American World University

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American World University (AWU) claims to be a distance learning university that attempts to enable working professionals to earn a college degree by allowing them to receive college credits for existing knowledge they have gained from work experience, take classes at home through distance education, and complete assignments in their primary language, not just English. AWU is well-known for serving overseas students, in Indonesia and elsewhere.

American World University is included in the State of Michigan's list of non-accredited colleges and universities, which are sometimes known as diploma mills. The World Association of Universities and Colleges, which lists AWU as one of its accredited universities, is run by Maxine Asher, the president of AWU. [1]

In January, 2004, the State of Hawaii's Office of Consumer Protection won a lawsuit against AWU; the judgement enjoined AWU from "Providing any post-secondary instructional programs or courses leading to a degree" or "Acting as or holding themselves out as a 'college', 'academy', 'institute', 'institution', 'university' or anything similar thereto."

John Bear, the author of "Bear's Guide to Earning Degrees through Distance Learning", said of AWU, "Academically, there's nothing there."

The Daily Iowan describes AWU in depth in an article entitled "Stealth U. in Iowa City duped many, experts say". According to the article, Michael Lambert, the executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Distance Education and Training Council said Asher applied for accreditation for AWU to his organization in 1996. He said she complained about the requirements and the paperwork and challenged him to visit her in person. He recalls flying to Iowa City and meeting her in a few empty rooms that were the headquarters of AWU. After a 30-minute meeting, Asher withdrew the application for accreditation.

The same article relates the experiences of a student named John Shaw who he says he received specific assurances from Asher that the master's degree he was seeking would be acknowledged in Saudi Arabia. When he applied for a job in that country, he was told that neither the degree nor the school were considered legitimate: "In fact, they told me that I was wasting my time and money studying with that school."

External links

• AWU's website
• Hawaii's lawsuit
• Non-accredited colleges/universities- State of Michigan's list
• Johnson Deputy Defends Degree; Unaccredited School Granted Doctorate- Washington Post article, May 20, 2004.
• 'Stealth U' in Iowa City Duped Many, Experts Say- Daily Iowan article, January 27, 2003