Brick by Brick

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The last post in this blog was about Timothy J. Feeney’s insistence on referring to himself as Timothy J. Feeney PhD or Dr. Timothy J. Feeney when he is neither, at least not in the United States.

As I stated earlier, both his masters and doctorate degrees were issued by a diploma mill called Greenwich University, a non-accredited college that floated back and forth from California and Hawaii in the 1990s before going to Norfolk Island off the coast of Australia in 1998. It closed in 2003.

In truth, Mr. Feeney has a good working knowledge of people with brain injury and, were he able to step up to the plate and shed the guise and present himself as he is, he could be a formidable and helpful presence in the world of community-based brain injury rehabilitation.

In his February 8 e-mail Mr. Feeney asserts that members of the New York State Department of Health have known all along that his degrees were issued by a diploma mill and were satisfied with this.

If Mr. Feeney’s assertion is true, it is deeply troubling and it is all a symptom of our culture’s addiction to dishonesty and penchant for greed.

Did members of the New York State Department of Health know Mr. Feeney’s degrees were, in short, bogus? Did the DOH know this and still sign Mr. Feeney and his company, School and Community Support Services of Latham, New York, to contracts for nearly 15 years?

What group of dysfunctional minds felt morally comfortable and at peace with the notion of giving so much influence to someone who has no doubt impacted the lives of hundreds of brain injury survivors, their families and community-based healthcare providers in New York State?

Mr. Feeney’s insistence on misrepresenting himself is, sadly, not unique. The tragedy for Mr. Feeney is that choosing to do so undermines the very real qualities and knowledge that he brings to the table because it destroys trust, and once trust goes out the window, one’s ability to be effective in their therapeutic endeavors goes out the window with it.

Here is a critical point to all of this, because it points to a larger picture. This writer and any reader of this essay would be flat out wrong to villainize Mr. Feeney or those DOH officials who, according to Mr. Feeney, knew full well the reality of his degrees. While Mr. Feeney et al are certainly responsible for their choices, we have all in one way or another contributed to the creation of a culture that promotes this kind of mindset, and thus we are all responsible for dissembling it, brick by brick, if you will.

We can and must hold people accountable, but we must do so without hatred, without cruelty. We must allow people to step up to the plate, apologize, make amends. We can dislike the choices, even hate them at time, but we are stepping into emotional quicksand if we allow ourselves to hate our brothers and sisters.

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TO DEGREE OR NOT TO DEGREE, THAT IS THE QUESTION

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To his credit, Timothy J. Feeney, a contract employee with the New York State Department of Health for nearly 15 years, recently acknowledged that his PhD was issued by a college that is not accredited in the United States.

In an unsolicited February 8 e-mail to readers of this blog, Mr. Feeney said he received his PhD from Greenwich University which, he writes, “functioned as an unaccredited institution in the US, moved it’s physical location to Australia, received legal accreditation in Australia for a two year period – period of time that my doctorate was conferred - and then lost that accreditation and closed) and no longer exists.”

Mr. Feeney appears to be partly correct. The Greenwich University Act of 1998 allowed Greenwich to function on Norfolk Island as a recognized university. However, according to a web-alert issued by the Australian Government, degrees issued by Greenwich were never recognized as valid on the Australian mainland and they have never been accredited anywhere in the United States.

According to an e-mail from Douglass Capogrossi, past president of Greenwich University and current president of Hawaii-based Akamai University (also non-accredited), Mr. Feeney is correct that his doctorate was issued when the Greenwich University Act of 1998 was in effect.

According to Mr. Capogrossi, Mr. Feeney's doctorate was issued on June 14, 1999 and his masters degree, also from Greenwich, was issued on August 27, 1993, before Greenwich moved to Australia and five years before the Greenwich University Act when, according to Mr. Feeney's e-mail, Greenwich was operating as a non-accredited school in the United States.

Greenwich University was located in California and Hawaii in the 1990s before relocating to Norfolk Island off the coast of Australia. It closed in 2003.

In his e-mail Mr. Feeney expressed concern that this writer was or is about to call him a fraud or accuse him of fraud. As I said to him in a subsequent e-mail, I have no intention of doing either.

In his e-mail Mr. Feeney further says I have drawn a conclusion about the academic integrity of degrees issued by Greenwich and “based (my) opinion on the fact that (his) Masters and Doctorate have been conferred by Greenwich University, which he has, in separate emails to myself and others, characterized as a Diploma Mill.”

