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Columbia Southern University

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Date: Sep 27 2006
Major: Business - Management and Administration (This Major's Salary over time)
I'd first like to dispel the individual that's posting negative rumors and false information pertaining to Columbia Southern Universtiy.

First off, CSU accurate history is as follows:

==========================================================

The History of CSU

Dr. Robert G. Mayes founded the University in 1993 to meet unmet demand for formal education in the safety and environmental fields.

As envisioned, older and more mature individuals whose professional and family obligations prevented attendance in a traditional classroom setting took these programs. With this in mind, Dr. Mayes designed these programs to be completed through Distance Learning.

The response to these programs was overwhelming. So much so, that the University developed its first-degree programs in Environmental Engineering and Occupational Safety and Health in 1994.

In 1996, the infrastructure to administer these programs was firmly in place and the University was ready to expand into other fields. The first of these new degree programs was Business Administration. Computer Science, Criminal Justice Administration and Health Administration then followed it in succession.

In 2001, Columbia Southern University was accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) and soon afterwards received approval from the Veterans Administration and DANTES. The following year, CSU established agreements with University of North Alabama and University of West Alabama to promote their online degree programs.

In 2004, CSU became one of only six Academic Partners of Delta Air Lines and quickly worked its way to become one of the most popular Universities selected by Delta employees, only being 2nd to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Since this time, CSU has established many partnerships with corporations, municipalities, police departments, fire departments, and unions. One such partnership is with the Boeing Corporation.

In 2005, CSU was honored to be one of the select Universities to participate in the Army’s Centralized Tuition Assistance Program, GoArmyEd.

In this same year, CSU’s Founder, Dr. Robert G. Mayes, passed away after nineteen weeks of hospitalization. He was succeeded as by his son, Robert Mayes, Jr., Executive Vice-President. Mr. Mayes has worked along side his father in managing the University since its inception and continues the CSU mission and core values of providing excellent student service, a flexible learning format for the working professional, and a family oriented working environment for CSU Staff and Faculty.

In 2006, CSU was re-accredited by the DETC and approved to offer a Doctorate in Business Administration.

==========================================================

I'm a graduate from CSU earning a BSBA in 2003 and an MBA in 2005. Anyone who has attended this school will know first hand that the academic programs are very rigors and challenging.

CSU is accredited by the Distance Education & Training Council (DETC), which is a recognized national accreditor through the U.S. Department of Education and CHEA.

CSU is the first and only selected DETC school to start offering the pilot Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA).

Anyone interested in looking into this institution further should visit their website at ( call them at (800) 977-8449, talk to any of the alumni or research their accreditation at (

It is apparent and obvious there is an individual on StudentsReview that is purposely slandering this institution for no reason and has some type of personal vendetta against CSU.

If anyone has any other questions or concerns feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Jamie Gauthier, MBA

President, CSU Alumni Association

                 
Responses
commentWhile agree that the Mayes family has created a very successful online college. There are several issues that I have with the company. 1. While Robert G. Mayes lives in the lap of luxury most of his front-line employees are underpaid.

2. Even though some workers have college degrees and are by all objective measures "star" employees. C.S.U. continues to let such employees go with little recognition, and low pay. Many front-line workers can barely make ends meet on the low wages they are paid. C.S.U. is extremely vigilant against overtime pay and even chastises hourly paid employees for putting in overtime. This, even though the Mayes family is quite flush with wealth to the point of driving Mercedes Benz and Porsche luxury automobiles as "company vehicles." Opulent offices are also in keeping with Robert G. Mayes' priorities for his own ego. There is nothing wrong with being successful but Mr. Mayes pads his wallet on the backs of his underpaid employees.

3. In my opinion, Mayes Jr. has put the almighty dollar before corporate ethics and morality. In my opinion he fosters a culture of fear among his employees to put down any dissent. Many employees live in a constant state of fear of being fired without cause.The State of Alabama is an "At will work state" That means that C.S.U. employees can be fired for ANY reason whatsoever and many have been fired for no reason over the years.

