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Warren National University is a post-secondary, distance learning, unaccredited private university offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in the United States . It was established in California in 1984, and was formerly known as Kennedy-Western University. Warren National has administrative offices in Agoura Hills, California, and corporate offices in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It is named for Francis E. Warren who was the first governor of the state of Wyoming. For many years the university has been financially very successful targeting mid-career professionals. It has also been the subject of controversy and criticism due to involvement in a federal government investigation.

History

Warren National University was established as Kennedy-Western University in California in 1984.

University Name Change

According to Warren National University, the official date for the name change from Kennedy-Western University to Warren National was January 1, 2007. Warren National states the name change is a small part of a strategic initiative to introduce new resources to provide the best possible program for the online learner. The new name was selected in honor of the first governor of Wyoming, Francis E. Warren, and reflects the university's strong ties to the State of Wyoming.

In the Encyclopedia of Distributed Learning, Dr. Kjell Erik Rudestam writes, "There are some unaccredited, profit-making online universities that have achieved reported economic success. One example is Kennedy-Western University, which has significant history in serving the corporate education markets."

Campus

As a distance learning virtual institution for the mid-career adult learner, Warren National does not have a physical campus. The university operates primarily out of offices in Agoura Hills, California, and it maintains a corporate headquarters office in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Over the university's 23 years of operation, it has had mailing addresses in California, Hawaii, Idaho, and Wyoming.

The university was established in California in 1984. According to the Bears' Guide to College Degrees by Mail & Internet, "For a few years the state had a three-tiered system: authorized (the $50,000 rule) for entire schools, state approved (for specific programs within schools), or accredited. The authorized category was dropped, and approval was extended to entire schools, resulting in the two-tier system. At that time, dozens of schools closed down, and some of the big ones opened offices in other states: Kennedy-Western in Idaho (later Hawaii and Wyoming)..."

In 1998, when the state of Idaho rejected their renewal application for license to operate because of a lack of institutional accreditation, Warren National University left Idaho for Wyoming.

Mr. Gene I. Maeroff, Director of the Heichinger Institute on Education and Media at Teachers College, Columbia University and the author of A Classroom of One notes the changes occurring in higher education as a result of online learning and the lack of a traditional campus:

"What is an educational institution? It was once clear that an entity calling itself an institution of learning was supposed to have a campus, a library, a resident faculty, and classrooms where students attended courses. This is no longer the case. Online learning is redefining the concept of an educational institution. Such entities as Western Governors University, Michigan Virtual University, National Technological University, and Kennedy-Western University are virtual institutions of higher education lacking almost all of the features shared by most other universities."

Organization

In 2002, The Chronicle of Higher Education described Kennedy-Western University as a privately held entity incorporated in California and Wyoming, with headquarters in Thousand Oaks, California. Principal shareholders named in the article, based on publicly filed papers, were KWU president Paul S. Saltman of Westlake Village, California, and Joseph Benjoya. The Chronicle also cites claims from then named Kennedy-Western University, to offices in Moscow (Capital of Russia), Jakarta (Capital of Indonesia), and the Republic of Singapore back in 2002, although it is unknown at this time if such offices still exist under the institution's new name. The article stated that an Idaho education official had estimated KWU's revenue at as much as $10-million a year.

Accreditation

Warren National University is currently not accredited by any higher education accreditation body recognized in the United States. As such, its degrees and credits might not be acceptable to some employers or other institutions. For example, Warren National University graduates are not qualified for faculty positions at Warren National University, at least not based on their Warren National University degree. The primary function of accreditation is verifying that an institution meets established academic standards. The Wisconsin Education Approval Board notes, however, that accreditation is not a guarantee that credits from one institution will be accepted by another or that a prospective employer will recognize a particular degree.

The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, "...finds fault with the accreditation process itself and favors a free market or state solutions. Mr. Salisbury had no kind words for the accreditation process, which he described as a noncompetitive cartel of hidebound, quasi-governmental agencies that effectively suppresses innovations in higher education."

