Accreditations, and Why Universities Like Lafayette University are not Accredited
Accredited Programs in Alternative Medicine – Yes!! They Exist
One of the points of contention on all these discussions about “Dr” Jessie Chung’s credentials is the issue of accreditation. Her defenders are all claiming that the real reason why her degrees (and the institutions she graduated from) are not accredited is because it is in alternative medicine. This is pure hogwash as far as I am concerned. I am aware of at least two legitimate bodies that accredit quite a large number of degrees and universities in alternative medicine - Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM), and Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME). Both are officially sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit alternative medicine programs in acupuncture, oriental medicine and naturopathy.
Let’s be clear: alternative medicine is accreditable in North America.
So, why didn’t “Dr” Jessie Chung attend these accredited schools instead? My speculation is that these schools are just as vigorous in their admission standards as other medical schools, and once there the students must earn their degree. The few that I investigated from the accredited list have high admissions requirements (normally a previous degree or 3-year studies in general sciences or life sciences at another accredited university), minimum residency requirements (i.e. no transfer or “life experience” credits, and stringent course work graduation requirements (I heard of one non-accredited university’s Ph.D. dissertation only needing to be 2,000 words – shorter than some of my rants here).
Why Accreditation?
The issue is vigour. What good is a Ph.D. if one only needed a few hours to earn it? Sure one can argue that books were read, exams taken and papers written – but just a few hours to earn something that represents the pinnacle of accumulated human learning? Learning is about acquiring the knowledge, reflecting upon the significance of what was acquired, and learning to apply it in one’s life and/or vocation. All these take time. After all, the Ph.D. is an emblem – an emblem that represents acquired knowledge and skills. And it is the knowledge and skills that are most important.
Which are Better, Accredited or Non-Accredited Universities?
Furthermore, any thinking person with some degree of common sense will realize that it is just simply too easy, when everyone else is taking 5 years and thousand of hours to earn the same degree elsewhere; and should come to the natural conclusion that the school has got to be a diploma mill. And the value of what was learnt in a few hours? To cry victim is ridiculous, and is a reflection of the person’s moral fibre. And may I suggest that somewhere within that moral fibre is the will to deceive, to con and to take someone as a victim (rather than being a victim herself).
More importantly, if you put your life into the hands of a non-accredited graduate what quality of care will you be getting? What kind of compromise will be made? Whose interests come first? That’s why allopathic doctors are subjected to such a high degree of scrutiny, since the care they give can be a matter of life and death in mere seconds. And that’s why they are so often emulated, since the respect they receive is unquestionable. That’s what the quacks want as well, instant and easy respect … but not the hard work towards it.
Universities Accreditation
Why an accredited school? Such universities are subjected to the highest degree of public scrutiny and peer-review. That is the simple nature of accreditation … complete acceptance by the public that the quality of the university is beyond question, as other experts have scrutinized the quality of the university. Government-funded universities, such as those found in Canada, are created by public money under the act of parliament/state legislature. And governments love nothing more than committees, boards, and commissions. Private universities, such as the more reputable ones in the US, are licensed and accredited by federal boards and departments (such as the US Department of Education). The net result is standards are set, and these universities – in order to continue to receive public funding and private (even more so) endowments – must comply with the standards. They require an independent Board of Governors that is representative of where the university is located – businessmen, politicians, academics, technocrats, bureaucrats, religious leaders, common citizens, staff, faculty, students. Not a single owner or principal, who decides everything by himself.
Then there is the university structure itself, which are divided into the management group (physical facilities, budgets, etc.) and the academics (curriculum, professors, etc.). Everything is open and transparent, and everyone in the community can provide input – hence the term university, a derivative of the word “universe”. No one single soul or group decides unilaterally. As a result, there are prescribed academic standards and protocols; such as the ratio of students to teachers, number of actual Ph.D.’s versus teaching assistants, issues of research, grants, publications, etc.
In my university, we have research missions for the university, the faculty and the schools – all three must be met or else there will be no tenure or promotion. We have degree and licensing requirements of the academic staff, length of probation before one gains tenure, length of tenure before one gains promotion, the various steps of promotions before one gains a full professorship, academic sabbaticals, publication quotas, grant quotas, etc. It is a very complex business, running and working in a university. All these are also needed at the other 2 universities in the current city where I am residing, and the other dozen or so in the local region. There is a set acceptable standard accepted across the country as a result of accreditation. Ditto for my last place of residence, NYC. In fact these standards are continent wide, and also global as well (I know for sure the University of Malaya has the same governance model).
Degrees/Programs Accreditation
Further to that, individuals programs or degrees are also accredited, either by the professions or by another act of the parliament/congress/state legislature. This is accreditation upon accreditation. The profession and the public are involved, as the graduates from these programs will enter the marketplace to provide professional services – and the money-paying public wants to know. Often program/degree accreditation involves curriculum and currency issues. We want our lawyers, doctors, accountants, architects and engineers (the original 5 noble professions) to be at the cutting edge of knowledge. Can’t be having our doctors continue to let blood or drain our colons in today’s day and age, can’t we? We want to ensure that programs go through continued and sustainable renewal, and that the right and qualified professors are teaching in them and the right and qualified students are learning in the program. “Life experience” and transfer credits deny the coverted student-professor interactions, hence affecting learning and exchange of knowledge; and the academic quality suffers as a result. Isn’t it obvious then, that universities with high academic reputation (like Harvard, Yale) do not confer “life experience” credits and have minimum residency requirements to minimize transfer credits?