4. In my opinion, prospective students should do a thorough investigation of C.S.U.'s credentials before spending his/her hard earned money with the online college. An M.B.A. from C.S.U. means very little when compared to an M.B.A. from a major university. Many traditional, major universities now offer superior online degree programs that carry far more weight in the job market than one from C.S.U. Auburn University is but one example of a major university that offers an M.B.A. that carries far more gravitas than an M.B.A. from C.S.U.

5. C.S.U. goes to great lengths to make sure it overwhelms its critics on the web. Any web search about C.S.U. will always show the online college in a positive light because they have dedicated staff who ensure that dissenting opinions about the quality of the school are buried deep within the search engines. They even use keywords that are negative in nature to keep negative opinions from surfacing on the web.

6. C.S.U. is a privately owned, online school that is more focused on generating wealth for the family that owns the school than following ethical labor standards or providing a first class education for C.S.U. students.

7. C.S.U. uses "Blackboard" a very antiquated distance learning program that has been eclipsed by more advanced systems offered by Auburn University and other competitors.

8. While C.S.U. is in-fact accredited by the DETC it is NOT regionally accredited. This is an important aspect to note.

9. While the Army does recognize C.S.U. the U.S. NAVY does not.

10. In my opinion, one must be very careful with regard to the value of a degree from C.S.U. some of their degree programs are worthwhile, but others are virtually worthless in the corporate world, especially outside of the state of Alabama.

11.C.S.U.IS NOT A "DIPLOMA MILL." However the system they employee for doing course work and submitting such work for grades is highly suspect. They DO check for plagiarism, but the course work is far too easy and they give students an inordinate amount of time to submit assignments. This, in my opinion further degrades C.S.U.'s credibility.

12. Before enrolling with C.S.U. PLEASE DO SOME INVESTIGATION FIRST and see what former, dissenting students have to say about their experience with C.S.U. If you can, visit the C.S.U. "campus" which is nothing more than a former bait and tackle shop in Orange Beach, Alabama do so. I've been there, I've seen the operation and it is basically a building with cubicle farms full of underpaid workers dedicated to marketing, adding to enrollment, and sending out massive "E-blast" (spam) campaigns to prospective students. Many of the "Instructors" work from their homes.

12. Check out Phoenix Online and other options before committing to C.S.U. You may find a better education for your hard earned money.

commentWhile I agree that the Mayes family has created a very successful online college. There are several issues that I have with the company. 1. While Robert G. Mayes lives in the lap of luxury most of his front-line employees are underpaid.

2. Even though some workers have college degrees and are by all objective measures "star" employees. C.S.U. continues to let such employees go with little recognition, and low pay. Many front-line workers can barely make ends meet on the low wages they are paid. C.S.U. is extremely vigilant against overtime pay and even chastises hourly paid employees for putting in overtime. This, even though the Mayes family is quite flush with wealth to the point of driving Mercedes Benz and Porsche luxury automobiles as "company vehicles." Opulent offices are also in keeping with Robert G. Mayes' priorities for his own ego. There is nothing wrong with being successful but Mr. Mayes pads his wallet on the backs of his underpaid employees.

3. In my opinion, Mayes Jr. has put the almighty dollar before corporate ethics and morality. In my opinion he fosters a culture of fear among his employees to put down any dissent. Many employees live in a constant state of fear of being fired without cause.The State of Alabama is an "At will work state" That means that C.S.U. employees can be fired for ANY reason whatsoever and many have been fired for no reason over the years.

4. In my opinion, prospective students should do a thorough investigation of C.S.U.'s credentials before spending his/her hard earned money with the online college. An M.B.A. from C.S.U. means very little when compared to an M.B.A. from a major university. Many traditional, major universities now offer superior online degree programs that carry far more weight in the job market than one from C.S.U. Auburn University is but one example of a major university that offers an M.B.A. that carries far more gravitas than an M.B.A. from C.S.U.

5. C.S.U. goes to great lengths to make sure it overwhelms its critics on the web. Any web search about C.S.U. will always show the online college in a positive light because they have dedicated staff who ensure that dissenting opinions about the quality of the school are buried deep within the search engines. They even use keywords that are negative in nature to keep negative opinions from surfacing on the web.

