OIUCM

[Fenner]

I am new here and not familiar with finding my way around on a forum.
Would someone kindly tell me about a university located in Sri Lanka which has apparently graduated over 40,000 students from all over the globe.
I have been able to put together a list of over thirty alumni from said school who hold prominent positions in academia. Two are deans of traditional university departments. The school is called Open International University For Complementary Medicines in Sri Lanka .
There is an Indian school with a similar name but there is no apparent connection.

Thank you for any response.
Fenner

[Sister]

From what I can see the university teaches alternative medicine like acupuncture. Is that what you are interested in learning?

[Fenner]

No, I am past the learning age.....:--))
Just wondering how some institutions are judged by various experts.

I know several people who hold a degree from Columbia Pacific University. The school was IMO little more than a diploma mill and was later closed down by the State of California.
I am aware of a few alumni of OIUCM who hold very high positions in Academia as well as in various health professions around the globe.
One of the most respected medical clinics in Europe is affiliated with this school yet the situation about accreditation or of any value at all is unclear.
The school does not appear on any of the degree mill lists such as Oregon, Maine, Texas etc.
Is there a sure fire way to determine legitimacy of a school and the usefulness of their degrees?

THanks for the person with a good answer, there may be a prize.
Fenner

[LilOne1989]

If you are unsure check with the board of education in that state. They would probably be able to tell you about any problems that have come through their office. Also the BBB is a good place to look for information on businesses (which is what a college really is). Between the two you should be able to get a good sense if the college you are thinking about is worth you time, but trust your instincts. If you feel at all unsure about the school pass on it. It is better to follow your instincts and be wrong about the goodness of the school than to go there do the work only to have all your hard work turned away when the time comes to prove what you have done and what you know.

[johann]

Have a look at: http://www.chiroweb.com/archives/13/25/27.html

The writer of this article (on two chiropractors claiming fraudulent credentials) states he was informed that the OIUCM in Colombo, Sri Lanka is NOT an accredited Medical school. In fact the writer's informant is quoted as having been told that for $400 extra, this school is known to award an "M.D." (their abbreviation for Masters' Degree) and for a further $400 payment, an "Albert Schweitzer Award and KNIGHTHOOD!"

I'm not surprised the Oregon & Texas lists don't have them listed. They can't possibly keep up 100% with the situation world-wide. There are just too darn many. And next week there will be more!

With overseas schools - those that don't have a North American address or presence of any kind, the first thing to do is to see that they are properly accredited, chartered or whatever (depending on country) with their proper government authorities.

Research, research, research! It ALWAYS pays! --what did I win, huh? :-)

Good luck!

Johann

[Fenner]

Okay. Explain this:
Affiliation with the Paracelsus Klinik in Switzerland.
Graduate is Dean of an Australian University Nutrition School.
Very prominent Australian Academic is also Alumnus.
Many more if you search in orthodox circles.
Many thousands of graduates in health practices.

It is not on the Australian list of diploma mills and is listed in John Bear's latest book as "other school", not diploma mill.
It is hard to determine in this case.
From their literature it appears that they offer mostly post grad courses as well as acupuncture certification, PhD's in various fields. They don't award MD degrees apparently, so they are not pretending to be a medical school.

I searched all known Naturopathic Colleges in N America and elsewhere, each has at least one alumnus from the OIUCM.

So far no prizes for a definitive answer.
My feedback from them for a postgrad degree was a very indepth, lengthy study period and a thesis that needs to be supervised properly and defended.
Fenner

[johann]

Sorry Fenner -

Explain? It's too darn much effort to explain! We live in an era of free speech and that's exactly what my opinion cost you! I'm too old to get into the cyber-warfare this could become. Besides, explanations are too complex for my small brain - all I'm capable of is reasonably critical reading.

However, I'll rant a little further - for free. I don't know if anybody other than yourself has used the term "degree mill" in regard to this school. I certainly haven't.

People have various definitions, but the most popular one for "mill" is a school that will sell you a degree for money - no academic work needed.
OIUCM does not appear to fit that definition.

The writer I referred you to quoted professionals who felt OIUCM was a less-than-wonderful school and that other Doctors of Chiropractic should refrain from mentioning they also had OIUCM degrees. Period.

But Knighthoods? Really! Not for me, unless offered by her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II! And those only to Brits, (like me) with the well-deserved (imho) exception of Sir Rudy Giuliani!

We have lived with credential (hyper)inflation for a long time. The chiropractors in the article were censured by their peer(s) for just this, in connection with their OIUCM degrees. It seems that professionals disagree among themselves about OIUCM, so I guess I'm unqualified to enter the fray
and get to go home now.

I have no comment or idea about the number of people you mention who have OIUCM degrees. Don't know any of them. Don't know the folks at the Klinik Paracelsus either. Sorry. (Looked at their site, though.)

