Faux-degree plans on hold?
I am in despair, Dear Ones. I was all set to go full speed ahead with my plans to obtain a few faux doctoral degrees, as I’ve discussed here previously. After reviewing numerous institutions of higher earning…I mean, learning, I had pretty much narrowed my search down to a couple of prestigious universities: Belford University and The University of Metaphysics. I was quite excited about these schools, as I noted in a recent blog post (second item). And I was saving up my hard-earned money to buy some impressive degrees.
But then – wouldn’t you know it! – some of our local CBS (Channel 11, KHOU) news guys went and rained on my parade. Those journalists! They’re always ruining things for the rest of us. The story that caught my eye last night on Channel 11 was one of those exposé-type pieces about phony degrees, reported by a young muckraker named Mark Greenblatt. It seems that some of our city and state officials in Texas, as well as a university professor or two, have been lured by the siren song of bought credentials, and some folks are pretty unhappy about it. Here's the online version of the story.
I learned from this story that the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) maintains a list entitled, Institutions Whose Degrees are Illegal to Use in Texas. With my heart in my mouth – well, actually, it was still in my chest, but it was beating more rapidly than usual – I jumped onto the THECB page and, much to my dismay, saw several familiar names on this list.
For example, there’s Belford University, which has "locations" in Houston as well as in Pakistan and United Arab Emirates. Here’s the scoop on Belford, according to the THECB: "No degree-granting authority from the CB & no accreditation from a CB [Coordinating Board] recognized accreditor. Under investigation by the AG [Attorney General] for operating from a mail forwarding service in Houston. Diplomas mailed from the UAE. Previously had a presence in NV or AZ."
Well, that still left The University of Metaphysics, I thought, hoping against hope. But my hopes were dashed when I saw that it, too, was on the THECB "illegal" list: "No accreditation from a CB recognized accreditor. AKA University of Sedona." [GOOD NEWS! See update at the end of this post. ~CC]***
Gosh darn it.
But really, what’s the big fat hairy deal, as Garfield the Cat might have said? So what if a phony degree is "illegal?" It’s not like rape or murder or robbery or fraud.
Well, okay, so maybe it is fraud, of a sort. And in the state of Texas, depending upon how one attempts to use that phony degree, it is a punishable offense:
The Texas Penal Code (Section 32.52) prohibits the use of fraudulent or substandard degrees "in a written or oral advertisement or other promotion of a business; or with the intent to: obtain employment; obtain a license or certificate to practice a trade, profession, or occupation; obtain a promotion, a compensation or other benefit, or an increase in compensation or other benefit, in employment or in the practice of a trade, profession, or occupation; obtain admission to an educational program in this state; or gain a position in government with authority over another person, regardless of whether the actor receives compensation for the position." Violation of this law is a Class B misdemeanor.
According to the Texas penal code (§ 12.22), a Class B misdemeanor is punishable by "(1) a fine not to exceed $2,000; (2) confinement in jail for a term not to exceed 180 days; or (3) both such fine and confinement."
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m sure there are many money-making ops in jail – and especially after jail, particularly if you’re Paris Hilton (if you follow that link, scroll down to the third item). And heck, a $2,000.00 fine is nothing compared to the infinite amount of ready cash in the Universe.
Nevertheless I think I’ll pass.
I’m sure some of you are still saying, "Oh, Cosmic Connie, so what? Give it a rest already! This is much ado about nothing. After all, accreditation is an arbitrary tool of the establishment, and it’s no reflection on real merit."
Hmmm.
You know what? Maybe you’re right. Maybe I shouldn’t be so squeamish. After all, I’m not planning on running for public office, where every detail of one’s past, present and future is scrutinized. I’m shooting for the non-thinking public, people who are so gullible and worshipful that they never bother to question credentials. If a phony doctorate can work so well for so many New-Wage gurus, why can’t it work for an intrepid blogger?
Plus, as I’ve noted before, why earn your degree the hard way, if you can buy it the easy way?
Thank you for letting me get this off my chest, Dear Ones. I feel better already. And as an added bonus, I’ve just discovered another really good university which seems legit, because they have stringent admissions standards. I’m hoping they have a good doctoral program.
PS - Phony degrees are not just a Texas thing, of course, and not just a US phenomenon. Take a look at the articles and links on the Diploma Mill News blog.
(My recently expressed idea about getting a doctorate for Rex The Farting Dog was not that far-fetched; here's a link to an article about a kitty cat who got an MBA.)
