my letter to
Bob Mayes, Ph.D, CECM, Chancellor
of Columbia Southern University

(This letter was dated May 28, 1996)

Dear Dr. Mayes:

I regret to inform you that I have chosen not to pursue my degree through Columbia Southern University after all. This choice was a relatively easy one. Because the school deserves the opportunity to correct the problems that compelled my rejection, my reasons are the following:

1. CSU lacks accreditation by an authority approved by the U.S. Department of Education.
2. The Occupational Safety and Health Engineering degree programs do not appear to be ABET-approved. If they were, CSU should say so.
3. The CSU Student Catalog covers tuition and financing in exacting detail, but dodges course descriptions. A catalog should always contain course descriptions.
4. Bachelor of Science degree programs require five years' occupational experience in the degree-related career field. Is this to ensure that a cursory experiential evaluation will ensure the near-immediate awarding of the degree?
5. The CSU Student Catalog I received was rife with typographical errors and misspellings. For an educational institution, this was the worst possible first impression. If you like, I can send it back with marked corrections to be made in the next printing.
6. [Name deleted], Director of Education, appears to lack a doctorate of any kind, but specifically in education. This is not only implausible at the university level but rare at even the small community colleges in my area.
7. The remainder of the staff, particularly in Administration, appears to be filled with your family members. I have never heard of a reputable and legitimate, yet nepotistic college. Does CSU claim to be the first and only?

In summary, it looks like a misuse of my time and money at its best and a scam at its worst. Because of #4 above, I don't qualify for admission anyway (only two years in the field). If CSU were to admit me, I would know that the school lacks integrity because the Student Catalog specifically states otherwise. Why should I waste your time by submitting an application?

I concede that my letter wasn't very nice — not at all, in fact — but that's nothing. I used to have the letter that he sent to me in response available on this site, but decided to remove it rather than risk being sued. Potential copyright issues, you see. I am certain that you would have found it, well, interesting, and not a little disturbing.

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