THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 5, 1994 TAG: 9408050031
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
Charles W. Vincent, elected in May to the Virginia Beach School Board, lists on his official School Board resume ``a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Harmony College in California.'' At his request he is listed on School Board stationery and addressed in that capacity as ``doctor.''
This degree came from a school with no campus, no mandatory attendance, no accreditation - and operating under an exemption in California law for religious institutions. Pointing that out now, Vincent says, is a ``red herring'' waved by the father of a defeated School Board candidate.
But the challenge has merit. While the city attorney's office has found nothing illegal, Vincent's use of a respected title that others have obtained by meeting the rigorous standards of traditional institutions is pretentious, and a poor example for students.
A doctorate, of course, is of great potential value for a School Board candidate, and Vincent himself made this credential part of his campaign. He used the title ``Dr.'' repeatedly in his advertisements and noted in a summary of his education a ``doctorate degree, specializing in counseling psychology, Harmony College, Los Altos, Calif.''
Harmony College was advertised as ``a branch'' of the Harmony of Life Fellowship Inc. The college and the fellowship shared the home address and telephone of the Rev. Dr. Roy B. Oliver, president and CEO of the fellowship.
Harmony operated under a California law exempting ``a non-profit institution owned, controlled and operated and maintained by a bona fide church or religious denomination'' and limiting its instruction and its degrees and diplomas to the ``beliefs and practices of that denomination, church or religion.''
In June 1993, when Vincent enrolled and received his Ph.D., Harmony was under challenge by the state of California for non-compliance with that law. Shortly after conferring Vincent's degree - and giving him credit for life and work experience as well as coursework from other institutions, a virtual no-no in doctoral programs - the state of California declared Harmony College and the Harmony of Life Fellowship Inc. non-exempt.
Two other Virginia Beach board members hold doctoral degrees: Van Spiva, from Stanford University, and Elsie Barnes, from Lehigh University. ``The validity of knowledge gained from Stanford,'' Vincent has acknowledged, ``is not the same as knowledge gained from Harmony College. The important thing is that knowledge was gained.''
The State Board of Education, which sets regulations for licensure of the teachers in the school system overseen by the School Board on which Vincent sits, doesn't see it quite that way. The board will license an individual only for degrees received from accredited institutions. The State Board of Psychologists recognizes doctorates in psychology only from programs approved by the American Psychological Association or its equivalent. Neither Harmony College nor Harmony of Life Fellowship has been accredited by any accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, nor included on the APA's approved list.
Charles Vincent's lifelong interest in education is commendable. But his claim to the title of ``doctor'' is pretentious and misleading. A School Board concerned about promoting and preserving academic standards would reject it. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
MR. VINCENT
by CNB