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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (April 5, 2000)
A new art show is on display in Pauling See what's behind the leaf on Page 8 Wednesday, April 5, 2000 Snively & Porter take students to Death Valley Track star prepares for an Oympic run Check out the story on Page 11 See a special section on pages 6-7 Clackamas Community College Oregon City, Oregon Volume XXXIII, Issue J8 Darris takes leave Political science instructor leaves Clackamas as the legitamacy of his doctorate accreditation comes into question JOHN THORBURN Editor-in-Chief Dr. Dean Darris announced late last week that he is taking a leave of absence effective immediately, along with a sabbatical this fall, from his political science classes. The ten-year veteran instructor’s departure comes amidst recent controversy surrounding the if legitimacy of his doctorate. ^aSt Thursday, Darris r/A told the Print that he was “leaving for per- sonal reasons,” but ex- pressed the notion to Ja his Honors Class stu- ■ dents that he was leav ing to represent himself legally in the event of a civil trial over the accredi- # TIMOTHY A. BELL / Clackamas Print 10-year veteran political science instructor Dean Darris has taken professional leave while his Ph.D. has come underfire. tation- “I want it to be clear to everybody that I’m leaving under my own accord,” said Darris. “1 wasn’t forced to leave. I wasn’t asked to leave. This is my decision.” According to Darris, he has ten tative plans to return to the classroom next winter or spring term. The political science instructor’s doctorate, which he received in 1998 from Berne University in the West Indies, has been declared an in valid degree by Alan Contreras of the State of Oregon Office of De gree Authorization [ODA]. Contreras’ job is to look at in structors, professors and teachers around the state and verify whether degrees earned are in fact from accredited institutions. Ac cording to Contreras, he was asked by someone to check on the de funding from the United States De partment of Education. Federal law states that any foreign institution that receives federal funding is deemed comparable to an accred ited U.S. institution. He believes that this fact has been overlooked by Contreras and the ODA. gree. Darris would not to go on record “I received a call from a person regarding the specifics of the case that asked that their name be kept because he wanted to save his ar confidential,” noted Contreras. gument for a probable civil trial in “I’m going to respect their wishes.” the future. He feels that Darris’ degree is not from an accredited school. The college recognizes the de “All foreign universities are con- gree sidered to be unaccredited be When Darris received the Ph. D. cause accreditation is a system from Berne in 1998, College Presi setup in the United States,” said dent John Keyser evaluated the Contreras. “There are ways, how university and ever, that a for delivered a eign institution memo to the can receive ac Iwasn’t forced to college’s Human creditation from leave. I wasn’t Resource Office. our office. It sim In the memo, ply needs to ap asked to leave. This furnished to the ply for Oregon is my decision. Print by Darris, accreditation.” Keyser states: “I Dr. Dean Darris According to am pleased to Political Science Instructor Contreras, who evaluate this uni was appointed versity favorably the administrator ... It is an over of the state office seas university like many who last July, Darris has until April 30 would not be accredited by our to stop using his degree or he will conventional regional accrediting turn the case over to the Oregon organizations. It is accredited by the Attorney General’s office. World Association of Universities When it comes to the question and Colleges and the Accrediting of the accreditation of Berne Uni Commission International... I have versity on the island of St. Kitts in every reason to believe that we the Caribbean, Darris feels confi should treat the Ph.D. program that dent no matter what office is in Dean has completed in a compa vestigating. rable way to those of other colleges During an interview that lasted and universities.” more than an hour, Darris ex plained that Berne is accredited because it receives Title IV federal See Darris, page 3 A Special Report ... a look at Berne University In light of Dean Darris' leave, the Print took a deeper look at the school that has come into question. The following information was gathered by Shelbi Wescott from Darris, professors at Berne and its website. Berne University, according to in formation on its website at www.Beme.com, is a small graduate university located in the Eastern Car ibbean on the island of St. Kitts and has been a fully operational institu tion since 1993. Dr. Dale Berne ofNew Hampshire founded the university with a mission to “produce global scholars ready to assemble their roles as world citizens,” explains the site. Designed to accom modate working adults, students ex perience one-on-one attention from adjunctfaculty which consists of Ph.D.'s from Oxford, Harvard, NYU, Carnegie-Mellon, Boston University and many other distinguished insti tutions. When asked about Berne, Dr. Dean Darris pro vided The Print w ith names of pro fessors there; one was Dr. Kenneth Fishell, retired, a former professor of Research Methods and Statistics at both the University of Vermont and Beme. In a phone interview, Fishell told The Print that a three month resi dency on die island of St Kitts is required to complete the doc toral program. Duringtheir three month stay, stu dents endure a rigor ous schedule of at tending classes five days a week, eight hours a day. Students are expected to have the utmost integrity and professionalism during the intense residency. Back at home, according to Fishell, students then complete 18 hours of on-line credit work related to their field of speciality. Each student is assigned a faculty member to review the on-line work and has a supporting network of colleagues who can vouch for its aca demic integrity. “The on-line portion of the program was very cutting edge for its time,” stated Fishell. “It allowed people to continue their careers while attempt ing to obtain their Ph.D.” The final step in receiving a doc torate from Berne, according to Darris, is to write a dissertation which focuses on a unique aspect of the individual’s doctoral pursuit. A dissertation is the fruit of the pro gram, Darris said; it is a clear repre sentation of the time and effort a stu dent committed to his/her doctoral studies. His dissertation is entitled American Democracy: Promise and Betrayal and is used in political sci ence classes at community colleges in Oregon and Minnesota. “Darris’ dissertation can certainly stand the test of public scrutiny," Fishell said. "He is abrightyoung man with apromising career ahead ofhim.” An accredited university Accreditation is defined by federal government on the U.S. Department of Education website as: The status of public recognition that a nationally rec ognized accrediting agency grants to an institution or educational program that meets the agency’s established See Berne, page 3
