Pacific Western University (Hawaii)
Encyclopedia
Pacific Western University, also called American PacWest International University and registered with the business name Pacific West University (Hawaii) was an unaccredited
institution based in Hawaii
that was closed in 2006 following a lawsuit
filed by the State of Hawaii a year earlier.
Pacific Western University (Hawaii) was incorporated
in Hawaii in 1988. According to the State of Hawaii, it enrolled fewer than 25 state residents, but used several website
s (including www.apiu.ws, www.open-universities.com, www.warwicks.com and www.imed-pwu.com) to enroll distance education
students from other places. In 2005, the State of Hawaii Office of Consumer Protection brought a lawsuit against the institution, alleging that it misrepresented itself to prospective students and committed several other violations of state law. On May 9, 2006, a state court ruled in favor of the state agency, ordering Pacific Western to cease operation and assessing a civil penalty of $500,000. The State of Hawaii has taken legal action against more than 66 such unaccredited schools since the year 2000.
Pacific Western University (Hawaii) was not accredited
by any accreditation body recognized by the United States Department of Education
. As such, its degrees and credits might not be acceptable to employers or other institutions, and use of PWU (Hawaii) degree titles may be restricted or illegal in some jurisdictions.
Pacific Western University in Hawaii and Pacific Western University in California
were once owned and operated by the same party. According to Inside Higher Ed
, the association ended in 2004 when Pacific Western University in California) was sold and began operating under new ownership, administration, and faculty.
Pacific Western University in California has subsequently changed its name to California Miramar University. On June 6, 2009, California Miramar University received accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council
.
Educational accreditation
Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
institution based in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
that was closed in 2006 following a lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
filed by the State of Hawaii a year earlier.
Pacific Western University (Hawaii) was incorporated
Incorporation (business)
Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...
in Hawaii in 1988. According to the State of Hawaii, it enrolled fewer than 25 state residents, but used several website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
s (including www.apiu.ws, www.open-universities.com, www.warwicks.com and www.imed-pwu.com) to enroll distance education
Distance education
Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom...
students from other places. In 2005, the State of Hawaii Office of Consumer Protection brought a lawsuit against the institution, alleging that it misrepresented itself to prospective students and committed several other violations of state law. On May 9, 2006, a state court ruled in favor of the state agency, ordering Pacific Western to cease operation and assessing a civil penalty of $500,000. The State of Hawaii has taken legal action against more than 66 such unaccredited schools since the year 2000.
Pacific Western University (Hawaii) was not accredited
Educational accreditation
Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
by any accreditation body recognized by the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
. As such, its degrees and credits might not be acceptable to employers or other institutions, and use of PWU (Hawaii) degree titles may be restricted or illegal in some jurisdictions.
Pacific Western University in Hawaii and Pacific Western University in California
Pacific Western University
California Miramar University , is a nationally accredited private proprietary institution of higher learning and is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the United States Department of Education...
were once owned and operated by the same party. According to Inside Higher Ed
Inside Higher Ed
Inside Higher Ed is a daily online publication focused on college and university topics, based in Washington, D.C., USA.The publication was founded in 2004 by Kathlene Collins, formerly a business manager for The Chronicle of Higher Education, and two former top editors of The Chronicle, Scott...
, the association ended in 2004 when Pacific Western University in California) was sold and began operating under new ownership, administration, and faculty.
Pacific Western University in California has subsequently changed its name to California Miramar University. On June 6, 2009, California Miramar University received accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council
Distance Education and Training Council
The Distance Education and Training Council is a non-profit national educational accreditation agency in the United States specializing in the accreditation of distance education institutions.- History :...
.