6. C.S.U. is a privately owned, online school that is more focused on generating wealth for the family that owns the school than following ethical labor standards or providing a first class education for C.S.U. students.

7. C.S.U. uses "Blackboard" a very antiquated distance learning program that has been eclipsed by more advanced systems offered by Auburn University and other competitors.

8. While C.S.U. is in-fact accredited by the DETC it is NOT regionally accredited. This is an important aspect to note.

9. While the Army does recognize C.S.U. the U.S. NAVY does not.

10. In my opinion, one must be very careful with regard to the value of a degree from C.S.U. some of their degree programs are worthwhile, but others are virtually worthless in the corporate world, especially outside of the state of Alabama.

11.C.S.U.IS NOT A "DIPLOMA MILL." However the system they employee for doing course work and submitting such work for grades is highly suspect. They DO check for plagiarism, but the course work is far too easy and they give students an inordinate amount of time to submit assignments. This, in my opinion further degrades C.S.U.'s credibility.

12. Before enrolling with C.S.U. PLEASE DO SOME INVESTIGATION FIRST and see what former, dissenting students have to say about their experience with C.S.U. If you can, visit the C.S.U. "campus" which is nothing more than a former bait and tackle shop in Orange Beach, Alabama do so. I've been there, I've seen the operation and it is basically a building with cubicle farms full of underpaid workers dedicated to marketing, adding to enrollment, and sending out massive "E-blast" (spam) campaigns to prospective students. Many of the "Instructors" work from their homes.

12. Check out Phoenix Online and other options before committing to C.S.U. You may find a better education for your hard earned money.

commentWhile I agree that the Mayes family has created a very successful online college, there are several issues that I have with the company. 1. While Robert G. Mayes lives in the lap of luxury most of his front-line employees are underpaid.

2. Even though some workers have college degrees and are by all objective measures "star" employees. C.S.U. continues to let such employees go with little recognition, and low pay. Many front-line workers can barely make ends meet on the low wages they are paid. C.S.U. is extremely vigilant against overtime pay and even chastises hourly paid employees for putting in overtime. This, even though the Mayes family is quite flush with wealth to the point of driving Mercedes Benz and Porsche luxury automobiles as "company vehicles." Opulent offices are also in keeping with Robert G. Mayes' priorities for his own ego. There is nothing wrong with being successful but Mr. Mayes pads his wallet on the backs of his underpaid employees.

3. In my opinion, Mayes Jr. has put the almighty dollar before corporate ethics and morality. In my opinion he fosters a culture of fear among his employees to put down any dissent. Many employees live in a constant state of fear of being fired without cause.The State of Alabama is an "At will work state" That means that C.S.U. employees can be fired for ANY reason whatsoever and many have been fired for no reason over the years.

4. In my opinion, prospective students should do a thorough investigation of C.S.U.'s credentials before spending his/her hard earned money with the online college. An M.B.A. from C.S.U. means very little when compared to an M.B.A. from a major university. Many traditional, major universities now offer superior online degree programs that carry far more weight in the job market than one from C.S.U. Auburn University is but one example of a major university that offers an M.B.A. that carries far more gravitas than an M.B.A. from C.S.U.

5. C.S.U. goes to great lengths to make sure it overwhelms its critics on the web. Any web search about C.S.U. will always show the online college in a positive light because they have dedicated staff who ensure that dissenting opinions about the quality of the school are buried deep within the search engines. They even use keywords that are negative in nature to keep negative opinions from surfacing on the web.

6. C.S.U. is a privately owned, online school that is more focused on generating wealth for the family that owns the school than following ethical labor standards or providing a first class education for C.S.U. students.

7. C.S.U. uses "Blackboard" a very antiquated distance learning program that has been eclipsed by more advanced systems offered by Auburn University and other competitors.

