wave3.com-Louisville News, Weather & Sports'Diploma mill' leaves student and university looking for answers

By Eric Flack – bio | e-mail

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) – The college dreams of a Louisville woman have come crashing down after an about face from Sullivan University. First, Sullivan accepted 20-year-old Cortaiah Campbell into school with an online high school diploma. But after a semester's worth of classes, the school decided the diploma wasn't valid and kicked her out. Campbell didn't know which way to turn, so she called the WAVE 3 Troubleshooter office and I went to work to help get her college dreams back on track.

"I love cooking," said Cortaiah, who has always wanted to be a chef. "I love food!"

Although she had a great attitude, Cortaiah did not have a high school diploma. That meant she also didn't have a way to get into the area's most well known culinary school, Sullivan University. So Cortaiah went online in search of answers and came across a web site called www.titanhighschool.com.

Titan offers students what it calls an accredited high school diploma. Cortaiah bought in, and paid Titan $250. She took equivalency tests in math, social studies, language and reading, and a week later, became a Titan High School graduate.

"They gave you a diploma and told you what your GPA was," Cortaiah said. "Mine was 3.2."

But what Cortaiah said she did not learn until after the fact was that Titan is known as a "diploma mill" by the Better Business Bureau. Diploma mills are websites that offer quick and easy online diplomas for a price, with the promise it will be accepted by universities and employers. But the BBB said the diplomas aren't worth the paper they are printed on. In fact, just weeks after Cortaiah got her Titan diploma, the BBB revoked Titans accreditation, giving it an "F" rating for failing to cooperate with the BBB on complaints.

But as it turned out, Cortaiah wasn't the only one who didn't do her homework on Titan. Sullivan University accepted the diploma, an enrolled her in school.

"They received my transcripts May the 11th," Cortaiah said, "and I started in June."

Sullivan even helped Cortaiah get almost $10,000 in federal aid to pay her tuition. But this January, seven months into her college education, Cortaiah said she was sitting in a lab and a Sullivan employee pulled her out of class.

"She came and she told me to come outside," said Cortaiah, "and told me I can no longer continue."

Dr. Eric Harter, the CEO of Sullivan University, said the school learned of Titan's reputation as a diploma mill at an education conference.

"At that point in time we went ahead and notified her that she needed to withdraw," Harter said.

Cortaiah said the news got even worse. The school told her she was going to have to repay the federal grants they helped her get.

"Yeah, they want their money back," Cortaiah said.

So Cortaiah called us and we pressed the school on how they let this happen. Harter said although there is a database of accredited colleges and universities, there is not one for high schools.

But after we launched our investigation, Sullivan met with Cortaiah and agreed to repay her federal grant money for her. The university also advised her on getting a legitimate GED so she could be re-enrolled at Sullivan. Harter said the school has bent over backwards to help Cortaid out of this titanic mess.

"The transcripts look legitimate," Harter said. "We were victims of fraud as well."

Now, Cortaiah just wants to be able to put her dreams of owning a restaurant back on the front burner.

"I really like going there," she said, "and I just wish they could have told me sooner."

Once she gets re-enrolls at school, Harter said Cortaiah will get credit for the classes she passed last semester. Sullivan says she could be re-admitted as early as June, providing she gets a legitimate GED.

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