Vancouver University Worldwide
Encyclopedia
Vancouver University Worldwide was an unaccredited
vendor of higher education
credential
s, headquartered in Vancouver
, British Columbia
, which described itself as a "secular consortium university of globally located public and private member colleges". It offered to evaluate "external learning". Vancouver University Worldwide claimed that its degrees were authorized under "various British Commonwealth Common Law precedents". Its website also stated that it had "registered charity status" in both Canada and the United States. The associated organization "Vancouver University Colleges Society" was registered in the United States Treasury's charity database http://apps.irs.gov/app/pub78. Vancouver University Worldwide closed in 2007 upon the death of its founder Raymond Spencer Rodgers
.
Vancouver University Worldwide was involved in controversy due to its external/distance education and was not accredited by any recognised accreditation body. As such its degrees may not be recognised by employers or other institutions and use of degree titles may be restricted or illegal in some jurisdictions.
In terms of the degrees being recognized by employers, the institution's FAQ stated that "we cannot advise you about such details". In 2003, USA Today
listed the institution in an article about diploma mills. The United States jurisdictions of Oregon and Michigan list the institution among those whose awards are invalid because they lack accreditation.
Vancouver University was listed in a Canadian government online directory of companies http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/app/ccc/search/navigate.do?portal=1&profile=completeProfile&estblmntNo=123456168460&language=eng as a private secular non-profit institution. This should not be interpreted as an endorsement because the government website notes "Industry Canada assumes no responsibility for the accuracy, currency or reliability of the content." Vancouver University is not included on the online directory of public post-secondary institutions that is maintained by the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC) http://www.cicic.ca/ in consultation with the provincial/territorial ministries and departments responsible for education.
An application by the British Columbia government to enjoin the university's activities was denied by the Hon. Justice Maczko on January 9, 2002. http://forums.degreeinfo.com/showthread.php?postid=73194 http://www.bcdegrees.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17 This injunction application was denied because Justice Maczko said Vancouver University Worldwide ought to have the chance to defend itself in a full hearing rather than be forced out of business by am interim injunction. In his reasons for judgment, Justice Maczko said that he thought it unlikely Vancouver University Worldwide would be successful in its defense.
On May 2, 2007, British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Kelleher ruledhttp://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/Jdb-txt/SC/07/05/2007BCSC0583.htm that Vancouver University Worldwide and its associated legal entities had operated in violation of the province's Degree Authorization Acthttp://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/stat/D/02024_01.htm and issued an injunction to stop it from granting degrees in British Columbia.
Raymond Spencer Rodgers
served as the president of Vancouver University Worldwide until his death in 2007.
On January 21, 2011, The Straits Times reported that IFPAS was being sued for issuing unaccredited degrees from Vancouver University.
Educational 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...
vendor of higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
credential
Credential
A credential is an attestation of qualification, competence, or authority issued to an individual by a third party with a relevant or de facto authority or assumed competence to do so....
s, headquartered in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, which described itself as a "secular consortium university of globally located public and private member colleges". It offered to evaluate "external learning". Vancouver University Worldwide claimed that its degrees were authorized under "various British Commonwealth Common Law precedents". Its website also stated that it had "registered charity status" in both Canada and the United States. The associated organization "Vancouver University Colleges Society" was registered in the United States Treasury's charity database http://apps.irs.gov/app/pub78. Vancouver University Worldwide closed in 2007 upon the death of its founder Raymond Spencer Rodgers
Raymond Spencer Rodgers
Raymond Spencer Rodgers was a British-born American educator and futurist who spent most of his adult life in Canada.-Education and early career:...
.
Vancouver University Worldwide was involved in controversy due to its external/distance education and was not accredited by any recognised accreditation body. As such its degrees may not be recognised by employers or other institutions and use of degree titles may be restricted or illegal in some jurisdictions.
In terms of the degrees being recognized by employers, the institution's FAQ stated that "we cannot advise you about such details". In 2003, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
listed the institution in an article about diploma mills. The United States jurisdictions of Oregon and Michigan list the institution among those whose awards are invalid because they lack accreditation.
Vancouver University was listed in a Canadian government online directory of companies http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/app/ccc/search/navigate.do?portal=1&profile=completeProfile&estblmntNo=123456168460&language=eng as a private secular non-profit institution. This should not be interpreted as an endorsement because the government website notes "Industry Canada assumes no responsibility for the accuracy, currency or reliability of the content." Vancouver University is not included on the online directory of public post-secondary institutions that is maintained by the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC) http://www.cicic.ca/ in consultation with the provincial/territorial ministries and departments responsible for education.
An application by the British Columbia government to enjoin the university's activities was denied by the Hon. Justice Maczko on January 9, 2002. http://forums.degreeinfo.com/showthread.php?postid=73194 http://www.bcdegrees.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17 This injunction application was denied because Justice Maczko said Vancouver University Worldwide ought to have the chance to defend itself in a full hearing rather than be forced out of business by am interim injunction. In his reasons for judgment, Justice Maczko said that he thought it unlikely Vancouver University Worldwide would be successful in its defense.
On May 2, 2007, British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Kelleher ruledhttp://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/Jdb-txt/SC/07/05/2007BCSC0583.htm that Vancouver University Worldwide and its associated legal entities had operated in violation of the province's Degree Authorization Acthttp://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/stat/D/02024_01.htm and issued an injunction to stop it from granting degrees in British Columbia.
Raymond Spencer Rodgers
Raymond Spencer Rodgers
Raymond Spencer Rodgers was a British-born American educator and futurist who spent most of his adult life in Canada.-Education and early career:...
served as the president of Vancouver University Worldwide until his death in 2007.
On January 21, 2011, The Straits Times reported that IFPAS was being sued for issuing unaccredited degrees from Vancouver University.
See also
- Private UniversityPrivate universityPrivate universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...
- 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
External links
- List of unacceptable/illegal schools by State of Michigan Notes "Unacceptable schools for civil service requirements"
- List of unacceptable/illegal schools by Oregon State Office of Degree AuthorizationOregon State Office of Degree AuthorizationThe Oregon State Office of Degree Authorization is a unit of the Oregon Student Assistance Commission with responsibilities related to maintaining high standards in private higher education institutions in Oregon...
Notes that Vancouver is "Not authorized or listed by appropriate BC authority" - List of unlawful degree providers in British Columbia, Canada
- Vancouver University Worldwide