Licensing

Warren National University is licensed by the Wyoming Department of Education under W.S. 21-2-401 through 21-2-407. This licensure allows the university to legally conduct business in the state. However, licensing should not be confused with educational accreditation, which is a voluntary quality assurance process. Note: Licensing is insufficient in a number of states where degrees from state licensed schools that are not accredited are restricted from certain state and local position or are considered illegal. As a condition of licensing, Warren National University must meet standards contained in "Article 4: Private School Licensing." One requirement enacted July 1, 2006, by the state of Wyoming, is that a school must either be accredited, or be in the process of becoming accredited by a higher education accrediting organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. In order to continue operating in Wyoming, Warren National University applied for accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, the recognized regional accreditation agency serving the state. In the December 6 and 7, 2005 minutes of Wyoming’s Select School Finance Committee and Joint Education Interim Committee, co-chaired by state Sen. Hank Coe and state Rep. Jeff Wasserburger: “Mr. Saltman, Kennedy-Western Chief Executive Officer and President, spoke in support of accreditation. Mr. Saltman explained that candidacy status is the first big step in accreditation and accreditation would ensure the integrity of the education being provided by post secondary education institutions in Wyoming.”

Academics

Warren National University offers 18 academic degree programs. Its degree programs are grouped within its three primary schools: School of Business, School of Technology, and the School of Health Administration. Also available is the Department of General Education. The School of Business offers bachelor degrees in six concentrations; master degrees in five concentrations, and a doctorate in Business Administration. The School of Technology offers bachelor and master degrees in two concentrations. And the School of Health Administration offers bachelor and master degrees in one concentration, that of Health Administration. According to Laramie County Community College, in the KWU program in 2004, the average time for graduation is 2.4 years; the average student age is 42, with an average of eight years of work experience in the field in which they’re studying.

At the 2005 Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Warren National University faculty members gave a presentation on the method used to deliver academic courses. Andree Swanson and Keren Meier-Emerich offered the following abstract for their presentation.

"This is an example of one course, out of 500 courses offered, which demonstrates the delivery model used by Kennedy-Western University. Courses are designed using a modular format, which includes multiple self-assessment opportunities. Offered as open-entry, a student may be the only one taking the course at a given time or may be one of many enrolled at the same time. The model allows for anytime, any pace, and any place learning."

In the "Understanding New Media" book's section on virtual universities, author Kim Veltman mentions, "By leveraging the power of the internet, Kennedy-Western has refined the academic process and opened up countless opportunities to adult learners. And they used Jones e-Global Library."

In a Chronicle of Higher Education article, Kennedy-Western faculty members stated students, "...often use the same textbooks and take exams as rigorous as those offered in professors' traditional classes."

Faculty

According to spokesmen for the university and its website, 80% of the academic faculty hold doctorate degrees from accredited institutions and the remainder hold masters degrees. Mr. Bob Patterson, chief operating officer for Warren National states there are between 135 and 150 faculty members. According to an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education at least 22 professors at Warren National University are full time faculty at other state and private academic institutions.

"Most are associate or assistant professors in business, computer science, or engineering at state universities who were recruited by Kennedy-Western through mass mailings and fliers. While Mr. Gellin and some of his peers are proud of their work for Kennedy-Western, others decline to talk about it for fear that their full-time employers will frown on their second jobs, or that their colleagues will scoff at them. That's not surprising, given that many educators hold Kennedy-Western in low regard, troubled by the institution's secrecy and slick marketing, decision to avoid oversight by accrediting agencies, awarding of academic credit for work experience, and attempted moves to different states."

This information is not confirmed by Warren National University. According to the Chronicle, the university refused to disclose at the time the number of faculty, the method of compensation, the proportion of faculty that is full-time or the ownership of the institution.

In 2005 the Christian Science Monitor reported that Kennedy-Western University had become the first college in the country to screen faculty research and course materials with plagiarism-detection software. The impetus came from the faculty itself, says Susan Ishii, director of student affairs. No faculty members were found to be plagiarizing. Tim Dodd, the executive director of the Center for Academic Integrity, criticized the use of such software as undermining "the expectation of trust in a mature scholarly community." However, John Berry, founder of turnitin.com, the plagiarism software company used by Kennedy-Western said, "That would be the equivalent of saying the referee out on the basketball court erodes trust." "Soon, he predicts, it will become "the next-generation spellchecker." And according to University Business magazine, Ms. Ishii states in response to use of plagiarism-detection software, "...that traditional and online postsecondary educational institutions are at a crossroads, and we bear collective responsibility to head toward restoring and maintaining instructional credibility. The proper use of established, reliable technology can fulfill this responsibility."

Staff

In 2005, according to WebEx Communications, Inc., as part of the university's continuing effort at improvement to meet the demands of the online learner, "Kennedy-Western leveraged WebEx Sales Center to move its enrollment process from static phone conversations to interactive demonstrations of the online university experience." The university can now, "...dynamically demonstrate degree tracks, student libraries, and its powerful e-learning solution with prospective students all over the country." According to WebEx, the application creates an informative experience that really helps students understand the breadth and depth of the university's programs.

