Breyer State University, also called Breyer State University-Alabama, is an

unaccredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

distance education Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance; today, it usually involves online ...

for profit Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." A business entity is not necessari ...

private university Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...

that formerly operated in the U.S. states of

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

and

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

and now reports a location in

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

. It has been described by ''

The New Republic ''The New Republic'' (often abbreviated as ''TNR'') is an American magazine focused on domestic politics, news, culture, and the arts from a left-wing perspective. It publishes ten print magazines a year and a daily online platform. ''The New Y ...

'' magazine as a

diploma mill A diploma mill or degree mill is a business that sells illegitimate diplomas or academic degrees, respectively. The term ''diploma mill'' is also used pejoratively to describe any educational institution with low standards for admission and gradua ...

that "claimed official-sounding accreditation to attract hundreds of people to obtain degrees".Clay Risen, "Degree Burns", ''

'', January 23, 2006, p. 13. Breyer State University disputes this categorization.

History

Breyer State originally incorporated in

Kamiah, Idaho Kamiah ( ) is a city in Lewis and Idaho counties in the U.S. state of Idaho. The largest city in Lewis County, it extends only a small distance into Idaho County, south of Lawyer Creek. The population was 1,295 at the 2010 census, up from 1,16 ...

in 2001, but later incorporated in

in 2004, as Breyer State University-Alabama. In 2003, Breyer was described as a "conjoined twin" of James Monroe University. Breyer State's former president, Dominick L. Flarey, was also identified as president of James Monroe University. In 2007, Breyer State reported that it had more than 120 contracted faculty. In 2008 the Alabama Community College System reported the finding that "many" of the faculty members' degrees "did not come from accredited institutions." A July 2008 news release by the Alabama Community College System that announced an initiative to rid the state of fraudulent institutions stated that some of the closed institutions, "notably Columbus University and Breyer State University – were operating apparent diploma mills and taking shameful advantage of hundreds of unsuspecting students." In March 2008 Breyer State's license to operate in Alabama expired. The Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education denied Breyer State's request for renewal of its license in June 2008 and then reported that the school had moved to Idaho.No more diploma mills: Chancellor Bradley Byrne announces new initiatives to shut down sham schools, better regulate other for-profits
Alabama Community College System, Department of Postsecondary Education, News Release, July 14, 2008 As of September 2010, its website displayed an address in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

at the bottom of each page.Breyer State University website
accessed September 6, 2010 As of August 2012, the website lists an address in

.Breyer State University website
accessed August 6, 2012

Programs

On its website, Breyer State describes its offerings as including

bachelor A bachelor is a man who is not and never has been married.Bachelors are, in Pitt & al.'s phrasing, "men who live independently, outside of their parents' home and other institutional settings, who are neither married nor cohabitating". (). Etymo ...

, masters,

doctoral A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

, and

associate degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

programs in diverse fields, including business, psychology and various counseling specialties, education, law, and health care fields.

Accreditation status

Breyer State is not accredited by any accreditation institution recognized by the

United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a cabinet-level department of the United States government, originating in 1980. The department began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and ...

, The

Oregon Office of Degree Authorization The Oregon Office of Degree Authorization (ODA) is a unit of the Office of Student Access and Completion, with responsibilities related to maintaining high standards in private higher education institutions in Oregon. ODA administers laws and pro ...

lists Breyer State University as one of the "unaccredited degree suppliers" whose degrees do not meet the state's requirements for use as credentials. Th
State of Michigan
lists Breyer as unaccredited, nor is it a state institution.Unaccredited colleges
, Oregon Office of Degree Authorization (accessed February 7, 2008). It is on the list of "Institutions Whose Degrees are Illegal to Use in Texas". It is also on the lists of unaccredited institutions maintained by

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

, and

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. In July 2008, the ''

Asbury Park Press The ''Asbury Park Press'', formerly known as the ''Shore Press'', ''Daily Press'', ''Asbury Park Daily Press'', and ''Asbury Park Evening Press'', is the third largest daily newspaper in the state of New Jersey. Established in 1879, it has been o ...

'' reported that the

superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Building superintendent, a manager, maintenance or repair person, custodian or janitor, especially in the United States; sometimes shortened to "super" *Prison warden or superintendent, a prison administrator *Soprin ...

and two other administrators of the

Freehold Regional High School District The Freehold Regional High School District is a public regional school district established in 1953, that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from eight communities in western Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The di ...

in central

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

had received tuition reimbursement for enrolling at Breyer State and had been given salary increases based on

doctoral degree A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

s issued by Breyer State University, described by the newspaper as "an unaccredited institution deemed an 'apparent diploma mill' by education officials in its home state of Alabama." This was stated to be a violation of a New Jersey law against the professional use of titles and degrees earned from unaccredited institutions. The superintendent stated that he did not intend to seek an accredited doctoral degree, but he planned to continue using the title "Dr." The superintendent had to be ordered to stop using the title "Doctor". The Education Commissioner then sent letters to the districts reminding educators that use of unaccredited degrees was illegal. It was reported in September 2009 that H. James Wasser would resign at the end of the school year. The episode led the New Jersey state legislature to enact a law preventing state tuition assistance from being used at non-accredited institutions.Tom Hester, Sr.
N.J. closes loopholes with online diploma mills used by teachers
, New Jersey Newsroom, February 26, 2010. Retrieved October 16, 2010.

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

Breyer State University
official website Unaccredited institutions of higher learning in the United States Distance education institutions based in the United States Universities and colleges established in 2001 2001 establishments in the United States Distance education institutions based in Panama

History

Programs

Accreditation status

See also

References

External links