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Revision as of 15:59, 9 July 2007 by Bnmoore (talk | contribs) (→State of Oregon lawsuit)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Warren National University, formerly known as Kennedy-Western University, is an American distance learning university that offers undergraduate and graduate degrees.
The institution has administrative offices in Agoura Hills, California, and corporate offices in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It is named for Francis E. Warren, the first governor of the state of Wyoming.
Licensing and accreditation
The university was established in 1984.
Warren is currently not accredited by a national accreditation body. As such, its degrees and credits might not be acceptable to some employers or other institutions, and use of degree titles may be restricted in some jurisdictions. The institution is licensed by the Wyoming State Department of Education, under W.S. 21-2-401 through 21-2-407. This licensure requires the University to meet standards contained in Article 4: Private School Licensing. This licensing allows WNU to do business in Wyoming. In order to continue operating in Wyoming, Warren applied for accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, which is approved by the U.S. Department of Education.
Oregon and California does not recognize the degrees. The other 48 states have no such rule. It has been a member of the Mountain States Better Business Bureau since 1996.
Academics
Warren National offers nine degree programs: Bachelor's and Master degrees in business administration, computer science, management information systems, and health administration. Also offered is a doctorate in business administration.
Controversy and criticism
A congressional committee found that Kennedy-Western University was "academically substandard" in 2004. Kennedy-Western officials, however, asserted and proved that students are required to undergo extensive work and take examinations, with the Undergraduate and the Masters exams usually taken online, and Doctorate exams given only by proctor.
During the 2004 federal investigation, a former three-month employee, Andrew Coulombe, testifying to the U.S. Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, described his feeling that his work there was unethical and summarized it thus: "I can tell you that there is no value to a Kennedy-Western education. Anything you learn there can be learned by buying a book and reading it on your own."
Though Kennedy-Western asked, but was was not invited, to testify before the Senate, the school'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, and if you ask our students and alumni, they would agree."
The Seattle Times noted in an article, that included Kennedy-Western, that some believe KWU has an address in Wyoming because the state has "become a haven for diploma mills.". This was a bogus claim as many distance learning programs maintain multiple locations. Another criticism of the institution is that it operates primarily out of California but uses a mailing address in Wyoming. Past mailing addresses have been in places including California, Hawaii, Idaho, and Wyoming. The arrangement of having a primary operation in one state but a mailing address in another state is uncommon for legitimate academic institutions but common for diploma mills. Again, this claim was unfounded as many DLP schools have multiple locations.
Kennedy Western University operates legally from the state of Wyoming. The university has an application for accreditation with the State of Wyoming under Wyo. Stat §§21-2-401 through 21-2-407, but neither the Department of Education nor the Wyoming State Board of Education has yet accredited Kennedy-Western University. ref>http://legisweb.state.wy.us/2006/Summaries/SF0069.htm</ref>
State of Oregon lawsuit
The State of Oregon passed a law making it illegal for graduates to list Kennedy-Western on state government résumés, specifically referring to the school as a diploma mill. In July 2004, the school filed a lawsuit challenging that 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, the Oregon State Office of Degree Authorization 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 for professional licenses.<ref>
See also
Footnotes
- Wyoming Department of Education website at: http://www.k12.wy.us/F/psl/degree.html
- Better Business Bureau "BBB Reliability Report for Kennedy Western" April 2006
External links
- Warren National University, official website
- Office of Degree Authorization - Official State of Oregon website
- Moonlighting for an Unaccredited University, Chronicle of Higher Education, April 12, 2002.
- Regulating Kennedy-Western -- or Not, Chronicle of Higher Education, April 12, 2002.
- Government funds in question
- Andrew Coulombe's statements