Controversy

GAO investigation

"From July 2003 through February 2004", an investigation was conducted by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) to determine whether the federal government had paid for degrees from diploma mills and other unaccredited postsecondary schools. Investigators determined that the federal government employed 463 individuals with degrees from unaccredited institutions including Kennedy-Western University. Senator Collins presented the GAO report to the committee on Governmental Affairs, of which she was the Chair and ranking Republican.

Witness testimony was provided during the same hearing by Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Claudia Gelzer, who was assigned as a staff aide to the Committee on Government Affairs, testified that KWU gave her life experience credit towards a master's in environmental engineering. KWU waived 43% of the course credit required for the degree based only on her application and descriptions of prior coursework and military training. She testified that KWU didn't check any of her claimed work experience. With 16 hours of effort she was able to earn 40% of the total remaining coursework required for her master's. “As for my first-hand experience with Kennedy-Western courses and passing the tests, I found that basic familiarity with the textbook was all I needed. I was able to find exam answers without having read a single chapter of the text... As for what I learned, the answer is very little. “

Kennedy-Western was not invited to testify before the Senate committee. The university's Director of Corporate Communications, David Gering, stated to The Oregonian, "We clearly believe that we are not a diploma mill and have an academically rigorous program." Mr. Lewis M. Phelps, a spokesman for Kennedy-Western University, said the online school was unfairly tarnished in the report. "The basic equation GAO seems to have come up with is 'no accreditation, no good,' " Phelps said. "We don't think that's valid."

Oregon lawsuit

The State of Oregon passed a law making it illegal for graduates to list Kennedy-Western on résumés, specifically referring to the school as a diploma mill. According to the Indiana Daily Student, "Oregon has one of the strictest résumé laws in the country." And according the The Chronicle of Higher Education, "Oregon's approach to regulating unaccredited higher-education institutions is among the strictest in the nation, and is unusual in that the state both keeps a close eye on its own such programs and warns its residents about questionable ones elsewhere." In July 2004, Kennedy-Western filed a lawsuit challenging the law on behalf of three former students. In December 2004, Kennedy-Western and Oregon reached an out-of-court settlement. Under the terms of the settlement, graduates of Kennedy-Western may list the school on a résumé as long as they note in the résumé its unaccredited status. The attorney general's office also agreed to provide ODA personnel with a training session on defamation law. Further, the Oregon State Office of Degree Authorization (ODA) may no longer refer to the school as a diploma mill or substandard. However, the State still does not allow the degrees to be used for governmental employment or professional licenses, because the ODA has determined that WNU does not meet standard academic requirements as specified by Oregon statute ORS 348.609(1). Mr. Lewis Phelps, a spokesman for Kennedy-Western, said the school has qualified faculty, and requirements that students show mastery of their work in courses and a final project.

Degree restrictions

The use of unaccredited WNU degree titles may be legally restricted or illegal in some jurisdictions. Jurisdictions that have restricted or made illegal the use of credentials from unaccredited schools include Oregon , Michigan, Maine, North Dakota, New Jersey, Washington , Nevada, Illinois, Indiana, and Texas.. WNU is also restricted from accepting students from Oregon , California or Utah. Many other states are also considering restrictions on unaccredited degree use in order to help prevent fraud. Notwithstanding, according to a recent Chronicle of Higher Education article, current Congressional debates over the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act reflect consideration of a new policy on the transfer of credit, which if it becomes law would prohibit regionally accredited universities from rejecting transfer credits from institutions that lack regional accreditation.

See also

• Diploma mill
• Distance education
• Electronic learning
• Online learning
• Virtual university
• Virtual learning environment
• History of virtual learning environments
• Instructional technology
• List of unaccredited institutions of higher learning
• School accreditation

