Hamilton University
Encyclopedia
Hamilton University was an unaccredited institution based in Evanston
, Wyoming
, USA
. According to the Oregon Office of Degree Authorization, it was first established in Hawaii
as American State University. It has since been closed by court order in Wyoming and has relocated to the Bahamas
under the name Richardson University.
, Hamilton was widely thought to be a diploma mill
. The school issued degrees based on "life experiences." Candidates for a degree were required to answer a few questions and write a small project of 2,000 words (about seven typed pages). The school issued Bachelors, Masters, and even PhD
s. The presence of a small church built in the parking lot had served to make the activity tax
-free due to federal and state laws, even though the church building had no pews; people in Evanston had never seen services there.
CBS News reported in 2004 that Hamilton was operated by Rudy Marn of Key West, Florida
. Marn, an art collector and philanthropist, has a history of running diploma mills. In 2008, Marn pled guilty to tax fraud and was sentenced in October 2008 by Casper federal court to two years in prison as well as pay $620,000 in restitution to the IRS. Marn, Bureau of Prisons # 10728-091, served time in Federal Correctional Institution, Beaumont Low in the Federal Correctional Complex, Beaumont
, and was released in September 2010.
The website used the .edu
domain, because before October 29, 2001, unaccredited institutions were allowed to use such domains.
by the American Council of Private Colleges and Universities (ACPCU).http://web.archive.org/web/19981205061032/www.hamilton-university.edu/welcome.htm The ACPCU, which was "set up by Hamilton, for Hamilton" has no authorization from the United States Department of Education
or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation
. Former FBI
consultant John Bear
called it a "fake accrediting agency set up by the Wyoming-based diploma mill, Hamilton University."
revealed that some people in positions of power actually held phony degrees issued by Hamilton University, such as Cessna
Aircraft Co. CEO
Jack J. Pelton
. A statement by the company did not deny the allegations, asserting that Mr. Pelton was chosen for his field experience more than for his academic achievement.
The most notable "graduate" of Hamilton University was former U.S. government official Laura Callahan
, a key figure in the "Project X" email scandal involving the disappearance of thousands of White House
emails which had been subpoenaed by Congress
. Callahan's diplomas from HU had enabled her to get a high position in the United States Department of Homeland Security
. A probe of her claims evolved into an investigation by the Government Accountability Office
of Federal employees who had paid diploma mills with taxpayer funds.
When the CBS 60 Minutes video crew visited the campus, there was no evidence of any students or faculty, but three office workers present.
Evanston, Wyoming
Evanston is a city in Uinta County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 12,359 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Uinta County.-Geography:Evanston is located at...
, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. According to the Oregon Office of Degree Authorization, it was first established in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
as American State University. It has since been closed by court order in Wyoming and has relocated to the Bahamas
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
under the name Richardson University.
History
Since it had no real students and no faculty, and was housed in buildings which had once been a Motel 6Motel 6
Motel 6 is a major chain of budget motels with more than 1,000 locations in the United States and Canada, and is the largest owned and operated hotel chain in North America. It is owned and operated by Accor Hotels.-History:...
, Hamilton was widely thought to be a diploma mill
Diploma mill
A diploma mill is an organization that awards academic degrees and diplomas with substandard or no academic study and without recognition by official educational accrediting bodies. The purchaser can then claim to hold an academic degree, and the organization is motivated by making a profit...
. The school issued degrees based on "life experiences." Candidates for a degree were required to answer a few questions and write a small project of 2,000 words (about seven typed pages). The school issued Bachelors, Masters, and even PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
s. The presence of a small church built in the parking lot had served to make the activity tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
-free due to federal and state laws, even though the church building had no pews; people in Evanston had never seen services there.
CBS News reported in 2004 that Hamilton was operated by Rudy Marn of Key West, Florida
Key West, Florida
Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
. Marn, an art collector and philanthropist, has a history of running diploma mills. In 2008, Marn pled guilty to tax fraud and was sentenced in October 2008 by Casper federal court to two years in prison as well as pay $620,000 in restitution to the IRS. Marn, Bureau of Prisons # 10728-091, served time in Federal Correctional Institution, Beaumont Low in the Federal Correctional Complex, Beaumont
Federal Correctional Complex, Beaumont
Federal Correctional Complex, Beaumont is a large federal prison for men consisting of two different levels of security, including low and medium, in unincorporated Jefferson County, Texas, near Beaumont. The FCC, Beaumont institution is also near United States Penitentiary, Beaumont, a prison for...
, and was released in September 2010.
