied. It's not the test."[11]
This appeal was lost in 2000 and CPU was ordered to close. The Supreme Court of California upheld the denial of CPU's approval to operate.[5]
Soon after CPU's closure in California, founder Les Carr relocated the school to Missoula, Montana and subsequently changed its name to "Columbia Commonwealth University" (CCWU).[15][16][17] As Columbia Commonwealth University, the school obtained approval from the Republic of Malawi to operate as an educational institution in the African nation.[16][18][19] In 2001 CCWU moved to Jackson, Wyoming,[16] and was based in Rock Springs, Wyoming until it was either unable or unwilling to comply with Wyoming law. CPU founder Les Carr still serves as president of CCWU.[20][21] In 1993 Carr established Senior University International in Evanston, Wyoming, later known as Rutherford University.
California recognizes CPU degrees earned before June 25, 1997, as "legally valid" for use in the state. CPU degrees earned on or after June 25, 1997, are "not legally valid" for use in California.[5] Michigan, for state civil service jobs only, does not accept degrees from CPU[22] Oregon lists degrees from both CPU and CCWU as "unaccredited degrees" and thus prohibited for various uses under Oregon law. The use of "unaccredited degrees" in violation of this prohibition can result in civil penalties.[23] Texas also lists degrees from both CPU and CCWU as "fraudulent or substandard" and thus prohibited for various uses under Texas law. The use of "fraudulent or substandard" degrees in violation of this prohibition is a Class B misdemeanor in Texas.[24]