August 2, 2002

Universitas 21 Is the 'Tip of an Iceberg'

To the Editor:

Universitas 21 could represent fundamental changes in distance education and even traditional, place-based university programs ("International Consortium Readies Ambitious Distance-Education Effort," June 28). The first radical change is that the consortium ... is self-certifying and thus rides over regional accreditation in the United States and global accrediting agencies. ...

Essentially, the institution is like many of the extant and emerging for-profit