Columbus University is an unaccredited

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 ...

institution that has been based at different times in

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

and

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

. The institution initially operated in Louisiana under a provision of state law that exempted tax-exempt nonprofit entities from licensing requirements. In November 1998, ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

'' discussed Columbus in an article, "A dirty dozen - 12 famous diploma mills". After state legislation was revised to require licensing, Columbus University was issued a state license in September 2000, conditioned on seeking accreditation. When Columbus failed to apply for accreditation, its license was revoked and the school was closed down by the state of Louisiana as an illegal

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 ...

Defense defends appointee who has unaccredited grad degree
, '' Government Computer News'', July 7, 2003.Jaime Holguin
Top Officials Hold Fake Degrees
CBS Evening News, May 10, 2004Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Institutions Whose Degrees are Illegal to Use in Texas
Subsequently, Columbus relocated to

. It is listed by Mississippi authorities as a "non-approved" entity. In 2008 it was reported that the

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 ...

Department of Postsecondary Education had revoked a license previously granted to Columbus University. In May 2010,

WWL-TV WWL-TV (channel 4) is a television station in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside Slidell, Louisiana, Slidell-licensed MyNetworkTV affiliate WUPL (channel 54). The two stations share st ...

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

reported that the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

was investigating Columbus University as a diploma mill, and had recently raided the Columbus operations located in a duplex in New Orleans. Columbus has been accredited by the

World Association of Universities and Colleges The World Association of Universities and Colleges (WAUC) is an institutional educational accreditation body not recognized by the United States Department of Education. It is run by Maxine Asher, director of the American World University, an ...

(WAUC), although this body is not 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 ...

. In 2003 and 2004, U.S. news media reported that Charles Abell, an Assistant Secretary in the

U.S. Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, t ...

, listed a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

from Columbus University in his official biography and his

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant (religion), covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. The ceremony typically involves laying on o ...

statement. Media reports identified Columbus as a

. The Office of the Secretary of Defense was quoted as defending Abell with the following statement:

In 1998, while working on the
Senate Armed Services Committee The Committee on Armed Services, sometimes abbreviated SASC for Senate Armed Services Committee, is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nation's military, including the Department of Defen ...
, Abell chose to pursue higher education to expand his knowledge of human resource management. His goal was to find a program that allowed him to study while working, and the Columbus University program met his objective. He did ask the university about its accreditation and was told they were accredited. Abell has always been forthcoming about his credentials and has clearly demonstrated his commitment and ability to serve in federal government. The Defense Department stands by his service.

Although Abell's case was cited in connection with a

General Accounting Office The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan government agency within the legislative branch that provides auditing, evaluative, and investigative services for the United States Congress. It is the sup ...

investigation of federal employees with degrees from diploma mills Abell remained in his position. Abell continued in his Defense Department job until August 2005, when he joined the staff of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, where he remained until 2007. In testimony before the

House Oversight Committee The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the main investigative United States congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee's broad jurisdiction and legislative authority make it one o ...

relating to the

Mitchell Report The ''Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball'', informally known as the Mitchell Report, is the res ...

and

Roger Clemens William Roger Clemens (born August 4, 1962), nicknamed "Rocket", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), most notably with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees and also played ...

personal trainer A personal trainer is an individual who creates and delivers safe and effective exercise programs for healthy individuals and groups, or those with medical clearance to exercise. They motivate clients by collaborating to set goals, providing m ...

Brian McNamee Brian Gerard McNamee (born ) is a former New York City police officer, personal trainer, and Major League Baseball strength-and-conditioning coach. He is notable for providing performance-enhancing drugs to Major League Baseball players, and also ...

confirmed that his Ph.D. in

behavioral sciences Behavioural science is the branch of science concerned with human behaviour.Hallsworth, M. (2023). A manifesto for applying behavioural science. ''Nature Human Behaviour'', ''7''(3), 310-322. While the term can technically be applied to the st ...

was from Columbus University. He said that he took courses "electronically" and submitted a written dissertation.''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''
Live Analysis: House Panel Questions Clemens and McNamee
February 13, 2008. Representative Tom Davis asked him if Columbus University was a diploma mill, and McNamee responded, "As I found out later on, it appears it is." Columbus University is on the

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) is an agency of the U.S. state of Texas's government that oversees all public post-secondary education in the state. It is headquartered at 1801 North Congress Avenue in Austin. THECB dete ...

's list of institutions whose degrees are illegal to use in Texas, because degrees from such institutions have been found to be "fraudulent or substandard".Institutions Whose Degrees are Illegal to Use in Texas
(accessed 2013-01-24).

References

External links

Columbus University website
{{authority control Distance education institutions based in the United States Educational institutions in the United States with year of establishment missing Private universities and colleges in Mississippi Universities and colleges in New Orleans Private universities and colleges in Louisiana Unaccredited institutions of higher learning in the United States