Rightly or wrongly, Greenwich University is on numerous diploma mill/non-accredited schools lists on the web. The State of Oregon has compiled a comprehensive list of non-accredited schools and Greenwich is listed. It is also present on a non-accredited school lists that can be located by visiting the website for the U.S. Department of Education.

http://www.ed.gov/students/prep/college/diplomamills/index.html

As one who lives with a brain injury and one who advocates for all people with disabilities, it is true that I wrote Mr. Feeney e-mails asking him to clarify his education. He never responded to any of my requests. In fact, his e-mail to the readers of this blog represents the first time I have heard him acknowledge his doctorate was issued by Greenwich University.

Moreover, in his unsolicited e-mail to readers of this blog, Mr. Feeney says he is "very careful never to refer to myself as a psychologist." However, his profile in his company website says (italics are mine) "Tim has worked in a variety of capacities in human services including: special education teacher, program director of a state program for individuals with autism, coordinator of educational services, coordinator of behavioral services, staff psychologist, consulting behavior specialist, and an Assistant Professor of Special Education."

The issue for me is whether or not someone who has worked in the field of brain injury in New York State and a wide array of other localities has degrees that are recognize as valid by accrediting and regulating agencies.

However, according to Mr. Feeney, the New York State Department of Health is satisfied with his degrees and the NYDOH is fully aware that they were issued by a school that is not accredited in the United States.

In his February 8 e-mail he writes “I have been the Project Director for the NY State Neurobehavioral Resource Project for nearly 15 years, representing 3 distinct 5 year award periods. I have this job as the result of responding to a Request for Applications on three separate occasions. Each application required that I present my credentials for review. In each project award period I have been identified as the “key person” as a result of the DOH’s recognition of my experience and success as a clinician supporting individuals with brain injury and challenging behaviors. The Department of Health, the state office responsible for the Neurobehavioral Resource Project, is well aware of my educational history, the source of my degrees, and knew that I was undertaking graduate studies while working as the Project Director.”

I have offered more than once to sit down with Mr. Feeney and when he forwarded me the e-mail he sent to readers of this blog I again offered to sit down and talk with him. There has been no response.
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A NOTE TO MY READERS

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Recently a number of you received an e-mail from a man who feels I am about to write some piece accusing him of fraud. First of all, he is wrong. I am by no stretch of the imagination a legal mind and am not equipped to determine if someone is or is not guilty of fraud. That is for others, like law enforcement agencies and the courts to decide.

The issue at hand is, in part, the legitimacy of degrees issued by Greenwich University, a non-accredited university that was in California and Hawaii in the 1990s before moving to Norfolk Island off the mainland of Australia. To my knowledge degrees issued by Greenwich are, justly or unjustly, not recognized by any accrediting agency in the United States. To my knowledge, degrees issued by Greenwich University were never recognized as valid on the Australian mainland.

Greenwich, fairly or not, is listed on numerous diploma mill lists as well as lists of non-accredited schools here in the United States and around the world.

Having said this, the question is this; is it appropriate for someone who has GU degrees to present themselves as having degrees here in the United States? I leave that for others to decide.

While I will not name this man in this post, I have written to him and offered to publish the e-mail he wrote to many of you in this blog.

I have not heard back from him but he did say in his well-written e-mail that he would be happy to address any questions folks might have about the content of his e-mail, so he only has to say they word and I would be more than happy to post the text of his e-mail here. That, of course, is up to him.

I applaud him for having the integrity to acknowledge that both his masters and doctorate were issued by Greenwich University and standing by them.
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GREENWICH UNIVERSITY: SOME BACKGROUND

Note: In a recent blog post I referenced Greenwich University which has been listed on a number of non-accredited college lists and diploma mill lists. It is important that readers are provided with good faith honesty, so this post is the text of a web site issued by the Australian Government.

The link to the website can be found at the end of the text.

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Alert on Greenwich University

The Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training receives regular queries about the status of 'Greenwich University', a private institution which operated on Norfolk Island from 1998 until December 2002. (NOTE: Greenwich University Norfolk Island is in no way connected to the University of Greenwich in the United Kingdom.)

On this page

The following information provides responses to our most frequent enquiries.

Do Greenwich University degrees meet the academic standards of Australian universities?

I obtained a degree from Greenwich University (Norfolk Island). Is it 'legal'?

Is Greenwich University an accredited university?

Will employers recognise a Greenwich University degree?

