American InterContinental University has had its probation extended for a second year by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Career Education Corp., which operates American InterContinental, announced Tuesday. The Southern accreditor had placed the university on a 12-month probation last December, for falling short of a wide range of the group’s standards, including among other things the “integrity of student academic records and accuracy in recruiting and admission practices.” Under the regional accreditor’s bylaws, an institution may remain on probation for only two years, after which it can either regain its accreditation or lose it. American InterContinental remains accredited in the interim. Career Education also announced Tuesday that American InterContinental and seven of its other campuses had received word last month that the Education Department plans to conduct program reviews to examine their compliance with federal rules.
American University in Dubai webpage:
Accreditation and Licensure Summary
c The American University in Dubai is a branch campus of American InterContinental University, Atlanta, Georgia. American InterContinental University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award Associate, Bachelor's, and Master's degrees. This umbrella accreditation includes all approved branch campuses of the University, including AUD operating in Dubai*.
* AUD no longer offers Associate degrees (as of Oct, 2004)
c AUD is officially licensed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the United Arab Emirates and the DC Education Licensure Commission. The Ministry has accredited the University's programs in Business Administration, Engineering, Information Technology, Interior Design and Visual Communication.
c AUD is approved to operate by the State of Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission (NPEC). ...
Emirates Today, December 2005 (when AIU's probation was announced):
“Whatever is taking place in the United States with the AIU has nothing to do with Dubai,” said Elias Bousaab, executive vice-president of AUD.
Bousaab said even if the umbrella institute should fail to meet those conditions, certification for the Dubai franchise came from the UAE’s Ministry of Education and would not be affected.
My opinion is if you claim US accreditation through a US instituion, and that institution loses accreditation, then it you can not logically or ethically claim US accreditation if the US institution loses accreditation. AIU has one more year to get off probation, or lose its accreditation. AUD has an interest in the outcome.
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6 comments:
Wow, great find John! AUD would retain the MoE recognition but would not be recognized internationally. They should find a better sentence to act as a cover-up!
What is sad is that students who are there have nothing to do with any of this. Their parents are paying top-dollar to put them through and they might end up with a completely worthless degree.
I remember when I was looking for universities to pick from, my father's advice (which often became harassment, but I guess that's how teenagers view things) was very focused on finding a credible university that is either _very_ well established or publically owned. Those were the requirements for any educational institute.
I think parents who don't look at those things seriously are severely undermining their children's future.
It is also a shame that neither InterContinental University nor AUD are taking this seriously enough.
Does it not depend on who their students are? Why do Gulf students need a US accredited degree? When foreign students wish to attend graduate school in the States, they have to have gone to schools that are accredited in THEIR OWN countries. If UAE recognizes AUD, then what is the problem?
Of course, what is a UAE degree worth in the world market? Who knows? It's still a young industry.
Accreditation matters on several levels. True, if you're planning only to EVER work in the Gulf, or, perhaps, some other country in the region, then having a degree from an institution that lacks international recognition wouldn't matter. The problem is, if your university's seen as a joke - if it's known to be lame - then that will continue to haunt you for decades to come. This is particularly true in a region such as this, which does, in fact, value credentials. (See how much someone with, say, a Harvard degree gets automatic respect, deserved or not.)
I know something of the opposite: my undergraduate insitution wasn't very well respected when I entered, but it got significantly better over time. I've seen the value of that degree rise over time.
As a new institution, it's in AUD's interests to get as solid accreditation and backing as it can. Otherwise, it's just a rich-kid's day camp.
The way this university is mismanaged opposes its own name, this institution in neither "American" nor a "University"; based on this, one has to wonder how on earth they will be granted separate accreditation from SACS.
The following link http://www.sacscoc.org/disclosure/dec2006/American InterContinental U.pdf is a document posted on SACS website early this year. If you read carefully the reasons sited for keeping AIU on probation, you will notice that all such reasons that exist at AUD which is run by the executive vice president who probably have inferiority complex.
OMG I am supposed to start at AIU in March, should I pull out before its too late??? I am really worried, and I guess I didn't do my homework very good, because I didn't realize it was a "rich-kid's" school. I have 4 kids and can't work right now, so I don't want to pay high dollar.....especially if its not going to be accredited in the end!! HELP!! Please email me at mikeandjennimorava@yahoo.com!!!
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