Michael & Debi Pearl's "College" Closed

[FundieFarmer]

Turns out that Michael & Debi Pearl's center/college/university couldn't sustain itself financially, and closed before it could completely fold. Interesting. Also of note is that where the Pearls refer to it as "Mid-South Bible College" on their site, but the University itself refers to it as a "Center", at that time. I wonder if that means their education credentials are as sound as their child-rearing creds...

victory.edu/about-victory/closureannouncement/

[browncoatslytherin]

interesting. i can't get the link to open :( but so long, farewell as far as i'm concerned. i wonder if the cases of child abuse, neglect, and death ala the pearl method coming to light has anything to do with it? granted it's only been coming to light slowly, over time, but i wonder if that slow, gradual dissenting opinion affected it.

[thoughtful]

The closing letter states:

Significant Ventures is Victory University’s owner

I looked up Significant Ventures (also known as SignificantFederation), and found this, which popped up in front of their website homepage:

June 20, 2014

Dear Visitor,

Once again, we are thrilled that you would honor us to visit our web site that has been a source of information for over 15 years in the overall education outreach community.

Unfortunately, due to the unfair and hostile attacks on financial sponsors of for-profit education by the United States government, we will not update this website in the future. Yes, we made many mistakes by investing in management that didn't deliver...but even the best management can't win in this political environment.

We leave the web site live to honor those mentioned, or those who have contributed to improving access, lowering tuition and fees, helping students graduate with less debt faster and providing education with a purpose to millions of students globally.

Our family has completely exited the for-profit education sector due to the unconstitutional treatment of the United States government toward this particular business segment in America.

The social impact of our group has helped create over 15,000 new jobs, $700 million in new real estate projects, graduated hundreds of thousands of students who have helped their families live a better life through a college degree, offered high-quality university degrees at one-third traditional university tuition, all since 2008.

Words cannot describe how grieved I am that the country I love with all of my heart would become hostile toward innovative entrepreneurs and investors who have made this country great.

— Michael K. Clifford

I may be going down a rabbit hole soon . . .

[browncoatslytherin]

oh thoughtful, if you do, please come back! that whole letter just smacks of a lot of things going on behind the scenes.

[Walking Cat Bed]

Good.

And, yes, please share what you find!

[Palimpsest]

Yes, please, Thoughtful!

We'll send out the rescue ferrets if you don't report back in a couple of days.

[lemonhead]

As someone who works in higher education finance policy, I have to warn you this would indeed be a rabbit hole :D

Essentially, Congress has cracked down on for-profit higher ed, which includes companies institutions like ITT, University of Phoenix, DeVry, and the recently deceased Everest University (part of the larger company Corinthian Colleges). I do not paint the industry with a broad brush, but there is a history of shady practices that are slowly going away due to a tighter regulatory environment. Of course, if you're Significant Ventures, this has happened because you're Christian and Obama wants to persecute you.

[lemonhead]

Significant Federation used to be associated with "United States University" (an accredited for-profit institution) and "Victory University," (formerly an accredited for-profit (? can't tell) institution, but closed since May 2014).

It doesn't look like Significant Federation itself was an accredited institution, more like they provided support services ("strategic alliances") with for-profit institutions which, of course, are having a hard time financially these days due in part to the tighter regs. My guess is those institutions could no longer afford to pay for "strategic alliances" with a third-party vendor, so these guys had to shut down.

[Toothfairy]

Who would go to a pearl college

[thoughtful]

Thanks for the info, Lemonhead.

I had to go out with a helpful relative, to get my car from a hospital parking lot, since I spent most of yesterday afternoon and evening in the ER. Thank :fsm: I seem to be fine.

So I'm a bit behind on everything at the moment, but I may be able to explore more about this dude Michael K Clifford, and whether he knows any of our snarkees.

ETA -- found this article exposing some of Clifford's actions:

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2013 ... homeless/#

[Four is Enough]

Who would go to a pearl college

I'm getting a mental image of a dominatrix here, in full leather regalia, holding a whip... well, she had to learn somewhere!

The social impact of our group has helped create over 15,000 new jobs, $700 million in new real estate projects, graduated hundreds of thousands of students who have helped their families live a better life through a college degree, offered high-quality university degrees at one-third traditional university tuition, all since 2008.

This is the part I find very difficult to swallow. They JUST started in 2008 and they're counting graduates in the hundreds of thousands? Wow.

[lemonhead]

Christ on a crutch, these people even had Mike Huckabee schilling for them, as chancellor of the Victory University Foundation: http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/lo ... draiser-vi

And of course, Michael Pearl's undergrad degree is from Victory (formerly known as Mid-South Bible College).

The same guy who owns (owned?) Victory and United States University, Michael Clifford (what's up with all these Michaels???) also owns Grand Canyon and Bridgepoint, both big names in for-profit ed.

What a hot mess. It really is a rabbit hole. I need to get back to work :D

[SilentSnark]

Victory University - is there a large campus in Virginia as well or am I thinking of a different large Christian college that brainwashes students? Has rules such as no Abercrombie and Fitch clothing, etc?

[thoughtful]

Modest, too!

My Story

Michael K. Clifford has been an entrepreneur since his first paper route at age 13. ​Michael has made and lost tens of millions of dollars. He believes one’s failures are more valuable than success.

He has created companies in Christian In-patient Psychological Treatment, charitable fundraising (helping to raise over $400M in gifts), advertising & public relations, sold the largest Six Sigma consulting agreement ($80M), managed a Presidential Campaign, created the second largest grossing political documentary in history, helped finalize the largest New Market Tax Credit financing in history, produced the award-winning film D.O.P.E., and is currently creating several online content sites.