What about Lafayette University, and the Likes??
Why then isn't Lafayette University accredited? Simply put, it takes too much trouble to make a profit if the process is too complicated. Since there is never a shortage of people who feel that they are more qualified than they really are, and are willing to go to great lengths to prove that - giving away the emblem is better than teaching the classes. Since they are already qualified and have nothing more to learn.
Besides, it is more fun to be at a bar drinking than to be hitting the books, especially when the exam is open book and the questions are very general in nature (regardless of the degree). In fact, if you can write your name - and a cheque - you have alreay passed the exams. And if you cannot write the 2000 words to complete your doctoral dissertation, you can buy a copy of the dissertation and fill in your name. No fear of copyright violations, etc. since the dissertation will not be published and indexed.
“Dr” Jessie Chung – Clarifications Please
Why, of the many choices that you obviously have, do you consistently attend unaccredited universities and unaccredited (or self-accredited) programs? What degree (pardon the pun) of assurance do you have that you have learnt from the best and have performed the best, while attending these really dubious – and bottom rated, IMHO – universities and programs? “Life experience” credits, transfer credits, correspondence credits, easy credits – why all these short cuts?? To maximize the paper credentials???
My family doctor – also my wife’s best friend - attended just one university, graduating with 2 degrees only (pre-med and her MD). Nothing more (if you do not include the required program of continuing professional development to renew her license, and insurance). Yet I trust her with my health, and to a certain degree my life. She does not sell me any drugs that she prescribes (conflict of interest, and professional misconduct - here's another hallmark of a professional), nor does she have a wall full of her patients’ photographs, or a web page proclaiming her ability to heal me from Hep. B, cancer and brain tumours. In fact she gives me the realistic news, as bad as they may be. She never proclaims any miracle cures for my cholesterol levels, my bad back or my allergies. She tells me the truth (that I need to exercise more, eat healthy, and not to drive while on antihistamines). No empty promises, just the truth. Occasionally she surprises me with news from the medical research frontier about certain experimental drugs that may represent a paradigm shift, but always warns me that these drugs have lengthy trial periods, and requires the scrutiny and approval of experts and government health agencies.
And as a result I do not have a blog space dedicated to the likes of her.
One of the points of contention on all these discussions about “Dr” Jessie Chung’s credentials is the issue of accreditation. Her defenders are all claiming that the real reason why her degrees (and the institutions she graduated from) are not accredited is because it is in alternative medicine. This is pure hogwash as far as I am concerned. I am aware of at least two legitimate bodies that accredit quite a large number of degrees and universities in alternative medicine - Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM), and Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME). Both are officially sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit alternative medicine programs in acupuncture, oriental medicine and naturopathy.
Let’s be clear: alternative medicine is accreditable in North America.
So, why didn’t “Dr” Jessie Chung attend these accredited schools instead? My speculation is that these schools are just as vigorous in their admission standards as other medical schools, and once there the students must earn their degree. The few that I investigated from the accredited list have high admissions requirements (normally a previous degree or 3-year studies in general sciences or life sciences at another accredited university), minimum residency requirements (i.e. no transfer or “life experience” credits, and stringent course work graduation requirements (I heard of one non-accredited university’s Ph.D. dissertation only needing to be 2,000 words – shorter than some of my rants here).
Why Accreditation?
The issue is vigour. What good is a Ph.D. if one only needed a few hours to earn it? Sure one can argue that books were read, exams taken and papers written – but just a few hours to earn something that represents the pinnacle of accumulated human learning? Learning is about acquiring the knowledge, reflecting upon the significance of what was acquired, and learning to apply it in one’s life and/or vocation. All these take time. After all, the Ph.D. is an emblem – an emblem that represents acquired knowledge and skills. And it is the knowledge and skills that are most important.
Which are Better, Accredited or Non-Accredited Universities?
Furthermore, any thinking person with some degree of common sense will realize that it is just simply too easy, when everyone else is taking 5 years and thousand of hours to earn the same degree elsewhere; and should come to the natural conclusion that the school has got to be a diploma mill. And the value of what was learnt in a few hours? To cry victim is ridiculous, and is a reflection of the person’s moral fibre. And may I suggest that somewhere within that moral fibre is the will to deceive, to con and to take someone as a victim (rather than being a victim herself).
More importantly, if you put your life into the hands of a non-accredited graduate what quality of care will you be getting? What kind of compromise will be made? Whose interests come first? That’s why allopathic doctors are subjected to such a high degree of scrutiny, since the care they give can be a matter of life and death in mere seconds. And that’s why they are so often emulated, since the respect they receive is unquestionable. That’s what the quacks want as well, instant and easy respect … but not the hard work towards it.
