Business School, Continuing Education, and business educational options

All colleges and universities began life as unaccredited institutions; Harvard remains so. Strayer University is regionnally accredited by the Middle States Association. It has been for several decades.

Mr. Jacobson obviously does not know much about regional accreditation and the fact that universities operating on a national basis are not voluntarily accredited in every region in which they operate. Only one regional accreditation is necessary through the U.S. Department of Education to qualify for federal student loans (the only reason why any post-secondary institution even bothers to get accredited).

Additionally, regional and departmental accreditations are strictly voluntary undertakings (via self-studies and stylized rubrics) for the self-created accrediting body. They have nothing to do with state legality to grant authorized degrees and little to do with educational quality, save creating checklist jobs for a gaggle pedantic suits in need of mundane employment.

Finally, Mr. Jacobson apparently does not understand much about online education either in the areas of assessment and grading. Passing a few of these courses helps. Welcome to the world of for-profit capitalism old chap!

You need to check your facts. Harvard is regionally accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Its business administration program is accredited by AACSB. Strayer's MSCHE accreditation, fuzzy at best, was granted in 1981, not "several decades" ago.

Strayer University's headquarters is in Arlington, VA, not in WashDC--hence the need for SACS accreditation.

My understanding is that AACSB accreditation is not an absolute necessity for business degrees, but it does raise its profile, so it is probably best to have it.

There are at least 7 regional accrediting and other agencies, the whole things seems confusing to me. I mean is MSCHE accreditation better than SACS accreditation and vice versa? No wonder some online students end up being confused.

It seems to me though that accreditation is like getting a driver's licence - you've have the basics of driving on the road - but it does not necessarily mean you're a good driver.

Bottom line, the accreditation process needs to be simplified.

Actually, there are six (6) regional acrediting associations, each operating in a separate part of the country. Some educational institutions get one campus accredited in one geographic area, then use it as a springboard to expand nationally with multiple campuses. These remote campuses operate with little or no oversight or supervision.

This comments is for Rich Idleman. Do you know the definition of a decade? A decade is 10 years. You said Strayer University was granted the accreditation in 1981, so yes, it actually was several decades ago.

If you do your research, you will see MSCHE is the same accreditation that Princeton and Cornell Universites are accredited by. This accreditation is equivalent to SACS. You can visit www.msche.org for more information.

This is for all who choose to speak against Strayer University. Strayer is particularly not a school that caters to fresh out of high school students, the average age of the typical Strayer student is 35 years. Their niche is to older students returning to school to pursue opportunities in order to make their lives better. You would have to be totally misinformed to even suggest that a degree from Strayer is inferior to brick and mortar schools. Learning is learning, in fact online students have to be even more disciplined and precise than on campus students. Strayer has been in business for more than a hundred years, NO institution exists for that amount of time by offering second class services (business majors know the definition of a "successful business"). You can't talk with anyone who has recieved a degree there and hear them tell you that it didn't enrich their lives and open doors for them.

Mr. Jacobsen, I'm so sorry that you choose to post your comments before actually doing any research, remote campus, its obvious that you've never even been to a Strayer website.

Did Gary Jacobson mention which large conservative PR firm is paying him to make certain comments, and about what goes on at his his other sites?

Guys - Gary collected Strayer University's money for a period and now he is crying WOLF. If he has/had issues with Strayer University's Accreditation -he should refund his fees or donate the money to charity.
We are taught that it is never good to burn your bridges or talk bad things about your previous employer.
I would not want to be taught by Gary or even attend any school he teaches since that school and my Degree would all of a sudden become trash.

It took him only FIVE Years to discover a problem and he is/was a Professor with all the knowledge. :)

This is his post in 2006

Regional Accreditation Means Nothing
Many Online Diplomas are Trash

Although members of the media and some academicians have been saying that online instruction is the wave of the future, one simple fact remains: More than a few online schools provide a second-rate education and diplomas from online institutions are essentially trash.

Until the summer of 2006, I was associated with a university that maintained a large online division in northern Virginia plus 43 satellite campuses in 10 southeastern states and the District of Columbia. For approximately five years I taught online business courses in both synchronous and asynchronous modes. To my chagrin, I discovered the following:

Follow link for the rest of the article.

The ones about the grades are not true - let him provide evidence.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Online_Degrees_are_Trash

Gary Jacobsen, B.S., M.B.A

Member, American Association of University Professors

Here another link for more information. Read and make your own call.

http://www.thebizclass.com/2007/09/confessions_of_a_college_profe.html#more