 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
Australian International University
Australian International University
Australian International University
Australian International University
Australian International University
australian international university alice springs
australian international university alice springs
australian international university alice springs
australian international university alice springs
australian international university
australian international university
australian international university
australian international university
australian international university
australian international university
australian international university
australian international university
australian international university
Note: Please ensure you refresh your browser - this page is constantly being updated.
12th August, 2005
The Funneled Web has put up this page about AIU.
10th August, 2005
The VC has now added a shop where one can buy a whole range of useless items. I look forward to receiving my AIU toiletbrush. Strangely, a Google Search for AIU does not provide any relevant hits for the site. What happened? Still, Planet Mirror have taken up the site, boring blogs blogs blogs blogs still exist, and The Australian reckons the Government now has a recruitment policy for AIU graduates.
8th August, 2005
A nice, quiet weekend with no contact from the Vice Chancellor. Nonetheless, this story and this story appeared in the Financial Review today. Unfortunately they promoted very little about the 'spoof' Australian International University, no doubt disappointing the revered VC.
A personals page has now been added to the AIU site.
5th August, 2005
9:14PM - Finally, the wonderful webmaster at AIU (aka the Vice Chancellor) has linked back to this page. Thank you. Yes, rankings have increased and the site is enjoying all the exposure it deserves. Please keep providing updates and thanks again for the reciprocal links!
If you think that no one would be so stupid as to take this site seriously, you should take a look at this link and this link. Believe it or not, Academic Jihad had nothing to do with that site. The gentleman in question is a Higher Education Consultant. He takes a very dim view of the AIU and has expressed his feelings in inarticulate but blunt emails to the AIU Vice Chancellor. This consultant appears to qualify for criteria (a), (b), (d) and (f) in the preceding paragraph. Of course, his decision to link to the AIU site has actually improved our ranking on Google.
2:56PM - Well, how nice. I am now featured on the AIU Webmaster page. I am deeply honoured and grateful for the publicity, although I would appreciate a link back to this page as promised:
Someone whose resume includes having been the “Manager of Degree Programs for Regency Hotel School, the International College of Hotel Management, and Academic Director for Le Cordon Bleu International,” must certainly have a better understanding of academia and pedagogy than the average SSP (Subcontracted Service Provider). We need more people in universities with the management skills and customer focussed approach of this man. The average university academic could learn a lot from the highly professional service provider ethos of a hotel school manager. No wonder academics never seem to receive tips or gratuities from their student clients.
8:29AM - It appears that the AIU is selling degrees to the highest bidder. This just in from the Vice Chancellor:
Gday. Thank you for your request. You can have your degree by next week. We are selling them for $5000 for a Masters and $7500 for a PhD. That makes them considerably cheaper than the degrees that real universities are flogging off. Vice Chancellor AIU
8:10AM - A new page called 'Bullying' has been added to the AIU site. This is quite appropriate, and perhaps the Vice Chancellor should take his policy to heart, considering his latest communication. He promises to link to this page. Many thanks, I look forward to it. Blogs & blogs & blogs everywhere are picking up on the site now. Meanwhile, the following email was forwarded to me from the Vice Chancellor this morning:
Dear AIU, or parties responsible- You are all absolute legends and were I to know who you are, I'd want to buy you all a beer for that outstanding website. It's making the rounds of academics here in Cambridge at the moment. Good luck with the Jihad...
So Cambridge are impressed. I suppose that has to count for something, I guess.
4th August, 2005
This entity appeared on the Internet on the 25th April, 2005, with the following registered domains:
- http://www.aiu.school.tc - registered 25/04/05
- http://www.aiu.name - registered 29/07/05
- http://www.theaiu.com - registered 29/07/05
The latter two domains have been registered anonymously via DomainsbyProxy in the USA, and therefore yield little information on their owners. The Turks and Caicos Islands domain registration does, however, reveal some interesting information which appears to be the details of the Polish registrant. A call to the listed phone number by an associate fluent in Polish finds that it is a private address, with the residents knowing nothing of AIU. As expected, the 'Vice Chancellor' communicates via a GoogleMail account in order to preserve anonymity.
Apparently located in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, the 'university' claims to be over 200 years old and, allegedly, part of Australia's higher education system. The media has been swift to take up the story, with the following articles being released in a short period of time:
- 26th July, 2005 - Press Release, I-Newswire.com
- 1st August, 2005 - The Australian Financial Review
- 2nd August, 2005 - The Guardian UK
- 3rd August, 2005 - The Australian
The 'university' is now soliciting staff or, again, this could be some sort of joke. A discussion about its operations is occurring on the Ethics Australia website, with some interesting contributions, but little information as to its founders. The 'vice chancellor' has been posting on a variety of blogs appearing to want to spread the word on his new venture.
The webmaster suggests that the site is not to be taken seriously. Mmm, let's see. The word 'Australia' and 'University' are being used together. The 'university' purports to operate from Alice Springs. There is global media coverage. So just what is one supposed to think?
This entity is not to be confused with another new entrant to the Australian higher education sector, synonymously named Australian International University Are they linked? Who knows.
|
|
|