| Motto | Longevity, Advancement, Wisdom |
|---|---|
| Type | unaccreditedprivate university identified as adegree mill[1] |
| Active | 1993–2009 (2009) |
| Chancellor | Abdul Hassam |
| President | William Weston |
| Dean | Abdul Hassam |
| VP/Registrar | Nasrat/Nusri Hassam/Kassam |
| Address | 28-29 Dzeliwe Street ,, |
| Website | rutherford.edu |
Rutherford University, previously doing business asSenior University International andStratford International University,[2] was anunaccredited[3]private institution that offereddegrees online. It operated from 1993 through 2009 and offered the following degrees:Bachelor of Arts,Bachelor of Science,Master of Arts,Master of Science,Master of Business Administration,Doctor of Philosophy,Doctor of Business Administration.[4]
TheOregon Office of Degree Authorization had labeled Rutherford University adegree mill.[1]
On its website Rutherford claimed to be accredited by theInternational States Parliament,[5][6] an organization based inPalermo,Sicily.[7] Rutherford also claimed to be recognized by the government of the African nation ofSwaziland, but this was denied by the nation's minister of education and other education officials in early 2008.[8] Subsequently, the claim of recognition by Swaziland was removed from the university website[8] and returned.[9]
TheOregon Office of Degree Authorization stated that Rutherford University had "no authority to issue degrees."[1] TheBritish Columbia government believed that the school was operating unlawfully from British Columbia.[2]
Rutherford was established in 1993 as Senior University International inEvanston, Wyoming. Its owner or co-owner was Lester Carr, who was also a co-owner ofColumbia Pacific University and had served as president ofColumbia Commonwealth University[10] inRock Springs, Wyoming. Senior University International was not allowed to continue its operations fromWyoming after it did not meet the requirements of the Wyoming government.[11][12]
Subsequently, the school officially operated fromBritish Columbia. According toHoovers it had annual sales of 600,000 dollars with seven employees inVancouver, but other reports stated that it operated fromRichmond. Richmond was the place of residence of Rutherford senior Abdul Sultan Hassam,[13]Vancouver was the residence of Leslie Carr.[2] In March 2006 Rutherford was instructed to stop enrolling students from British Columbia.[5][12]
In 2003, a "Rutherford University" was identified as planning to develop a newcampus inNew South Wales,Australia.[14]
In 2005 the Dutch foundation "Counselling Netherlands" inHeteren started a Bachelor of Arts in Multidisciplinary Counselling program for 10.000 euro over four years through Rutherford University. However, in 2008 it was discovered that the school was not accredited as Counselling Netherlands had claimed.[3][15][16]
In 2007 the university claimed to have its headquarters inMbabane,Swaziland,[17] However, its corporate headquarters remained in Evanston, Wyoming.[18] As of mid-2008, only an address in Swaziland was provided by the institution.[5] A telephone number in Swaziland was removed from the website after the operator had stated not to know Rutherford University.[8] The Oregon Office of Degree Authorization reports listed Wyoming, British Columbia, Swaziland,South Africa, andChina as geographic locations with which Rutherford University has been associated.[1]
In June 2009, all the information on the sub-pages was no longer available from the organization's website. The website of "Rutherford University Mexico" was accessible after being temporarily unavailable, but by September 2009 the domain was no longer connected.
Rutherford University, adiploma factory first based in Canada, escaped to the American state ofWyoming two years ago, after the Canadian government had taken action against companies selling fake university diplomas. But after Wyoming invoked its higher education laws, the university decided it was better to leave America altogether and it is now selling its diplomas fromSwaziland. Its website says the university is "fully accredited" by something called the "International States Parliament" which is also a joke. Other institutes which look like daughters of Rutherford University even claim to be accredited by the "Supreme Council of the Presidency of the International States Parliament" which is three times nothing.
Here is a list of more than two hundred accrediting agencies that, as of late 2004, arenot recognized by eitherCHEA or theUS Department of Education. Inclusion on this list does not mean the accreditor is good or bad, real or fake, but only that it [is] not recognized by either of these two agencies. [...] Parlamento Mondiale per la Sicurezza e la Pace. Accreditor claimed by Senior University, Wyoming. It awards titles of nobility from an address in Palermo, Italy.
Preston University has moved to Alabama — where there's less oversight of post-secondary education — now that Wyoming requires private universities to be accredited. Preston is now based in Montgomery, Ala., and joins at least one other online school, Rutherford University, that has left Wyoming in response to the law. [...] Also within the past several months, Rutherford University has moved from Rock Springs to Mbabane, Swaziland, according to the school's Web site.