Will Australian universities recognise my Greenwich degree for entry and/or credit?

What is the status of the Greenwich University Act (Norfolk Island) 1998?

Where can I obtain more information?

The following information provides responses to our most frequent enquiries.

What is the status in Australia of a degree obtained from Greenwich University (Norfolk Island)?

The Australian Government does not vouch for the quality of awards issued by institutions not listed on the register of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) . The AQF is the policy instrument by which Australian governments vouch for the quality of higher education institutions in Australia. Greenwich University on Norfolk Island was never listed on the relevant register of the Australian Qualifications Framework.

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Do Greenwich University degrees meet the academic standards of Australian universities?

On the one occasion when Greenwich's academic and financial standing was subject to independent assessment by the Commonwealth, an expert review committee of five persons found that "the standard of its courses, quality assurance mechanisms and academic leadership fail to meet the standards expected of Australian universities."

No independent evidence has since been provided to the Australian Government that Greenwich University degrees meet the academic standards of Australian universities. It is open to Greenwich to apply for accreditation in Australia and to demonstrate that it does meet the standards required of an Australian university. It has not done so to date.

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I obtained a degree from Greenwich University (Norfolk Island). Is it 'legal'?

Between 30 June 1998 and 2 December 2002, Greenwich University (Norfolk Island) degrees were lawfully awarded under legislation approved by the Norfolk Island Government, using its powers of self-government. While the Commonwealth Minister for Territories assented to legislation, this does not mean that Greenwich University awards were ever recognised by the Federal Government of Australia.

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Is Greenwich University an accredited university?

To our knowledge, Greenwich University has never been accredited by any recognised government accreditation authority to deliver higher education awards. It authorises itself to award degrees in its company objects.

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Will employers recognise a Greenwich University degree?

The recognition of degrees for employment purposes is a matter for individual employers. Decisions about recognition may be based on official accreditation status. We are aware of some employers and professional bodies that will not recognise a Greenwich degree for employment or promotion purposes.

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Will Australian universities recognise my Greenwich degree for entry and/or credit?

Individual education institutions are free to decide what recognition they give to degrees for entry and credit, including degrees obtained from non-AQF listed and non-accredited institutions. We are not aware of any Australian universities listed on the AQF that would enrol you in a degree program solely on the basis of an award completed at Greenwich University.

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What is the status of the Greenwich University Act (Norfolk Island) 1998?

On 2 December 2002, the Federal Government of Australia enacted legislation to regulate the use of the title university and the delivery of higher education in the external Territories. This legislation overrode the operation of the Greenwich University Act 1998 (Norfolk Island). From 2 December 2002 the Greenwich University Act (Norfolk Island) 1998 is of no effect, even though it remains on the statute book of the Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly.

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Where can I obtain more information?

The Commonwealth Department of Education Science and Training (DEST) operates a website which alerts the public to the operation of unaccredited higher education providers. On the website, inquirers can access an email service to query the status of higher education providers.

Following is the link itself:

http://www.dest.gov.au/sectors/higher_education/policy_issues_reviews/key_issues/assuring_quality_in_higher_education/alert_on_greenwich_university.htm
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BRAIN INJURY AND THE SHADOW OF FRAUD

Like any field, the field of brain injury has a wide range of participants. There are those who put their hearts and souls into making sure those of us who live with brain injuries are treated as equals, because we are. Then there are those too who see us as a way of making money and or a way of making a name for themselves.

In the next few weeks I will likely be writing a story about an individual who for more than a decade has claimed to have college degrees that don't exist, unless of course you want to include college degrees issued by a non-accredited college, a diploma mill.

This individual - a contract employee with a state government - has impacted the lives of many brain injury survivors and their families as well as the lives of many health care providers who offer services to survivors, all the while having degrees that are not recognized as valid anywhere in the United States and this writer has been unable thus far to find any place in the world where these degrees are considered valid other than the non-accredited school that issued them.

Diploma mills as they are called are sadly plentiful.

Greenwich University is a case in point. A non-accredited school that was located in Hawaii and California in the 1990s, it moved to Norfolk Island off the Coast of Australia. The Australian Government later issued an alert in the Internet making it clear that Greenwich (not to be confused with the prestigious University of Greenwich in London, England) did not live up to its educational standards.

Greenwich closed its doors in 2003 and, it seems, reopened in Hawaii as Akamai University, also a diploma mill.

Both Greenwich and Akamai are on numerous diploma mill lists.
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