Almeda University

Almeda University was founded in 1997 as a distance learning program. From 2001 to 2016, the school awarded undergraduate degrees as well as masters and doctorate degrees based upon "life experience". Degrees were issued upon payment, with life experience assessments based on the word of the applicant. In addition to its degree programs, Almeda University also offered a wide selection of zero-credit courses intended for professional development.{{cite web|url=http://www.indyposted.com/188224/almeda-university-agrees-degree-holders-more-likely-to-find-work/#A1g8s32oTA3gJOGk.99 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510152327/http://www.indyposted.com/188224/almeda-university-agrees-degree-holders-more-likely-to-find-work/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-05-10 |title=Almeda University Agrees: Degree Holders More Likely to Find Work |publisher=Indyposted |date=2012-06-08 |accessdate=2012-08-03 }}{{cite web|url = http://www.netcheck.com/almedauniversity.shtml|publisher = Netcheck|title = Almeda University}}

As of 2012, Almeda only had a mailing address in Boise, Idaho. Upon inspection, Bears' Guide says that it could not locate the physical address of the institution and was informed by reception that Almeda University was a "web only" institution.[https://books.google.com/books?id=k67XC_7y5xEC&pg=PA187 Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101052158/https://books.google.com/books?id=k67XC_7y5xEC&pg=PA187&lpg=PA187&source=bl&ots=PTQ4dyPj3r&sig=zD7yDi6A1u-XvqY3B_XiWQ5cCDY&hl=en&ei=y2XQSdXtE53qswOCquCgAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA187,M1 |date=January 1, 2014 }}, John Bear, Maria Bear, (2003-01-01), pp.187 Ten Speed Press, 215. {{ISBN|1-58008-431-1}} Richard Smith was Almeda's founding CEO.{{cite web |url=http://www.bbb.org/boise/business-reviews/correspondence-schools/almeda-university-in-boise-id-34000083/ |title=BBB Business Review |author= |year=2004 |publisher=Better Business Bureau |accessdate=24 November 2012}}

Almeda University offered associate, bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees using "Prior Learning Assessments” which evaluated a candidate's life experience.{{cite web|url=http://www.almedauniversity.org/ |title=Almeda University |publisher=Almeda University |accessdate=2007-10-15 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014014311/http://www.almedauniversity.org/ |archivedate=14 October 2007 |url-status=live }} It also offered several hundred non-degree technical and business courses and certification preparation programs by e-learning.{{cite web |url = http://www.almedauniversity.org/prospective-students.html |title = Prospective Students |publisher = Almeda University |accessdate = 2011-09-16 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110903214739/http://almedauniversity.org/prospective-students.html |archive-date = 2011-09-03 |url-status = dead }}

Legally, Almeda University was a corporation registered on the Caribbean island of Nevis. It was listed as an accredited member of Interfaith Education Ministries{{cite web |url=http://interfaitheduministries.org/members.html |title=Accredited Member Schools and Universities |year=2001 |publisher=World Association for Online Education |accessdate=24 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20051024014535/http://interfaitheduministries.org/members.html |archivedate=24 October 2005 }} and the Association for Online Academic Excellence,{{cite web|url=http://aoaex.org/ful_acc_mem.html |title=Fully Accredited Members |year=2001 |publisher=The Association for Online Academic Excellence |accessdate=24 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121211132406/http://aoaex.org/ful_acc_mem.html |archivedate=11 December 2012 }} and claimed accreditation by the Council for Distance Education Accreditation;{{cite news | url=http://www.almedacollege.org/certification-accreditation.html | title=Almeda University-Certifications and accreditations | publisher=Almeda University | year=2006 | accessdate=2006-08-18 | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813154908/http://www.almedacollege.org/certification-accreditation.html | archivedate=13 August 2006 | url-status=dead }} however, none of these were recognized by the United States Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.{{cite news | url=http://www.chea.org | title=Accreditation Database and Information | publisher=Council for Higher Education Accreditation | accessdate = 2006-08-18| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20060820045039/http://www.chea.org/| archivedate= 20 August 2006 | url-status= live}} On its website, Almeda stated that its sources of accreditation were not recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, with the result that students could not receive U.S. federal loans or assistance under the GI Bill, and that Almeda degrees might not be recognized by academia or employers in some states.

