101:, Oregon Independent Colleges Association, and the Office of Private Postsecondary Education. ODA is responsible for 26 private colleges and universities offering Associate, Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD degree programs, as well as for more than 100 institutions outside of Oregon that offer full or partial degree programs to Oregon residents via online or distance learning. ODA also determines exemption of colleges and universities that meet specific criteria, and currently has approved five colleges under a special religious exemption to offer limited-title degrees in
140:, alleged diploma mills, unaccredited schools approved to offer degrees in Oregon, and degrees that are not valid in the state. Agencies with similar responsibilities in other jurisdictions recommend the ODA website as an information resource. For example, New Jersey Higher Education describes it as "excellent and extensive", the Missouri Department of Higher Education recommends it for "deal with the subject of diploma mills in great detail", and the
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The functions were at one time assigned to the Oregon
Education Coordinating Council, which in 1975 was reconfigured and renamed the Oregon Educational Coordinating Commission. In 1987 it became the Office of Educational Policy and Planning. ODA became a component of the Oregon Student Assistance
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was head of ODA from 1999 until his retirement in March 2011. Under his direction, Oregon's ODA came to be regarded as being "at the forefront of efforts to address fake degree problems" and "a model" for other states instituting similar programs. Jennifer Diallo succeeded
Contreras, first as
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in Oregon or to Oregon students from outside the state. Any school that is not a part of the public postsecondary system of Oregon must be approved or determined "exempt" by ODA before offering courses leading to a degree in Oregon. ODA evaluates college degree programs, authorizes each degree
156:(GAO) began an investigation of diploma mills and the use of fraudulent degrees to obtain financial benefit, it used the ODA list of diploma mills and unaccredited institutions as a starting point. The GAO compared a list of 43 institutions on the ODA list with the degrees claimed in
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Validation of degrees (for individuals, employers, and licensing boards) and investigation of fraudulent higher education programs. ODA collaborates with higher education agencies in other states and countries to determine equivalency of degrees, to enforce closure of illegal
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programs in the state, validates individual claims of degrees, enforces the closure of substandard or fraudulent higher education programs in the state, and enforces policy for publicly funded postsecondary programs and locations. It was formerly a unit of the
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advises employers that "there is no comprehensive list of diploma mills on the Web because new phony credentialing sources arise all the time", but recommends the ODA list as a resource.
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interim administrator. She became administrator on a permanent basis in
January 2012; as of October 2013, the ODA website reported that Diallo was "no longer with ODA."
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ODA maintains a website on which it provides information about higher education in Oregon, the state's approval and authorization processes,
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posted on a government-sponsored website and found 1,200 résumés that listed degrees from 14 of the 43 institutions on the list.
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and degree mills in Oregon, and to share information and assist with enforcement around the world.
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program for a fixed term, and provides oversight of the programs during the authorization period.
519:(Letter to Senator Susan M. Collins), United States General Accounting Office, November 21, 2002
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Commission (OSAC) in 1997 when the Office of
Educational Policy and Planning was dismantled.
47:. ODA administers laws and provides oversight of private colleges and universities offering
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ODA has two main functions under statute (Oregon
Revised Statutes 348.603 to 348.615):
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Accreditation & Diploma Mills: Federal, State, International, and Other
Resources
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Degree Mills:State
Information on Institutions Licensed or Authorized to Operate
277:"Guest Post: Hysteria over the Ed Dept's State Authorization Rule Is Misplaced"
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492:. U.S. Federal Trade Commission, Bureau of Consumer Protection. January 2005
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Senate Bill 242, 76th Oregon
Legislative Assembly -- 2011 Regular Session
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39:, with responsibilities related to maintaining high standards in private
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The ODA evaluates college and university degrees from outside of Oregon
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as part of the Office of
Student Access and Completion in July 2012.
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190:"Chapter 348 — Student Aid; Education Stability Fund; Planning"
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490:"Avoid Fake-Degree Burns By Researching Academic Credentials"
467:, Missouri Department of Higher Education, archived from
307:"Top fields for bogus degrees; Degree-for-a-fee travesty"
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A Brief
History of the Oregon Student Access Commission
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Office of Community Colleges and Workforce Development
334:, Hillsboro, Oregon: OregonLive.com, January 10, 2012
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In 2001, when the United States federal government's
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prior to January 1, 2012. Its functions moved to the
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State legislation enacted in 2011 establishes a new
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328:"Degree authorization office names new director"
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18:Oregon State Office of Degree Authorization
415:Council for Higher Education Accreditation
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283:, New America Foundation, archived from
513:Purchases of Degrees from Diploma Mills
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37:Office of Student Access and Completion
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372:, University of Oregon New Partnership
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534:Oregon Office of Degree Authorization
194:Oregon Revised Statutes, 2017 Edition
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563:Universities and colleges in Oregon
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275:Alan Contreras (March 15, 2011),
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93:ODA collaborates with the
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568:State agencies of Oregon
56:(OSAC), which became
558:Education in Oregon
471:on February 1, 2012
421:on February 4, 2012
332:The Hillsboro Argus
68:Statutory functions
35:) is a unit of the
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494:. Retrieved
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352:October 25,
311:Sun Journal
291:January 28,
261:January 27,
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552:Categories
176:References
369:Resources
348:(website)
164:See also
103:theology
158:résumés
132:Website
109:History
49:degree
45:Oregon
517:(PDF)
396:(PDF)
498:2012
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450:2012
427:2012
378:2012
354:2013
293:2012
263:2012
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217:2012
27:The
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31:(
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