And here's another interesting and informative site about the law (state, US, and international) and phony degrees.
PPS - Type "phony degrees" into Google and you get some very interesting "sponsored-link" results. This is the one case in which those scam schools who sell these phony degrees are actually being honest about their phoniness, but they're not going to pass up a selling op. Is this the ultimate in cynicism, or just great marketing – or both?
*** UPDATE added on 8 May, 2009: A commenter going by the moniker I.A.T.H. pointed out to me that the University of Metaphysics/University of Sedona are no longer on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) "Illegal" list. According to this person, the institutions were mistakenly placed there and have since been removed (you can read this person's full comment by clicking here). I have sent an email to the THECB web site asking for more details. My guess is that since U of Metaphysics/Sedona go to some pains to define themselves as "non-secular," they are outside the jurisdiction of the THECB. In any case, I wanted to be fair and inform you, as my commenter suggested I do, that these institutions are no longer on the Texas s--t list.
Do you realize what this means, Dear Ones? Not only does it mean that a certain person I've snarked about here has only one fraudulent doctorate (legally speaking) instead of two, but it also means that maybe I really can realize my dream of getting a flaky degree without running afoul of the law. Who said the Universe wasn't on my side?
Labels: Body mind soul and wallet, Joe Vitale, Phony degrees
posted by Cosmic Connie @ 8:00 PM
11 Comments:
Oh, Cosmic Connie, so what? Give it a rest already! This is much ado about nothing. After all, accreditation is an arbitrary tool of the establishment, and it’s no reflection on real merit.
Blissings!
Dr. Robert
The big question is: Are you fully certified to bestow blissings, Dr. Robert? Doesn't matter; it's good to see you here!
Blessings - Sad thing is that some people actually buy that kind of reasoning. Perhaps I should go buy myself a degree or two! :-)
Buy a couple for me while you're at it, Ron. Maybe they'll give us a quantity discount. :-)
Anybody who thinks the UOM is a diploma mill is out of their mind. Diploma mills simply grant you a degree under a phony name for peanuts. UOM doesn't simply grant degrees, one has to work their behiney off to get it by writing, writing, writing and more writing -- not to mention the reading and research involved. This is hogwash. Who gives a dinky if the State of Texas doesn't approve. It's all about US and how we feel about the degree program. I learned something from it and I am using this learning in a home based business that is really helping others. How many businesses can say that from the heart? Honestly now, I am weary of the bashing that this lauded learning system provides. For me, its about moving forward and that doesn't have to take place in a classroom. I've spent hours upon hours in different schools and guess what? When I moved to Maryland, the credits didn't count! Imagine .. over 60 credits and they meant nothing and all from 'accredited' schools of learning, like St. John Fishers in Rochester, BOCES in NY State, FIT in NY (oh . they would take 9 credits from there!), NALS (National Association of Legal Secretaries) and the PLS certification program (supposed to be 45 credits ... uhhhh... nope!, Drake Business School --- its all non-usable toward a degree anywhere I've attempted to use them. The UOM courses are wonderful and really give you what you need to continue on in your chosen field of Metaphysics. It is a viable career for those inclined to follow its path. Quit dissin on it.
Barbara (or Dolphyn, as the case may be), you make a good point about the inconsistencies in, and sometimes arbitrary nature of, the accreditation system.
I won't bother to address the core issue of the validity of metaphysics as a course of study; I'll leave that task to others.
However, what I am "dissin on," as you put it, is the general tendency of people with "unconventional" degrees (whether those degrees were earned or outright purchased) to exploit the degrees to increase their professional credibility. Then when they are criticized about it, they say, "So what? The accreditation system is a joke anyway." So on the one hand, they're attempting to use a conventional method -- an advanced degree -- to establish credibility. At the same time they are saying that these conventions are in essence meaningless. Thus many of the metaphysically oriented degree-holders seem to want to have it both ways.
"Who gives a dinky if the State of Texas doesn't approve?" you ask. Actually, my reference to the illegality of certain schools' degrees in the State of Texas was directly related to the fact that I live in Texas. More significantly, so does an increasingly well-known spiritual/marketing guru who obtained his "degrees" from the institutions --- U.O.M. and Belford University -- that I named in my post. He has been called on this by several folks but has ignored the criticism, and continues to refer to himself as "Dr.", as do many of his fawning followers.
I have no doubt that possessing a masters or doctoral degree in metaphysics or some other "out-there" field will give a person credibility in some circles. And if your experience at the University of Metaphysics/University of Sedona has paid off for you, Barbara/Dolphyn, more power to you.
