MiTC came into existence because we felt the need to provide an outlet for information our fellow citizens should be aware of. As we say everyday, Dominica is pregnant with issues, yet the local media seem incapable of investigating, presenting and doing followups on anything that is not handed to them by local authorities. They do not touch anything that they believe would jeopardize their access to the "popular" crowd. So they snooze while the country slides downhill. We hoped that MiTC would have spurred creativity within the likes of DNO or The Sun, but alas, that was not to be. So we must continue to do the job that our "media practitioners" fail at day in and day out.
While in Dominica recently, I took a side trip to Portsmouth to investigate an issue that I was tipped off about a couple months ago. I was told that there's a university in Portsmouth that no one seems to know about. I found that strange and decided to look into that while in Dominica on holiday. So, camera in hand, I jaunted off to our second town. This is what I discovered.
Portsmouth is home to a university called the "International University for Graduate Studies" (IUGS). The school's Chancellor is a Dr. Benjamin Brucker Weisman of the USA, and the university appears to be partially owned by prominent Dominican lawyer Alick Lawrence. The school's campus as indicated on its website (www.iugrad.edu.dm) is located at the corner of Rodney and Sandwich streets, the Portsmouth office of Alick Lawrence (see photo).
What is even just as interesting is that the school's registered address in the government's Register of Companies is 1567 Holland Street, Portsmouth. I went looking for that address and after surveying the street, I discovered that this address was an empty lot with a mango tree planted in the middle (see photo).
IUGS was originally located in St. Kitts but was moved Portsmouth a few years ago. On it's Facebook page, IUGS says that it was founded in 1979 and has been accredited for over 30 years. It also states that it received its accreditation in Dominica on June 18th, 2015 and operates under permit from our Ministry of Education.
In a June 25, 2004 article entitled "Psst. Wanna Buy a Ph.D?", respected journalists Thomas Bartlett and Scott Smallwood of "The Chronicle of Higher Education" identified IUGS as a school where you essentially can buy your degree without ever doing the requisite coursework. The journalists examined the "credentials" of a number of individuals whose resumes indicated that they had achieved doctorates, only to discover that they had simply paid for the degrees from fraudulent universities (http://bit.ly/2fbjq0u). The irony here is that one of the universities they identified as part of that scam is now based in a country whose leader trots around with a fraudulent degree; if they were to now update their original article, I am certain they would have included Roosevelt Skerrit in their report.
Digging into its website for further details, we discovered that Ms. Joyette Daniel is listed as the University's Associate Director and Finance Administrator. She is responsible for collecting tuition fees for the university. While in Portsmouth, I inquired as to whom Ms. Daniel may be; she is said to be an employee in Mr. Lawrence's office. Is Ms. Daniel aware that her employer Mr. Lawrence has woven her into an operation that is a fraud?
The cost of your degree is hefty; a Master's degree will set you back as much as US$16,000 while a Doctoral degree will bore a US$23,500 hole in your pocket. To obtain your degree from IUGS there's not much to do; select your field of "study", pay your tuition, do some reading, consult with someone who can explain to you what it is that you're reading, write a dissertation, and after all this, pick up your "degree" a couple weeks later. Nothing spectacular. Obviously I am simplifying the process but there's not much more to it.
IUGS sells degrees in a number of disciplines including Addiction Studies, Behavioural Health, Christian Counselling, Forensic Science, Library Science, Psychoanalysis, Parapsychology, Social Work, to name a few. The website lists a number of "tutors" and their areas of expertise.
Why did our education authorities not know that this institution was a fraud? Is this another case of our government officials, experienced in the art of deception and swimming in the pool of corruption simply turning a blind eye because of who the fraudster is? When are we going to put an end to the desecration of our country's name? Are we going to continue to sit on the sidelines watching this disaster unfold without lifting a finger to stop it? Do we Dominicans realize that this and all other instances of official corruption, nepotism, misconduct and theft will eventually catch up with us? What will we say to ourselves then?
This university was accredited by our National Accreditation Board. The board's chairman is Ms. Celia Nicholas and it's vice-Chairman is the Pantyman himself, Donald Peters. We need an explanation from these individuals.
The International University for Graduate Studies is a fraudulent university. Our country is becoming known a a place for fraudsters and crooks. It is about time that we made Dominica great again; tomorrow is a perfect day to start.
Click here to view IUGS website: https://www.iugrad.edu.dm/
So Portsmouth has a University that Porssie people don't even know about. SMFH.Nothing surprises me with the level of corruption in Dominica
ReplyDeleteToday is the day we start not tomorrow. It is time these crooks be put into the back of the stock farm business or disposed in the fucking labass
ReplyDeleteThanks for the hard evidence bro...This time around we will surely vote to make "Dominica great again"
ReplyDeleteWhat's new in the "FOOLS" paradise? Fraudsters, corrupt politicians and venal, greedy, supporters do what they do best with impunity.
ReplyDeleteIt gets worse: Google '8 copthall university'. Or see https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1Eh0xJICyXgOdgZi2_cPOnQ11G3g&ll=15.31079699600477%2C-61.358736499999964&z=18
ReplyDeleteOr read http://www.stevemccabe.com/blog/2014/02/14/many-universities-can-small-island/
This is just horrible for the so call educated ones to play games with education.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the article. I have been called twice by “Dr.” Weisman this morning because of a resume I submitted for work study while pursuing my doctorate at another university. Your article is part of my background research before declining to return the call. I thought something smelled bad.
ReplyDelete