Move To Alabama: United States Cheyenne, Wyoming Karachi Pakistan

Preston University states that it was established in 1984 and that its first United States campus
was established in 1994.[6] As of 1998, the school was based in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and
operated additional campuses in Africa and Asia, including four campuses in Karachi and two
in other parts of Pakistan. At that time there were 30 full-time faculty and 30 part-time
instructors working in Cheyenne, but most of Preston's revenue came from the campuses in
Pakistan.[8]
Preston faced challenges in 1998 when the U.S. government imposed trade embargoes on
Pakistan in 1998 after that nation tested nuclear weapons,[8] but by 2001, Preston's chancellor,
Jerry Haenisch, told the Chronicle of Higher Education that Preston had 30 "affiliated"
campuses in 19 countries and about 8,000 students, mostly in Pakistan. [9] Preston offered
classroom instruction in Cheyenne as well as distance education. [10] As of 2001, about 18
students were reported to be taking classes at what was then Preston's official main campus in
Cheyenne.[9]
In 2001, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that it had randomly selected two of
Preston University's listed faculty members and inquired about their relationship with the
university. They both said that they were not associated with Preston University and did not
know that they were on the school's faculty list.[4] A Preston official acknowledged that only 15
out of 49 listed faculty actually worked for the university.[11][12] Haenisch explained that over half
of the faculty on their list had applied for jobs at Preston but had never actually been
employed. They were listed in case a student was interested in the discipline the professor
specialized in. Haenisch admitted that the practice was misleading and would be discontinued.
[4]
In 2005, Haenisch said he was hoping the Wyoming legislature would pass laws that would
allow the setting up an international accrediting agency to allow for expansion of Preston's as
well as other schools online enrollment and bring more students to Wyoming; State
Superintendent Jim McBride said he was opposed to any such law. [13] Haenisch had also
voiced his concern about the potential for illegitimate or degree mill-type schools being
licensed in the state of Wyoming. [14] [15]
Move to Alabama[edit]
In 2007, the state of Wyoming started requiring that higher education institutions operating in
the state must be accredited. Because Preston remained unaccredited it moved its operations
to Alabama.[16]
In February 2008 the Preston University website listed at least 30 affiliated campuses. [17]
In August 2008, The Straits Times reported that Preston University was a degree mill from
which some leading businessmen in Singapore held PhD degrees. The Straits
Times' assertions about Preston were strongly disputed by Jerry Haenisch, Preston's
chancellor, who confirmed that the university had no accreditation from any US Department of
Education approved body but said that the school was "absolutely not" a "degree mill".
Haenisch said that careless inclusion of Preston University in the sensational reporting
[11] [18]
about degree mills is inexcusable and demanded that the newspaper apologize for publishing
articles based on superficial research and for repeating erroneous assumptions and untrue
innuendo from other writers. He said that the university was "legally licensed and authorized to
operate by the state of Alabama". Finally he took issue with The Straits Times' statement that
the move from Wyoming to Alabama was a sign of disrepute. He said the move was made
because Alabama is more populated than Wyoming and has much greater support resources.
He also pointed out that the US Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education
Accreditation both state the voluntary nature of accreditation in the country, and caution that a
school's accreditation status should not be the sole criterion for assessing its quality or validity.
[19]
The Straits Times responded, "The Straits Times ... made it clear that it was not about to
apologise to Preston University for telling its readers the truth about its credentials – or rather,
its lack of. Said Editor Han Fook Kwang: 'We stand by our story and am satisfied that our
journalist was accurate in her reporting of Preston University'."[11]
Preston University's license to operate legally in Alabama expired on December 1, 2008. [16] On
February 6, 2009, Preston University was ordered to cease and desist operations by the State
of Alabama for failing many of the standards enacted for educational institutions in that state.
The rules set by the Alabama Chancellor of Education, effective on October 1, 2008, require all
private schools to bec

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Preston University states that it was established in 1984 and that its first United States campus

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