Apropos of that -- and pardon the digression -- I think about all of those ads I see in the New-Wage freebie rags for Intuitive Counselors and various sorts of "readers." I wonder how many people who try to establish a home-based business in metaphysics, with or without a degree from a metaphysical university, are really able to make a living at it -- without being subsidized by a spouse or partner with a real job.
In the world at large, having a degree from the University of Metaphysics or some similar institution -- no matter how hard you worked to get it -- generally won't buy you much. Is that unfair? Maybe, but that's the way things currently are.
Great blog, Cosmic Connie ...
These hucksters of pop spirituality are con artists and snake oil salsemen, after all.
Thanks, Rob.
Thanks Cosmic Connie, for us who had to go deeply into debt to get real degrees from real universities, nothing is as deplorable as the new-age phony Ph.D.s, and Dr.s. cropping up everywhere. Thank you. I've earned my degrees with 6-7 credit course a semester and many, many semesters.
Hate to bring up an old subject, but I believe it is merited. On Oct 23, 2007, you wrote: "Well, that still left The University of Metaphysics, I thought, hoping against hope. But my hopes were dashed when I saw that it, too, was on the THECB "illegal" list: "No accreditation from a CB recognized accreditor. AKA University of Sedona."
I think you should know, and in turn, you should tell your readers that both the University Of Metaphysics and the University Of Sedona were mistakenly placed on THECB list - and since your article was published ,they have been removed!
This is important for a number of reasons. First, once something untrue or defamatory gets published on the internet, it is extremely hard to correct, as people will continually refer back and quote to it.
Second, As you can tell from the tone of the THECB web site, these are really hard core people that ain’t taking any B. S. from anybody. And if, after an investigation of both the University Of Metaphysics and the University Of Sedona, they have removed them from their list of nasty rip offs and diploma mills, that has got to be saying something about the legitimacy of the Universities.
I am not privy to the entire process, but I know that The THECB people were asked to remove the universities from their list, and that in reply, the THECB then proceeded in an in-depth investigation into them. They began with the biased conclusion that they were fakes, and ended up eating a bit of humble pie and removing both the universities from their list. If you know anything about government, you know how hard it is to get any government agency to admit a mistake, let alone correct it.
I can tell you that the THECB had to have found that Metaphysics, especially New Thought Metaphysics, is a recognized and established religious philosophy (Think Unity, Religious Science, etc... Unity, by the way has a very beautiful church in your neck of the woods…. Houston Texas ) Both universities teach and grant degrees exclusively in New Thought Metaphysics as well documented in their web sites.
To come down on either of these universities is to come down on any and all religious institution which grant degrees in the study of their specific religious philosophy – of which there are many… both in number, and denomination.
We are in agreement about much of the chicanery and outright foolishness involved in the New Age field, and you should know that the universities, as well as their founder has been a strong voice for exposing the rip offs and scams in the field for over 50 years.
In conclusion, both universities are recognized by the federal government as being able to grant religious degrees in the field of New Thought Metaphysics, and have been so for nearly half a century – long before metaphysics and new age became the catch phrases and invitations to scams that they now are.
New Thought Metaphysics is as legitimate a philosophy as Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, Unitarian, Catholic, or any other religious belief system. So to be fair, you should either correct the record on University Of Metaphysics, or get started on all the other recognized and established denominations out there.
Thank you for your comment, I.A.T.H. As you can see, I've made the correction on my post, via an addendum.
I am well aware of the history of New Thought and am quite familiar with Unity; my partner Ron and I used to attend that very church in Houston (that's where we met), and we still have a few dear friends who attend. I guess you could call the new church building beautiful; some of us refer to it as Caesar's Palace.
While I recognize that New Thought Metaphysics is, on one level, just another religion/philosophy/way of life, on another level it is not. It is far more loosely defined, and more inclusive, than most established denominations. Not that there's anything intrinsically wrong with that. (If I were forced to go to church, I'd pick Unity over a Baptist or Methodist church any day.)
However, because of its "open-mindedness," New Thought stuff does seem to lend itself more to craziness and downright silliness than, say, Lutheranism. That's one reason that traditional organized religion in general is beyond the scope of this blog. (The other reason, quite frankly, is that traditional religionists --not just Christians, of course -- have a tendency to react more violently when criticized than do New-Age types.)
Anyway, thanks again for your comments.
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