Dr. Michael K. Clifford is an education thought leader and entrepreneur with a passion for making higher education attainable to anyone with the dream of a degree. As a catalyst for creating high-quality education institutions, Clifford embraces online education as the way to offer opportunities to students who otherwise might be shut out of a future.

CliffordCapital has been the lead investor/catalyst for saving several Christian universities that were closing their doors, resulting in the industry’s best-performing IPO in 2008 with Grand Canyon University and founding the predecessor to Bridgepoint Education, the best-performing IPO of 2009. Clifford also is credited with creating education programs for the underserved student populations in both nonprofit as well as for-profit schools. Clifford created the Ken Blanchard College of Business, Jack Welch Management Institute, and the Forbes Business School.

Michael loves helping people live better lives via education. He has several Honorary Doctorates from regionally accredited institutions.

Currently, Clifford is enabling regionally accredited institutions to increase their top line revenue via innovative online degrees by providing the Money, Management and Marketing.

To date, his real joy is the fact that, as an entrepreneur, he has been the catalyst to help create thousands of high paying jobs, $1.2B invested in real estate for schools, graduated hundreds of thousands of students with billions-of-dollars in return to institutions as well as investors.

Love his chart of his skills :roll: :

Um, I guess it's good that he's honest about the non-political part. :shrug:

[lemonhead]

Okay, I can't let this go LOL

So he bills himself as "Dr. Michael K. Clifford," but according to Wikipedia (I know, don't shoot me), "[t]hough Clifford never attended college, he is the recipient of several honorary doctorates." I think it's considered bad form, outside of the Colbert Report, to refer to yourself as "Doctor" when that doctorate is honorary. At least Dr. Bill Gothard has a doctorate from a diploma mill. Come on, Michael, step it up, man.

[thoughtful]

Okay, I can't let this go LOL

So he bills himself as "Dr. Michael K. Clifford," but according to Wikipedia (I know, don't shoot me), "[t]hough Clifford never attended college, he is the recipient of several honorary doctorates." I think it's considered bad form, outside of the Colbert Report, to refer to yourself as "Doctor" when that doctorate is honorary. At least Dr. Bill Gothard has a doctorate from a diploma mill. Come on, Michael, step it up, man.

Yeah, I think those were "he gave us money, we gave him an honorary doctorate" situations.

[FundieFarmer]

Victory University - is there a large campus in Virginia as well or am I thinking of a different large Christian college that brainwashes students? Has rules such as no Abercrombie and Fitch clothing, etc?

I think you're thinking of Liberty...I don't know anything about its dress code though! I went to a small Christian college and remember we all thought Liberty was liberal compared to our education. We didn't have a dress code, though!

PS, thanks for breaking my link, HappyAtheist!! I was running out the door when I posted and totally forgot...so sorry!! :embarrassed:

[browncoatslytherin]

I think you're thinking of Liberty...I don't know anything about its dress code though! I went to a small Christian college and remember we all thought Liberty was liberal compared to our education. We didn't have a dress code, though!

PS, thanks for breaking my link, HappyAtheist!! I was running out the door when I posted and totally forgot...so sorry!! :embarrassed:

i thought of liberty, too, from that description. they have some pretty weird rules, if i remember correctly (at least, for on-campus students. there are correspondance courses that they offer as well).

[SilentSnark]

Ah, LIBERTY is it. Liberty... Victory... Same thing lol

[thoughtful]

Victory University - is there a large campus in Virginia as well or am I thinking of a different large Christian college that brainwashes students? Has rules such as no Abercrombie and Fitch clothing, etc?

You might be thinking of Liberty.

Victory was Mid-South Bible Center, then Mid-South Bible Institute, then Crichton, then Victory.

Michael Pearl is the only "alumna of note" listed on their Wikipedia page. :shock:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_University

[docmom]

My understanding is that teh ebil guvmint has "cracked down" on the for-profit colleges by refusing to back loans to students at institutions that can't show convincingly that they provide an education that leads to the qualifications necessary to get good jobs. Many of these places vastly overrepresented the success of their students leading to many defaults on student loans. How this can be considered an "attack on entrepeneurship" is beyond me. It seems more like the responsible use of tax dollars that conservatives are so keen on.

[longtimelurker6]

Glad they're cracking down. My late sister used to counsel students away from those "colleges." She told me about nursing schools where students never saw a patient, and truck-driving schools where students never saw a truck. I'm pretty sure the Constitution doesn't specifically back that.

Students end up unable to get state licensure in whatever they'd studied. So they'd be just as unemployed as ever, but with a humongous student loan to pay off.

[lemonhead]

Glad they're cracking down. My late sister used to counsel students away from those "colleges." She told me about nursing schools where students never saw a patient, and truck-driving schools where students never saw a truck. I'm pretty sure the Constitution doesn't specifically back that.

Students end up unable to get state licensure in whatever they'd studied. So they'd be just as unemployed as ever, but with a humongous student loan to pay off.

This was before my time in the industry, so I can't claim first-hand knowledge, but...apparently there used to be for-profit vocational schools in my state that offered truck driving programs to students who were visually impaired to the extent that they could not drive. THAT is why we need regulation.

[16strong]

So wait...this place doesn't even have any alumna that went on to become preachers/pastors or whatnot? None of them managed to start family bands? Now THAT'S shady.

[thoughtful]

Here's another bit of honesty from Clifford the big red fundie-funder at SignificantBullshit -- the page with the links to the newsletters is called "Pontificating." :lol:

significantsystems.org/pontificating/