Hawaii's "Other" Schools

[pzarquon]

Let's face it. Hawaii has had a bit of a reputation as a breeding ground for "diploma mills." Vague and generous laws and requirements basically made it possible for anyone to get a P.O. Box, print up some business cards, and start handing out Ph.D.s from the Hawaii Academy of Hard Knocks.

• State dominates the $200 million quick-degree industry
• State, federal officials aim legal guns at diploma mills

Recently, a thread in soc.culture.hawaii pointed out a Hilo-based institution called Akamai University. We all had a good chuckle over it, although president Douglass Capogrossi quickly chimed in with an earnest plea for the benefit of the doubt. "We intend to do all things right and ultimately provide East Hawaii with its own fully accredited distance learning institution," he wrote.

Today, I stumble across this article on diploma mills in Iran. And would you believe... a Hawaii-based operation is one of those cited?

Tehran Province Justice Department spokesman Abbasali Alizadeh [...] does not recognize degrees from the American University of Hawaii, the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network reported. The university, which utilizes distance learning and has its worldwide headquarters in Hawaii, has offices in Tehran. A few days earlier, Alizadeh said the institution's chancellor, Ardeshir Qassemlu, is banned from leaving Iran and his accounts have been frozen...

And, indeed, the American University of Hawaii at Iran has its own website.

I don't know what to say. Weird.

[Linkmeister]

Re: Hawaii's "Other" Schools

This country doesn't have enough trouble in the Mid-East already? Now we have possibly fraudulent educational institutions setting up shop there? Yikes!

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Hawaii's "Other" Schools

Ho how rude...well we just gotta retaliate...by opening up an L&L drive in franchise in Iran! Yeah!! That'll show those "wipe their okole's with their left hand and shake yours with it as a sign rudeness" people there.

Yup when an Iranian extends his left hand out to you for a handshake, it's not a friendly jesture because that's the hand they use to wipe their okole's with. It's kinda like the western version of saying, "you're number 1".

As a matter of fact cutting off a right hand is about as demoralizing to an Iranian as it can get.

[helen]

Re: Hawaii's "Other" Schools

I thought the left hand/right hand thing was a Hindu thing (mostly India).

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Hawaii's "Other" Schools

It may be but it's common practice in the middle east Iraq/Iran/Turkey etc...been there seen it.