Officials in Marion County, Indiana had to pull a job offer to Mr.
Troy Hoppes when it was revealed that he did not earn his degree from a
legitimate institution.
Earlier last week, Mr. Hoppes "learned" that his master’s degree in psychology was issued by a diploma mill.
He had been offered a position as superintendent at the Marion County
Juvenile Detention Center, but during a routine background check, Mr.
Hoppes was asked to provide proof of his academic credentials. Mr. Ron
Miller, Marion County court administrator, told reporters, “We said,
‘Send us anything. Send us your master’s thesis . . . send us papers
you wrote, research you did. Anything at all like that.’” Mr. Hoppes
was not able to supply any documents to officials.
The
University of Ravenhurst was a “diploma mill,” or a “degree mill,” that
was shut down in 2003 by the Federal Trade Commission. A diploma mill
is an institution that operates without upholding any educational
standards and is not recognized by an accreditation board.
Unfortunately, such operations still exist today, and are hard for
authorities to track down, because their websites are taken offline as
soon as legal trouble emerges.
Diploma mills pose a serious
threat to legitimate accredited institutions because anyone could
purchase a degree and begin practicing in a field without any
qualifications. Would you put your child on a bus if you knew the bus
driver didn’t have license?
Currently, the Education Policy
Committee of Maryland’s Higher Education Commission is pushing for more
protection from the U.S. Department of Education. The commission’s
director, Dr. Regina Lightfoot, commented, “It’s about not wanting our
students to invest a lot of money in an institution only to find out
that it’s a diploma mill.” Troy Hoppes claims that he was not aware
that the University of Ravenhurst was not a legitimate school, an
unfortunate and costly mistake.
How can you protect yourself? Here are some tips:
- The mailing address is only a post office box, an office suite and there is no further information about the physical campus
- There is little information about the faculty, staff, their credentials or qualifications
- Very little work is required, with only a short period of time before you earn your degree
- There are no real admission requirements
- There is rarely a tuition fee, rather a single payment “all-in-one” fee
- Search for a distance learning degree program on eLearners.com - all colleges and universities offering online degrees are fully accredited!