Universities Accreditation
Why an accredited school? Such universities are subjected to the highest degree of public scrutiny and peer-review. That is the simple nature of accreditation … complete acceptance by the public that the quality of the university is beyond question, as other experts have scrutinized the quality of the university. Government-funded universities, such as those found in Canada, are created by public money under the act of parliament/state legislature. And governments love nothing more than committees, boards, and commissions. Private universities, such as the more reputable ones in the US, are licensed and accredited by federal boards and departments (such as the US Department of Education). The net result is standards are set, and these universities – in order to continue to receive public funding and private (even more so) endowments – must comply with the standards. They require an independent Board of Governors that is representative of where the university is located – businessmen, politicians, academics, technocrats, bureaucrats, religious leaders, common citizens, staff, faculty, students. Not a single owner or principal, who decides everything by himself.
Then there is the university structure itself, which are divided into the management group (physical facilities, budgets, etc.) and the academics (curriculum, professors, etc.). Everything is open and transparent, and everyone in the community can provide input – hence the term university, a derivative of the word “universe”. No one single soul or group decides unilaterally. As a result, there are prescribed academic standards and protocols; such as the ratio of students to teachers, number of actual Ph.D.’s versus teaching assistants, issues of research, grants, publications, etc.
In my university, we have research missions for the university, the faculty and the schools – all three must be met or else there will be no tenure or promotion. We have degree and licensing requirements of the academic staff, length of probation before one gains tenure, length of tenure before one gains promotion, the various steps of promotions before one gains a full professorship, academic sabbaticals, publication quotas, grant quotas, etc. It is a very complex business, running and working in a university. All these are also needed at the other 2 universities in the current city where I am residing, and the other dozen or so in the local region. There is a set acceptable standard accepted across the country as a result of accreditation. Ditto for my last place of residence, NYC. In fact these standards are continent wide, and also global as well (I know for sure the University of Malaya has the same governance model).
Degrees/Programs Accreditation
Further to that, individuals programs or degrees are also accredited, either by the professions or by another act of the parliament/congress/state legislature. This is accreditation upon accreditation. The profession and the public are involved, as the graduates from these programs will enter the marketplace to provide professional services – and the money-paying public wants to know. Often program/degree accreditation involves curriculum and currency issues. We want our lawyers, doctors, accountants, architects and engineers (the original 5 noble professions) to be at the cutting edge of knowledge. Can’t be having our doctors continue to let blood or drain our colons in today’s day and age, can’t we? We want to ensure that programs go through continued and sustainable renewal, and that the right and qualified professors are teaching in them and the right and qualified students are learning in the program. “Life experience” and transfer credits deny the coverted student-professor interactions, hence affecting learning and exchange of knowledge; and the academic quality suffers as a result. Isn’t it obvious then, that universities with high academic reputation (like Harvard, Yale) do not confer “life experience” credits and have minimum residency requirements to minimize transfer credits?
What about Lafayette University, and the Likes??
Why then isn't Lafayette University accredited? Simply put, it takes too much trouble to make a profit if the process is too complicated. Since there is never a shortage of people who feel that they are more qualified than they really are, and are willing to go to great lengths to prove that - giving away the emblem is better than teaching the classes. Since they are already qualified and have nothing more to learn.
Besides, it is more fun to be at a bar drinking than to be hitting the books, especially when the exam is open book and the questions are very general in nature (regardless of the degree). In fact, if you can write your name - and a cheque - you have alreay passed the exams. And if you cannot write the 2000 words to complete your doctoral dissertation, you can buy a copy of the dissertation and fill in your name. No fear of copyright violations, etc. since the dissertation will not be published and indexed.
“Dr” Jessie Chung – Clarifications Please
Why, of the many choices that you obviously have, do you consistently attend unaccredited universities and unaccredited (or self-accredited) programs? What degree (pardon the pun) of assurance do you have that you have learnt from the best and have performed the best, while attending these really dubious – and bottom rated, IMHO – universities and programs? “Life experience” credits, transfer credits, correspondence credits, easy credits – why all these short cuts?? To maximize the paper credentials???
My family doctor – also my wife’s best friend - attended just one university, graduating with 2 degrees only (pre-med and her MD). Nothing more (if you do not include the required program of continuing professional development to renew her license, and insurance). Yet I trust her with my health, and to a certain degree my life. She does not sell me any drugs that she prescribes (conflict of interest, and professional misconduct - here's another hallmark of a professional), nor does she have a wall full of her patients’ photographs, or a web page proclaiming her ability to heal me from Hep. B, cancer and brain tumours. In fact she gives me the realistic news, as bad as they may be. She never proclaims any miracle cures for my cholesterol levels, my bad back or my allergies. She tells me the truth (that I need to exercise more, eat healthy, and not to drive while on antihistamines). No empty promises, just the truth. Occasionally she surprises me with news from the medical research frontier about certain experimental drugs that may represent a paradigm shift, but always warns me that these drugs have lengthy trial periods, and requires the scrutiny and approval of experts and government health agencies.
And as a result I do not have a blog space dedicated to the likes of her.
posted by Q-Buster at 1:11 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home