• Connecticut: In October 2001, the Connecticut Department of Higher Education ordered Almeda to cease offering degrees in Connecticut. In 2002, when an investigation showed that Almeda continued to advertise its programs in Connecticut, the Department of Higher Education sent a second cease and desist letter to Almeda and referred the issue to the Connecticut Attorney General for possible legal action.{{cite web

|url = http://www.ctdhe.org/info/pdfs/ReportUnlicensedSchools.pdf

|title = Actions against unlicensed colleges and private occupational schools in Connecticut Fall 2001-Spring 2003

|publisher = Connecticut Department of Higher Education

|accessdate = 2007-01-17

|url-status = dead

|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070628125146/http://www.ctdhe.org/info/pdfs/ReportUnlicensedSchools.pdf

|archivedate = 2007-06-28

}}

• Florida: In 2003, the Florida Department of Education entered into an agreement with Almeda requiring the institution to cease operating in the state. While Floridians could still get a degree from the online university, Almeda warned customers that its degrees might be invalid for public employment in Florida.{{cite news

| url = http://www.nbc-2.com/Articles/readarticle.asp?articleid=7965&z=3&p=

| title = University not recognized by state of Florida

| publisher = NBC2

| date = 2006-07-17

| first = Kathryn

| last = Simmons

| accessdate = 2006-08-18

|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026165001/http://www.nbc-2.com/Articles/readarticle.asp?articleid=7965&z=3&p= |archivedate=2007-10-26}}

• Texas: Almeda was listed on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board list of "Institutions Whose Degrees are Illegal to Use in Texas."{{cite web

| url = http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/AAR/PrivateInstitutions/NoTX.cfm

| title = Institutions Whose Degrees are Illegal to Use in Texas

| publisher = Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

| accessdate = 2016-09-18

| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080510233955/http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/AAR/PrivateInstitutions/NoTX.cfm

| archivedate = 10 May 2008

| url-status = dead

}}

• Other states: Almeda's website indicated that its degrees also might not be valid for public employment in Illinois, Oregon, New Jersey, North Dakota, Washington and Idaho.{{cite web

|url=https://almedauniversity.org/application/policy-procedure.html

|title=Almeda Policies and Procedures

|accessdate=2006-10-04

|url-status=dead

|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725000554/https://almedauniversity.org/application/policy-procedure.html

|archivedate=2011-07-25

}} The Better Business Bureau additionally advised that residents of these states should potentially "consider the Almeda degree as a novelty item only". In January 2013, the city of Fraser, Michigan, sued{{cite web|title=Foley & Mansfield Wins Summary Judgment for City of Fraser|url=http://www.fmbusinessattorneys.com/foley-mansfield-wins-summary-judgment-for-city-of-fraser|website=Foley & Mansfield (law firm)|accessdate=16 February 2016}} Almeda and 99 other "John Doe" defendants alleging violations of the Michigan Authentic Credentials in Education Act. In January 2016, the Michigan Court of Appeals upheld one of these claims (barring the others due to the statute of limitations).{{cite web|title=MI Court of Appeals Rules on False Academic Credentials|url=http://www.luskalbertson.com/general-education-law/mi-court-of-appeals-rules-on-false-academic-credentials/|website=Lusk & Albertson blog|accessdate=16 February 2016|ref=luskalbertson-1|language=EN}}{{cite web|last1=Riordan|first1=J.|title=City of Fraser v. Almeda University (majority opinion)|url=http://publicdocs.courts.mi.gov:81/OPINIONS/FINAL/COA/20160114_C323499_37_323499.OPN.PDF|website=Michigan Courts|publisher=Michigan Court of Appeals|accessdate=16 February 2016|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160225014140/http://publicdocs.courts.mi.gov:81/OPINIONS/FINAL/COA/20160114_C323499_37_323499.OPN.PDF|archivedate=25 February 2016}}{{cite web|last1=Murray|first1=P.J.|title=City of Fraser v. Almeda University (dissenting opinion)|url=http://publicdocs.courts.mi.gov:81/OPINIONS/FINAL/COA/20160114_C323499_38_323499P.OPN.PDF|website=Michigan Courts|publisher=Michigan Court of Appeals|accessdate=16 February 2016|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160224233836/http://publicdocs.courts.mi.gov:81/OPINIONS/FINAL/COA/20160114_C323499_38_323499P.OPN.PDF|archivedate=24 February 2016}}

Almeda's academic standards have been criticized by a variety of education organizations. According to Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning, Almeda College and University was a web-only university offering degrees based on an assessment of a candidate's "life experience". Bear noted that Almeda stated it was accredited by the Association for Online Academic Excellence, but that association itself was also unrecognized.

