Almeda University and PLA programs

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College Professors Chatboard

Almeda University and PLA programs

by Elizabeth

May 22, 2009

The arguments made for and against Life Experience schools is compelling.

It must hard for so many participants in the debate who have invested time and money into a traditional post secondary education to digest the idea of someone who has not toiled in the same manner reaping the same reward.

On the other hand, as someone who has worked for 20 years paying taxes that support the public universities, I am equally incensed that the National Center for Education Statistics reports 95.4% of high school graduates and 71% of COLLEGE GRADUATES can't read a complex piece of writing. Or that the Washington Post reported in 2005 that literacy among college graduates was on a DECLINE, and "... Only 31 percent of college graduates can read a complex book and extrapolate from it. That's not saying much for the remainder."

Someone stated in an earlier post that Almeda, specifically, is operating both "illegally" and within a "loophole". These allegations contradict one ...See MoreThe arguments made for and against Life Experience schools is compelling.

It must hard for so many participants in the debate who have invested time and money into a traditional post secondary education to digest the idea of someone who has not toiled in the same manner reaping the same reward.

On the other hand, as someone who has worked for 20 years paying taxes that support the public universities, I am equally incensed that the National Center for Education Statistics reports 95.4% of high school graduates and 71% of COLLEGE GRADUATES can't read a complex piece of writing. Or that the Washington Post reported in 2005 that literacy among college graduates was on a DECLINE, and "... Only 31 percent of college graduates can read a complex book and extrapolate from it. That's not saying much for the remainder."

Someone stated in an earlier post that Almeda, specifically, is operating both "illegally" and within a "loophole". These allegations contradict one another. A "loophole", while contravening the INTENT of a law, is not illegal. Loopholes are used strategically in taxes, elections, politics, and the criminal justice system. Any accredited pre-law or graduate law program worth its student fees teaches students how to find and exploit loopholes.

That is, of course, accepting the premise that Almeda exploits a loophole. I don't know if they do or do not. I do know there are other schools that are not traditional and therefore not accredited. Almeda doesn't claim, according to their website, regional accreditation. In fact, they are quite specific in advising prospective students not to enroll under circumstances where regional accreditation is required. So who is being exploited? Possibly the student with $80,000 in loans... and still can't read an op-ed piece?

(If you want to see fraud, check out [link removed]!)

Years ago, my campus career came to an abrupt halt. I spent years paying back student loans for the time spent and raising my daughter while clawing my way up the success ladder by piecing together on-line classes and various training/certifications into a career. Now that my daughter is contemplating her life after high school, I don't want her to struggle like I did to have a career. But at the same time, I want to teach her that life gives us infinite opportunities to learn. To me, this is the validation PLA programs give: that an individual can learn outside of the classroom and apply that knowledge.

If employers are properly informed of the variances between a campus education, correspondence/on-line education, and PLA degrees... EMPLOYERS should be free to make decisions for themselves as to who will add the most value to their organization, not the government and certainly not individuals who are choking on sour grapes.

PLA programs are unfamiliar to most, but they are not unique. If Almeda, or some other ACCREDITED university (who wants me to pay the equivalent of tuition + books + housing + student fees) wants to validate my life experience, why expend so much energy assailing them with allegations of fraud. After all, if 95.4% of high school graduates can't read... don't educators have a more pressing war to wage?

Comment

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Donni Legitimate PLA programs are OK, but Almeda University is neither licensed as a University nor authorized to operate as such by any State within the United States of America. Now, the State of Oregon has officially posted an announcement that Almeda University is a "Degree Mill"

[link removed]

Almeda College (University) Florida, ...See MoreLegitimate PLA programs are OK, but Almeda University is neither licensed as a University nor authorized to operate as such by any State within the United States of America. Now, the State of Oregon has officially posted an announcement that Almeda University is a "Degree Mill"

[link removed]

Almeda College (University) Florida, Idaho Closed by legal action in Florida but may still be operating there. Operating illegally in Idaho. Degree mill.

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On 5/22/09, Elizabeth wrote: > The arguments made for and against Life Experience schools > is compelling. > > It must hard for so many participants in the debate who > have invested time and money into a traditional post > secondary education to digest the idea of someone who has > not toiled in the same manner reaping the same reward. > > On the other hand, as someone who has worked for 20 years > paying taxes that support the public universities, I am > equally incensed that the National Center for Education > Statistics reports 95.4% of high school graduates and 71% > of COLLEGE GRADUATES can't read a complex piece of > writing. Or that the Washington Post reported in 2005 that > literacy among college graduates was on a DECLINE, and "... > Only 31 percent of college graduates can read a complex > book and extrapolate from it. That's not saying much for > the remainder." > > Someone stated in an earlier post that Almeda, > specifically, is operating both "illegally" and within > a "loophole". These allegations contradict one another. > A "loophole", while contravening the INTENT of a law, is > not illegal. Loopholes are used strategically in taxes, > elections, politics, and the criminal justice system. Any > accredited pre-law or graduate law program worth its > student fees teaches students how to find and exploit > loopholes. > > That is, of course, accepting the premise that Almeda > exploits a loophole. I don't know if they do or do not. I > do know there are other schools that are not traditional > and therefore not accredited. Almeda doesn't claim, > according to their website, regional accreditation. In > fact, they are quite specific in advising prospective > students not to enroll under circumstances where regional > accreditation is required. So who is being exploited? > Possibly the student with $80,000 in loans... and still > can't read an op-ed piece? > > (If you want to see fraud, check out > [link removed]?

Jun 7, 2009

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