The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "unaccredited" ...
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Little Known Colleges Exploit Loopholes to Make Millions Off Foreign Students
The Chronicle found numerous colleges -- most of them unaccredited -- exploit byzantine federal regulations, enrolling almost exclusively foreign students and charging them upward $3,000 for a chance to work legally in the United States. Enabled by lax state regulations, these colleges usher in thousands of foreign students and generate millions of dollars in profit because they have the power, bestowed by the U.S. government, to help students get visas.
Tags: college; foreign; student; visa; unaccredited; college; university
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Degrees of Suspicion
This investigation by The Chronicle of Higher Education looks at the popularity of so-called "diploma mills"and Web sites which provide people with fake degrees and diplomas. The reporters also discover many "legitimate" professors behind some of these operations who run unaccredited universities and colleges. The article also looks into the background of some of these Web sites, and you'll never guess where they're coming from.
Tags: fake degrees; diploma mills; spam web sites
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Diploma Mills
Starting with one high-ranking official at the Dept. of Homeland Security, the reporters turned up numerous individuals throughout the federal government who claim degrees from unaccredited colleges and universities, including several "institutions" that are diploma mills, selling degrees over the internet with no academic requirements.
Tags: college; university; diploma; PhD; federal government
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Eligibility for Sale
An investigation by ESPN revealed how athletes in the revenue-producing sports of men's basketball and football get into college, even when they lack the "academic skills necessary to compete in the classroom... For all the talk about SAT fraud involving players who get others to take scores for them, the greater form of manipulation might be in the area of core classes, in which bogus grades are given to high school athletes in order to get them qualified for NCAA competition. ESPN's report focused on one tiny school in the Queens area of New York City where, it turns out, dozens of future college athletes have gone to get their NCAA eligibility. The school, Christopher Robin Academy, does not have any sports teams but virtually ever academically troubled basketball player in New York City in the past decade -- from former North Carolina star Ed Cota to current NBA player Lamar Odom -- has used this school as a backdoor route to college basketball. There's the regular high school they attend during the week, the one they win prep championships for... then there's Christopher Robin, which they quietly attend on Saturdays or during the summer to pick up valuable core-class credits with little or no work. ESPN exposed this scam and also showed that the for-profit, unaccredited school lies to the public about its credentials... And here's the best part: the NCAA has no problem with the situation. Fearful of lawsuits alleging that the NCAA has no right to pass judgment on the educational standards of any high school, the NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse continues to accept credits and grades from Christopher Robin Academy."
Tags: NCAA; Christopher Robin Academy; grades; credits; sports; scam; TAPE; TRANSCRIPT
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Zoo Animals to Go
The San Jose Mercury News reports that "America's zoos have a little secret: They breed animals with no intention of keeping them. Every year, animals once admired at dozens of the country's major zoos are sold or given away to dealers, contributing to a multibillion-dollar-a-year exotic species marketplace where they can be resold, auctioned off to the highest bidder or advertised to the public in specialty magazines. Some of these surplus zoo animals include threatened or endangered species that end up as backyard pets, at a growing number of unaccredited roadside zoos or in the private collections of celebrities."
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No title (id: 4419)
Columbus Dispatch reports on colleges that are unaccredited and operate illegally, sometimes granting fraudulent degrees, Sept. 21 - 25, 1986.
Tags: None