In 2011 the U.S. News University Directory, operated by U.S. News & World Report, published an article about online education that favorably mentioned Almeda's master's degree program in psychology. Inside Higher Ed reported in June 2011 that the U.S. News website had removed the posting after being alerted that Almeda was not "recognized as an accredited degree-granting university by the U.S. Department of Education or any mainstream accrediting agency".{{citation needed|date=September 2021}} Website editors stated their commitment to "focus on accredited colleges and universities" and blamed an "editorial oversight" for the site's use of an Almeda press release.Steve Kolowich, [http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/06/30/u_s_news_and_world_report_announces_plan_for_best_online_colleges_rankings Ranking the Online Colleges] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314022842/http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/06/30/u_s_news_and_world_report_announces_plan_for_best_online_colleges_rankings |date=March 14, 2016 }}, Inside Higher Ed, June 30, 2011

In a 2017 CBC Marketplace episode investigating diploma mills, it was discovered that several people from across Canada had purchased degrees from Almeda and then passed them off as accredited degrees.{{Cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/diploma-mills-marketplace-fake-degrees-1.4279513|title='All of us can be harmed': Investigation reveals hundreds of Canadians have phoney degrees|work=CBC News|access-date=2017-09-18|language=en}}

In 2004 a CBS affiliate in Albany, New York, reported that one of their reporters filed an Almeda application for an associate degree on behalf of his dog, citing child care responsibilities and other requisite experience. Almeda initially granted the dog a "life experience" associate degree in childhood development based on the false and erroneous claims.{{cite news|url=http://www2.wrgb.com/iteam/investigation/investigation.asp?selection=article_23366 |title=Degrees for Sale |publisher=CBS6 |date=2004-02-19 |accessdate=2006-08-18 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060824192605/http://www2.wrgb.com/iteam/investigation/investigation.asp?selection=article_23366 |archivedate=24 August 2006 |url-status=dead }} Almeda later proclaimed in public response{{cite web|url=http://almedauniversity.org/press-release.html |title=Perjury to prove a point |publisher=Almeda University |accessdate=2006-10-20 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061108181011/http://almedauniversity.org/press-release.html |archivedate=8 November 2006 |url-status=dead }} that the reporter perjured himself by creating a false identity.

In 2006 a Naples, Florida police officer was forced to return a salary increase based on an Almeda degree. Two other Naples police officers were temporarily terminated when an investigation showed that they received diplomas from Almeda.{{cite news

|url = http://www.nbc-2.com/articles/readarticle.asp?articleid=7960&z=3&p=

|title = Police officers fired over fake degrees

|author = Kara Kenney

|publisher = NBC2

|date = 2006-07-17

|accessdate = 2006-10-04

|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070330070241/http://www.nbc-2.com/articles/readarticle.asp?articleid=7960&z=3&p=

|archivedate = 2007-03-30

|url-status = dead

}} Both officers appealed the ruling, stating they had spoken to department administrators before submitting the credentials needed to verify that they qualified for the incentive program.{{cite news|url=http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2006/oct/12/hearing_today_fired_naples_police_officers/?latest|title=City manager hears arguments in ex-officers' firings|date=2006-10-12|accessdate=2009-03-26|author=Staff|work=Naples Daily News}} In October 2006, both officers were reinstated with back pay, but both received 10-day suspensions and were required to take an ethics course.{{cite news

| url = http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2006/oct/28/two_naples_officers_get_jobs_back/?local_news

| title = Officers fired for online degrees rehired

| author = Ryan Mills

| publisher = Naples Daily News

| date = 2006-10-28

}}

Similarly, in 2009, eight Washington state troopers who obtained degrees from Almeda had to relinquish educational incentive pay but avoided recrimination as prosecutors could not establish criminal intent.Sharon Pian Chan, [https://archive.today/20120325085730/http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2009/02/3/troopers-with-bogus-degrees-won-t-be-charged Troopers with bogus degrees won't be charged], Seattle Times. Republished by Yakima Herald, February 3, 2009Scott Gutierrez, [http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/No-charges-in-online-diploma-inquiry-1299054.php No charges in online diploma inquiry] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160301215800/http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/No-charges-in-online-diploma-inquiry-1299054.php |date=March 1, 2016 }}, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, February 2, 2009 Also in 2009, the Sacramento Bee reported that one or more Sacramento city firefighters have had their raises revoked after obtaining degrees from Almeda.Robert Lewis, [http://www.sacbee.com/626/story/2011619.html The Public Eye: 'Diploma mill' degrees for firefighters cost city $50,000, grand jury says], Sacramento Bee, July 9, 2009. [https://web.archive.org/web/20091019071903/http://www.sacbee.com/626/story/2011619.html Archived by archive.org on October 19, 2009].

• List of unaccredited institutions of higher education
• List of unrecognized higher education accreditation organizations
• Diploma mill
• List of animals with fraudulent diplomas
• Axact

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.almedauniversity.org/ Official website]

Category:Unaccredited institutions of higher learning in the United States

Category:Former for-profit universities and colleges in the United States

Category:Distance education institutions based in the United States

Category:Universities and colleges established in 1997

Category:1997 establishments in Saint Kitts and Nevis

Category:Educational institutions disestablished in 2016

Category:2016 disestablishments in the United States

Category:Axact