Name It and Frame It?

Name It and Frame It?
Author	Steve Levicoff
Publisher	Institute on Religion and Law
Publication date	1992, 1993
Media type	Paperback
OCLC Number	27784264

Name It and Frame It? is a self-published 1993 book by Steve Levicoff about unaccredited Christian colleges and universities, exploring the accreditation process and the nature of legitimate and illegitimate unaccredited institutions of higher learning. The fourth edition contains updated information and responses from some of the surveyed schools. The National Center for Science Education, the Palm Beach Post^[1], the Seattle Times^[2], the New York Post and author Jason D. Baker have mentioned the book as a resource.^[3]

Contents

Levicoff surveys various unaccredited Christian schools as well as providing an explanation about various forms of accreditation. Although in the past Levicoff has criticized the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, he notes that TRACS has since "responded positively" to his earlier critiques.^[4]

Levicoff argues that a non-accredited school is not necessarily a degree mill.^[5] He devotes a chapter to "legitimate unaccredited Christian programs", some notable examples of which include (in the United States): Bob Jones University, Luther Rice University (both accredited by TRACS since publication) Messenger College,^[6] and (in Canada) Regent College.^[7]

Levicoff also surveys "ordination mills", of which one of the more prominent is the Universal Life Church.

The "Institute on Religion and Law", Levicoff's publisher, is a business name used for his personal consulting firm. The book was self-published, a common practice today.^{[citation needed]}

Notable universities identified as suspected degree mills

Levicoff identifies several notable schools as suspected degree mills (page numbers identified are from the third edition); accompanying the school is an analysis of the educational programs.

• Adam Smith University
• Baptist Christian University (author notes it is "affiliated with Louisiana Baptist Theological Seminary") (page 113)
• Christian Bible College (Rocky Mount, North Carolina)
• Clarksville School of Theology (author used it as an example of a bad institution, as the author noted it was closed by decision of the Tennessee Supreme Court)
• Columbia Pacific University
• Columbia State University (Metairie, Louisiana)
• Fairfax University (New Orleans, Louisiana)
• Greenwich University (Hilo, Hawaii)
• LaSalle University (Mandeville, Louisiana)
• Oxford Graduate School (Dayton, Tennessee) (since publication, Oxford has become a candidate for accreditation with the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools)
• Summit Theological Seminary (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
• The Theological University of America (also as the University of America) (New Orleans, Louisiana)
• Vision Christian University (Ramona, California) ("is the successor institution to the Logos Bible College") (page 146)

See also

• List of unaccredited institutions of higher learning

Footnotes

External links

• Portions of Name it and Frame it online
• The NIFI Criteria or How to Spot a Degree Mill in 75 Easy Steps by Steve Levicoff
• Texas Fines Distance-Learning Institution as Diploma Mill The Chronicle of Higher Education November 23, 2001