References

1. ^ Private institutions offer opportunities for students, Laramie County Community College, November 2004.
2. Online Extra: Inside diploma mills by Wilson P. Dizard III, Government Computer News, May 17, 2004
3. ^ Kennedy-Western University is changing its name to Warren National University, Former KWU website
4. ^ New law prompts online school changes, Jackson Hole Star Tribune, 2006
5. Encyclopedia of Distributed Learning, SAGE Publications, ISBN-13: 978-0761924517, November 6, 2003.
6. Bears' Guide to College Degrees by Mail & Internet, 9th Edition, Ten Speed Press, ISBN-10: 1580084591.
7. ^ Moonlighting for an Unaccredited University by Andrea L. Foster, The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 12, 2002 Cite error: The named reference "chronicle" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
8. How Online Learning is Changing Our Schools and Colleges, A Classroom of One, by Mr. Gene I. Maeroff, ISBN: 1403960852, 2003.
9. A Virtual Revolution:Trends in the Expansion of Distance Education, United States Distance Learning Association, November 2001.
10. ^ Warren National University Faculty, Warren National University website
11. Accreditation Serving the Public Interest Council for Higher Education Accreditation
12. Wisconsin Education Approval Board (EAB), "State Approval and Accreditation: Detailed Description"
13. Doubt lingers over bona fide unaccredited schools, Washington Technology, May 12, 2004
14. Wyoming Department of Education Private School Licensing, Wyoming Private School Licensing
15. Wyoming Private school licensing-amendments, Joint Education Interim Committee
16. ^ Federal Employees Have Obtained Degrees from Diploma Mills and Other Unaccredited Schools, Some at Government Expense, "GAO Report"
17. Regional and specialized accreditation boards By George Gollin, Oregon Office of Degree Authorization
18. Wyoming Department of Education, Registered Private Degree Granting Post-Secondary Education Institutions
19. Wyoming Toughens Up on Unaccredited, "Inside Higher Education", March 20, 2006
20. Schools seek accreditation, By Mead Gruver, Codycafe.com, Associated Press, 7/1/2006
21. ^ Wyoming’s Select School Finance Committee and Joint Education Interim Committee December 6 and 7, 2005 Minutes:
22. Warren National University Areas of Study
23. Asynchronous delivery of an open-entry course, Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning, The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, 2005
24. Understanding New Media: Augmented Knowledge and Culture, University of Calgary Press, ISBN-13: 978-1552381540, July 30 2006.
25. ^ State mulls online learning by the Associated Press, Billings Gazette, January 30, 2005
26. Profs who plagiarize: how often? By Susan Llewelyn Leach, The Christian Science Monitor, April 27, 2005
27. Preventing Professional Plagiarism, University Business: The Magazine for College and University Administrators, 2006
28. Kennedy-Western increases enrollments by providing a dynamic, interactive online experience with WebEx Sales Center, "WebEx Customer Success Story", 2005
29. ^ Lawmakers consider legislation to close diploma-mill loophole, By David McGlinchey, Government Executive, May 12, 2004
30. http://www.senate.gov/~govt-aff/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=716&Affiliation=R
31. http://hsgac.senate.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.Testimony&HearingID=176&WitnessID=632
32. Wyo university sues Oregon to defend its diplomas, Star Tribune, August 5, 2004
33. Public Paid for Bogus Degrees, Washington Post, May 12, 2004.
34. Trust employers, not the state, Indiana Daily Student News, August 5, 2004
35. States Struggle to Regulate Online Colleges That Lack Accreditation, The Chronicle of Higher Education - Information Technology, March 23, 2001.
36. http://www.globeinvestor.com/servlet/ArticleNews/story/BWIRE/20041221/20041221005728
37. Conference Committee on SB 1039, 73rd Oregon Legislative Assembly - 2005 Regular Session, Measure: SB 1039 A*, June 22, 2005.
38. Oregon settles with unaccredited university, Portland Business Journal, December 22, 2004.
39. "Oregon Settles Federal Lawsuit Filed by Kennedy Western University", Globe Investor December 21, 2004
40. Scarlet Letter, Inside Higher Education, July 7, 2005</
41. ^ Unaccredited Colleges, Oregon Office of Degree Authorization
42. St Petersburg Times Online, May 12, 2004.
43. Diploma Mills and Accreditation, U.S. Department of Education
44. Colleges and Universities not accredited by CHEA, Michagan Education and Children's Services
45. [http://www.maine.gov/education/highered/Non-Accredited/non-accredited.htm Accredited and Non-Accredited Colleges and Universities], Maine’s List of Non-Accredited Post-Secondary Schools
46. Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board, Washington Consumer Information
47. Institutions Whose Degrees are Illegal to Use in Texas, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
48. ^ http://www.wnuonlinedegrees.com/admission.asp?code=
49. Is Oregon the only state that disallows use of unaccredited degrees? Oregon Office of Degree Authorization
50. Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2007

External links

• Warren National University, official website
• Kennedy Western University Student Handbook 03v1
• Moonlighting for an Unaccredited University, Chronicle of Higher Education, April 12, 2002.
• Regulating Kennedy-Western -- or Not, Chronicle of Higher Education, April 12, 2002.
• GAO Investigation, Government funds in question
  • Ex-employee Andrew Coulombe's Testimony
  • Investigator Lt. Cmdr Claudia Gelzer's Testimony

• Distance education institutions
• Distance education
• Unaccredited institutions of higher learning