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HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (AP) -- The Pennsylvania attorney general's office Monday sued an online university for allegedly selling bogus academic degrees -- including an MBA awarded to a cat.

Trinity Southern University in Texas, a cellular company and the two brothers who ran them are accused of misappropriating Internet addresses of the state Senate and more than 60 Pennsylvania businesses to sell fake degrees and prescription drugs by spam e-mail, according to the lawsuit.

Investigators paid $299 for a bachelor's degree for Colby Nolan -- a deputy attorney general's 6-year-old black cat -- claiming he had experience including baby-sitting and retail management.

The school, which offers no classes, allegedly determined Colby Nolan's resume entitled him to a master of business administration degree; a transcript listed the cat's course work and 3.5 grade-point average.

The state is seeking a permanent injunction, civil penalties, costs and restitution for violating consumer law and restrictions on unsolicited e-mail ads.

Prosecutors said more than 18,000 illegal e-mails were sent out this year with links to Trinity Southern's Web address, including 300 that appeared to originate from the Internet servers of Pennsylvania companies and institutions.

Among the alleged victims are Penn State University and the University of Pennsylvania, as well as numerous Internet service providers, businesses and technology companies.

The defendants are the school; Innovative Cellular and Wireless Inc. of Corpus Christi, Texas; Alton Scott Poe of St. Cloud, Florida, vice chancellor and dean of admission for Trinity; and Craig Barton Poe of Frisco, Texas, president of Innovative Cellular.

A phone message left at Trinity Southern was not returned Monday. None of the other three defendants appears to have a listed or published phone number.

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Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 12-08-2004, 01:46 PM:
 
That's awesome. I'm more than certain that my cat has the qualifications to get an MBA also. I should look into this.

=TMP=
 

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Posted by Aaron Mehocic (Member # 15) on 12-08-2004, 01:55 PM:
 
On-line education programs blow! Students learn best when in a formal classroom setting where they feel comfortable with the instructor and their fellow learners. Moreover, many post-secondary educators know that on-line education programs are taking big dollars away from their particular schools and compensation packages. At the community college where I teach, we are constantly being hammered by administrators concerning retention. Here in Pennsylvania, we've seen a huge boom in new students as state funding to four-year institutions is falling drastically. Con artists with a little brains and a bogus website can cash in big time on this. I'm not suprised to see in the least bit that the datline to the CNN link is Harrisburg.

Seriously, how many on-line degree programs exist out there? The University of Phoenix is probably the most popular (BTW: Their founder is now a multi-millionaire as a result). Other programs bear such names as Cardella, Devry, and University of the Pacific. Granted, these are great ways to learn if one has limited time and resources, but what happens to quality education after the market is glutted by on-line graduates. This will be the undoing of professional educators in the way that professional projectionists were replaced twenty-five years ago.

The best way to avoid getting scammed is to attend a regular ACCREDITED college or university. If thats out of the question then do your research. Access Department of Education guidelines for choosing an on-line institution that works for you. Check out publications of the Chronicles of Higher Education to track recent positions that the schools may advertised for hire. Talk with students that may be using any on-line schools or taking distance learning classes. I've personally taught distance ed and can tell you grades do suffer when all students have is an e-mail and phone number.

These guys are criminals of the first degree and will be prosecuted under Federal law. Too bad we can't get them all in one sweep.
 

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Posted by William T. Parr (Member # 677) on 12-09-2004, 11:50 AM:
 

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Innovative Cellular and Wireless Inc. of Corpus Christi

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