The website used the .edu
.edu
The domain name edu is a sponsored top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet. The "domain is intended for accredited post-secondary educational U.S. institutions" and this intention is strictly enforced....
domain, because before October 29, 2001, unaccredited institutions were allowed to use such domains.
Academics and accreditation
Hamilton claimed to be accreditedEducational accreditation
Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
by the American Council of Private Colleges and Universities (ACPCU).http://web.archive.org/web/19981205061032/www.hamilton-university.edu/welcome.htm The ACPCU, which was "set up by Hamilton, for Hamilton" has no authorization from the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
or 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...
. Former FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
consultant John Bear
John Bear
John Bjorn Bear is an American authority on distance education and a writer of creative reference works. Bear holds bachelor and master degrees from University of California, Berkeley and a doctorate from Michigan State University...
called it a "fake accrediting agency set up by the Wyoming-based diploma mill, Hamilton University."
Criticism and controversy
An investigation by the TV news program 60 Minutes60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
revealed that some people in positions of power actually held phony degrees issued by Hamilton University, such as Cessna
Cessna
The Cessna Aircraft Company is an airplane manufacturing corporation headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, USA. Their main products are general aviation aircraft. Although they are the most well known for their small, piston-powered aircraft, they also produce business jets. The company is a subsidiary...
Aircraft Co. CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
Jack J. Pelton
Jack J. Pelton
Jack J. Pelton is a former CEO of Cessna Aircraft Company. Before becoming the CEO of Cessna, Pelton was Cessna's Senior Vice President of Engineering. Before joining Textron in 2000, Pelton was Senior Vice President of Engineering and Programs at Fairchild Dornier...
. A statement by the company did not deny the allegations, asserting that Mr. Pelton was chosen for his field experience more than for his academic achievement.
The most notable "graduate" of Hamilton University was former U.S. government official Laura Callahan
Laura Callahan
Laura Callahan was the former senior director at the United States Department of Homeland Security who resigned after an investigation revealed that she had obtained academic degrees from a diploma mill. Callahan had also served as Deputy Chief Information Officer of the US Department of Labor and...
, a key figure in the "Project X" email scandal involving the disappearance of thousands of White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
emails which had been subpoenaed by Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
. Callahan's diplomas from HU had enabled her to get a high position in the United States Department of Homeland Security
United States Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of the United States and protectorates from and responding to...
. A probe of her claims evolved into an investigation by the Government Accountability Office
Government Accountability Office
The Government Accountability Office is the audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of the United States Congress. It is located in the legislative branch of the United States government.-History:...
of Federal employees who had paid diploma mills with taxpayer funds.
When the CBS 60 Minutes video crew visited the campus, there was no evidence of any students or faculty, but three office workers present.
People with Hamilton degrees
- Laura CallahanLaura CallahanLaura Callahan was the former senior director at the United States Department of Homeland Security who resigned after an investigation revealed that she had obtained academic degrees from a diploma mill. Callahan had also served as Deputy Chief Information Officer of the US Department of Labor and...
, former senior director at the United States Department of Homeland SecurityUnited States Department of Homeland SecurityThe United States Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of the United States and protectorates from and responding to... - Ben Hanlon, the father and leader of the Wild Hanlons from the NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television show Treasure Hunters, claims a Masters and PhD from Hamilton University - Jack J. PeltonJack J. PeltonJack J. Pelton is a former CEO of Cessna Aircraft Company. Before becoming the CEO of Cessna, Pelton was Cessna's Senior Vice President of Engineering. Before joining Textron in 2000, Pelton was Senior Vice President of Engineering and Programs at Fairchild Dornier...
, CEO of Cessna Aircraft Co.
Connected institutions
- American State University (Moved to Wyoming and renamed Hamilton University)
- Richardson University (Bahamas) (Hamilton University, renamed and relocated again after Wyoming shut the operation down)
See also
- Diploma millDiploma millA diploma mill is an organization that awards academic degrees and diplomas with substandard or no academic study and without recognition by official educational accrediting bodies. The purchaser can then claim to hold an academic degree, and the organization is motivated by making a profit...
- List of unaccredited institutions of higher learning
- List of unrecognized accreditation associations of higher learning
- Educational accreditationEducational accreditationEducational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
External links
- Hamilton University's website from Archive.org
- Diplomas for Sale, CBS News, 60 Minutes (2004-11-10)
- Diploma Mills Are Easily Created and Some Have Issued Bogus Degrees to Federal Employees at Government Expense, Statement of Robert J. Cramer, Managing Director, Office of Special Investigations, United States Government Accountability Office, Before the Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness, Committee on Education and the Workforce, U.S. House of Representatives (2004-09-23) (discusses Hamilton University). PDF file (requires Adobe Reader)