Don't worry about the prize--I've forgotten all about it. :-)

Regards,

Johann

[Fenner]

THanks, Johann.
There was a time that chiropractors and their schools were ridiculed and their practitioners thrown in jail. The AMA kept this up (under the leadership of Morris Fishbein, failed MD who didn't quite finish his own medical education -flunked anatomy-) until a group of 5 chiropractors took the AMA to court. They WON !
The substantial fine was given in toto to charity. The AMA was forbidden to discriminate etc.
They have stopped doing it in daylight only.
Peterson, an editor of a chiropractic newspaper, is the one who condemned OIUCM, that's all I know about it other than that one of the top three in chiropractic in USA also holds a degree from said school. It's all a bit confusing.
As to knighthoods and awards: They have a small principality in the Western part of Australia where a Prince Leonard rules. He seceded from the main country in 1970 and beat the best legal minds of the Commonwealth who intended to lock him up for treason. This fellow offers knighthoods, he has tens of thousands of overseas citizens, hundreds of diplomats with diplomatic passports.....
Personally, I would prefer a knighthood from him over one from the Queen.
But I am not trying to argue, just giving some information. It is rather frustrating that there is not a single agency in each country that clearly states the legitimacy of any school.

Best
Fenner

[GBrown]

It is not on the Australian list of diploma mills...

A list? Where?

Cheers,

George

[Fenner]

The Newspaper called The Australian published and maintains (I think, with upgrades) a list.
Good news. I telephoned a rather prestigious university a few hours ago re applying. I told the admissions advising lady that I wanted to get into their postgrad program in Oncology. Twice she reassured me that my PhD from OIUCM was certainly acceptable. I'll be ****ed. Why didn't I think of that. Now we need to send someone with such a degree to apply in person.
Fenner

[johann]

Dear Fenner:

I have no axe to grind here. Maybe OIUCM is a great school, maybe not. But you may find this of interest:

Have a look at http://www.indiatodaygroup.com/itoday/01121997/gujarat.html

Of course, for every page I get that says OIUCM is a bad school, another can surely be found saying it's a great place.

As to the phone calls you made, I have seen instances of "grads" of the most scandal-plagued ahem-universities bafflegab themselves right into research and doctoral programs with well-known accredited US universities. (Two Liberian "schools" trolling for Americans come to mind.)

In the cases I read, the usual result was a cv. time-bomb, like the Indian link above.

Again, this is NOT to say OUICM is a good or bad school. I have no opinion on that. My research usually stops when I find the school is not registered in the normal fashion for universities in that country. Again, OIUCM's website says it has its reasons (privately funded etc.)

I'm familiar with Prince Leonard (Caswell) of Hutt River. There's a market for knighthoods, just as there is with diplomas. (Often, to the same people, it seems!) I congratulate His Highness on his marketing expertise and wish him well. One of his knighthoods is a darn sight less dangerous than a fake diploma!

There are lots of other organizations that sell knighthoods, etc. and to me these "honours" of supposedly reconstituted societies all have about the same validity. If I want something like that, I can save money by printing it. Then I can call myself "Sir Johann, Knight of Omsk, Tomsk, Minsk Pinsk and Tobolsk," or whatever -free of charge.

I wish you well, too. :-)

Johann

[johann]

Dear Fenner:

I have no axe to grind here. Maybe OIUCM is a great school, maybe not. But you may find this of interest:

Have a look at http://www.indiatodaygroup.com/itoday/01121997/gujarat.html

Of course, for every page I get that says OIUCM is a bad school, another can surely be found saying it's a great place.

As to the phone calls you made, I have seen instances of "grads" of the most scandal-plagued ahem-universities bafflegab themselves right into research and doctoral programs with well-known accredited US universities. (Two Liberian "schools" trolling for Americans come to mind.)

In the cases I read, the usual result was a cv. time-bomb, like the Indian link above.

Again, this is NOT to say OUICM is a good or bad school. I have no opinion on that. My research usually stops when I find the school is not registered in the normal fashion for universities in that country. Again, OIUCM's website says it has its reasons (privately funded etc.)

I'm familiar with Prince Leonard (Caswell) of Hutt River. There's a market for knighthoods, just as there is with diplomas. (Often, to the same people, it seems!) I congratulate His Highness on his marketing expertise and wish him well. One of his knighthoods is a darn sight less dangerous than a fake diploma!

There are lots of other organizations that sell knighthoods, etc. and to me these "honours" of supposedly reconstituted societies all have about the same validity. If I want something like that, I can save money by printing it. Then I can call myself "Sir Johann, Knight of Omsk, Tomsk, Minsk Pinsk and Tobolsk," or whatever -free of charge.

I wish you well, too. :-)

Johann