Zombie colleges? These universities are living another life online, and no one can say why

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Stratford University says it will prepare students to “Be the Boss.” But applicants hoping a Stratford education will ensure that future are headed for disappointment: The Virginia school closed two years ago this fall.

Instead, Stratford is one of at least nine shuttered colleges whose names have been resurrected on the web. None of these zombie universities are accredited or cleared to receive federal financial aid – hurdles that signal legitimacy. And their motives are cloaked in a mystery no federal oversight agency seems to have tried to solve.

Kari Kammel, who heads the Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection at Michigan State University, was perplexed by the counterfeit sites. At USA TODAY’s request, she reviewed them and said she suspected identity theft could be at play for some.

“They figured out a way to post something, get students to apply, take application information, take credit card information, take financial aid information,” Kammel said.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/zombie-colleges-these-universities-are-living-another-life-online-and-no-one-can-say-why/ar-BB1m5p5u

[Marcus IM]

1. tRump U a leader for grifting fake education. n/t

[marble falls]

2. Stratford's site is closed ...

... obviously being used for something nefarious. Maybe fraudulent student loans? It still has an active wiki page. It was a subsidiary of Modi Enterprises https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modi_Enterprises.


Stratford University received the Virginia V3 Perseverando Award for both 2015 and 2016. The awards were presented to Stratford by Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe of at the Annual Chamber of Commerce Workforce Conference in Richmond.[15][16][17][18]

In 2016, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker presented Stratford University with the President’s "E" Award for Exports. It is the highest recognition any U.S. entity can receive for making a significant contribution to the expansion of U.S. exports. The 'E' Awards noted Stratford University's dedication to providing quality education to students around the world, particularly its investment in language training programs.[19][20][21]

In 2019, Stratford announced that it would be closing three of its campuses in Virginia, including campuses in Newport News and Virginia Beach.[22] Noting Stratford's problems with its accreditor, The Center for Immigration Studies labeled the school as a "marginal university." [23]

In 2020, Stratford's accreditor, the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, was investigating the school for allegedly operating an unapproved program in Irbil, Iraq.[24]

In 2022, the United States Department of Education decertified Stratford's accreditor, causing the university to announce that it would cease operations following the end of the Fall 2022 term.[4] The following year, Stratford University filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.[25]



Rankings

Washington Monthly's 2020 rankings placed Stratford number 605 out of 614 masters-level universities in social mobility.[29]
Accreditation and affiliations

Stratford University was accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) to award degrees through the master's level.[30] It was exempt from requirements of oversight to grant Associate, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate degrees by State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV).[31]

Stratford's nursing program was approved by the Virginia Board of Nursing[32] and accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.[33] The university's medical assisting program was accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools and its Language Institute was accredited by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation.

Stratford's culinary programs were accredited by the American Culinary Federation (ACF).[34] Stratford was a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals.[35]


I'm looking into other schools. This is interesting as all get out, especially when I read about the Modis and who they did business with, include a subsidiary of Philip Morris. Thanks for posting this!