George Gollin
Encyclopedia
George D. Gollin is an American physics
professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
. Besides his work on particle physics and the International Linear Collider, he has since 2003 made numerous efforts in fighting institutions which are considered to be diploma mills, which has caused him to receive significant public attention.
experiments studying muon
scattering (1975–1981, intended to test the ideas of "Quantum Chromodynamics
"), neutral K meson decay parameters (1980–1993, measuring things relating to "CP violation"), and electron-positron annihilation
(1993–2005, measuring production and decay properties of heavy quarks). His current research focuses on technical issues associated with the design and construction of the "International Linear Collider
", a very large electron-positron colliding beams facility intended to shed light on the origins of the masses of the fundamental particles.
His teaching has spanned the entire physics curriculum, from elementary algebra
-based courses for students in the life sciences to classical electrodynamics at the graduate level.
and "land grant school
"; as such, Gollin's responsibilities include faculty public service
in addition to his teaching and research obligations. Since 2003, Gollin has been documenting the practices of diploma mills, businesses that sell meaningless academic degrees without providing education or assessment to/of their customers. In this capacity, he has worked with a number of state and federal agencies, including the State of Washington Office of the Attorney General, the U.S. Dept. of Education, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education. It was reported in The Chronicle of Higher Education
that "Alan Contreras, administrator for the Oregon Office of Degree Authorization, called the professor's work 'superb'." He has, for example, assisted with the federal investigation of the operation of the diploma mill Saint Regis University
. This investigation resulted in closing down the large operation and the conviction on federal criminal charges of eight individuals who were involved.
In 2006 he was elected to the Board of Directors of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation
for a three year term. He was reelected to a second term in 2009. Also in 2009 Gollin was named a Guggenheim Fellow
by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
. George Gollin said of the fellowship, "I will use the term of the Fellowship to write a book about the nine-year trajectory and spectacular immolation of St. Regis
, and the resulting increase in international attention to the problem of diploma mills."
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
. Besides his work on particle physics and the International Linear Collider, he has since 2003 made numerous efforts in fighting institutions which are considered to be diploma mills, which has caused him to receive significant public attention.
Areas of research and teaching
Gollin has worked on particle physicsParticle physics
Particle physics is a branch of physics that studies the existence and interactions of particles that are the constituents of what is usually referred to as matter or radiation. In current understanding, particles are excitations of quantum fields and interact following their dynamics...
experiments studying muon
Muon
The muon |mu]] used to represent it) is an elementary particle similar to the electron, with a unitary negative electric charge and a spin of ½. Together with the electron, the tau, and the three neutrinos, it is classified as a lepton...
scattering (1975–1981, intended to test the ideas of "Quantum Chromodynamics
Quantum chromodynamics
In theoretical physics, quantum chromodynamics is a theory of the strong interaction , a fundamental force describing the interactions of the quarks and gluons making up hadrons . It is the study of the SU Yang–Mills theory of color-charged fermions...
"), neutral K meson decay parameters (1980–1993, measuring things relating to "CP violation"), and electron-positron annihilation
Electron-positron annihilation
Electron–positron annihilation occurs when an electron and a positron collide. The result of the collision is the annihilation of the electron and positron, and the creation of gamma ray photons or, at higher energies, other particles:...
(1993–2005, measuring production and decay properties of heavy quarks). His current research focuses on technical issues associated with the design and construction of the "International Linear Collider
International Linear Collider
The International Linear Collider is a proposed linear particle accelerator. It is planned to have a collision energy of 500 GeV initially, and, if approved after the project has published its Technical Design Report, planned for 2012, could be completed in the late 2010s. A later upgrade to 1000...
", a very large electron-positron colliding beams facility intended to shed light on the origins of the masses of the fundamental particles.
His teaching has spanned the entire physics curriculum, from elementary algebra
Algebra
Algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning the study of the rules of operations and relations, and the constructions and concepts arising from them, including terms, polynomials, equations and algebraic structures...
-based courses for students in the life sciences to classical electrodynamics at the graduate level.
Other public service
The University of Illinois is a public universityPublic university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
and "land grant school
Land-grant university
Land-grant universities are institutions of higher education in the United States designated by each state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890....
"; as such, Gollin's responsibilities include faculty public service
Community service
Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
in addition to his teaching and research obligations. Since 2003, Gollin has been documenting the practices of diploma mills, businesses that sell meaningless academic degrees without providing education or assessment to/of their customers. In this capacity, he has worked with a number of state and federal agencies, including the State of Washington Office of the Attorney General, the U.S. Dept. of Education, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education. It was reported in The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is a newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty, staff members and administrators....
that "Alan Contreras, administrator for the Oregon Office of Degree Authorization, called the professor's work 'superb'." He has, for example, assisted with the federal investigation of the operation of the diploma mill Saint Regis University
Saint Regis University
Saint Regis University is a now-defunct diploma mill operation that was one of about 120 connected institutions operated by an American fraud ring from about 1999 until 2005, when it was shut down by U.S. government authorities....
. This investigation resulted in closing down the large operation and the conviction on federal criminal charges of eight individuals who were involved.
In 2006 he was elected to the Board of Directors of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation
Council for Higher Education Accreditation
The Council for Higher Education Accreditation is a United States organization of degree-granting colleges and universities. It identifies its purpose as providing national advocacy for self-regulation of academic quality through accreditation in order to certify the quality of higher education...
for a three year term. He was reelected to a second term in 2009. Also in 2009 Gollin was named a Guggenheim Fellow
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Mr. and Mrs. Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died April 26, 1922...
. George Gollin said of the fellowship, "I will use the term of the Fellowship to write a book about the nine-year trajectory and spectacular immolation of St. Regis
Saint Regis University
Saint Regis University is a now-defunct diploma mill operation that was one of about 120 connected institutions operated by an American fraud ring from about 1999 until 2005, when it was shut down by U.S. government authorities....
, and the resulting increase in international attention to the problem of diploma mills."
See also
- Accreditation millAccreditation millAn accreditation mill is an organization that purports to award educational accreditation to higher education institutions without having government authority or recognition from mainstream academia to operate as an accreditor. Implicit in the terminology is the assumption that the "mill" has low...
- List of recognized higher education accreditation organizations
- List of unaccredited institutions of higher education
- List of unrecognized higher education accreditation organizations
- Unaccredited institutions of higher education
External links
- George Gollin's site
- Fraud U:Toppling a Bogus-Diploma Empire, Wired, Dec. 21, 2009
- Breach of Trust: Fake Diplomas Found at U.S. Army Aviation & Missile Command - WHNT, May 17, 2009, contains a George Gollin interview.
- Gollin, George, "Unconventional University Diplomas from Online Vendors" (PDF), University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Center for Advanced Study, February 2003.