8. While C.S.U. is in-fact accredited by the DETC it is NOT regionally accredited. This is an important aspect to note.

9. While the Army does recognize C.S.U. the U.S. NAVY does not.

10. In my opinion, one must be very careful with regard to the value of a degree from C.S.U. some of their degree programs are worthwhile, but others are virtually worthless in the corporate world, especially outside of the state of Alabama.

11.C.S.U.IS NOT A "DIPLOMA MILL." However the system they employee for doing course work and submitting such work for grades is highly suspect. They DO check for plagiarism, but the course work is far too easy and they give students an inordinate amount of time to submit assignments. This, in my opinion further degrades C.S.U.'s credibility.

12. Before enrolling with C.S.U. PLEASE DO SOME INVESTIGATION FIRST and see what former, dissenting students have to say about their experience with C.S.U. If you can, visit the C.S.U. "campus" which is nothing more than a former bait and tackle shop in Orange Beach, Alabama do so. I've been there, I've seen the operation and it is basically a building with cubicle farms full of underpaid workers dedicated to marketing, adding to enrollment, and sending out massive "E-blast" (spam) campaigns to prospective students. Many of the "Instructors" work from their homes.

12. Check out Phoenix Online and other options before committing to C.S.U. You may find a better education for your hard earned money.

commentWhile I agree that the Mayes family has created a very successful online college, there are several issues that I have with the company. 1. While Robert G. Mayes lives in the lap of luxury most of his front-line employees are underpaid.

2. Even though some workers have college degrees and are by all objective measures "star" employees. C.S.U. continues to let such employees go with little recognition, and low pay. Many front-line workers can barely make ends meet on the low wages they are paid. C.S.U. is extremely vigilant against overtime pay and even chastises hourly paid employees for putting in overtime. This, even though the Mayes family is quite flush with wealth to the point of driving Mercedes Benz and Porsche luxury automobiles as "company vehicles." Opulent offices are also in keeping with Robert G. Mayes' priorities for his own ego. There is nothing wrong with being successful but Mr. Mayes pads his wallet on the backs of his underpaid employees.

3. In my opinion, Mayes Jr. has put the almighty dollar before corporate ethics and morality. In my opinion he fosters a culture of fear among his employees to put down any dissent. Many employees live in a constant state of fear of being fired without cause.The State of Alabama is an "At will work state" That means that C.S.U. employees can be fired for ANY reason whatsoever and many have been fired for no reason over the years.

4. In my opinion, prospective students should do a thorough investigation of C.S.U.'s credentials before spending his/her hard earned money with the online college. An M.B.A. from C.S.U. means very little when compared to an M.B.A. from a major university. Many traditional, major universities now offer superior online degree programs that carry far more weight in the job market than one from C.S.U. Auburn University is but one example of a major university that offers an M.B.A. that carries far more gravitas than an M.B.A. from C.S.U.

5. C.S.U. goes to great lengths to make sure it overwhelms its critics on the web. Any web search about C.S.U. will always show the online college in a positive light because they have dedicated staff who ensure that dissenting opinions about the quality of the school are buried deep within the search engines. They even use keywords that are negative in nature to keep negative opinions from surfacing on the web.

6. C.S.U. is a privately owned, online school that is more focused on generating wealth for the family that owns the school than following ethical labor standards or providing a first class education for C.S.U. students.

7. C.S.U. uses "Blackboard" a very antiquated distance learning program that has been eclipsed by more advanced systems offered by Auburn University and other competitors.

8. While C.S.U. is in-fact accredited by the DETC it is NOT regionally accredited. This is an important aspect to note.

9. While the Army does recognize C.S.U. the U.S. NAVY does not.

10. In my opinion, one must be very careful with regard to the value of a degree from C.S.U. some of their degree programs are worthwhile, but others are virtually worthless in the corporate world, especially outside of the state of Alabama.

11.C.S.U.IS NOT A "DIPLOMA MILL." However the system they employee for doing course work and submitting such work for grades is highly suspect. They DO check for plagiarism, but the course work is far too easy and they give students an inordinate amount of time to submit assignments. This, in my opinion further degrades C.S.U.'s credibility.

12. Before enrolling with C.S.U. PLEASE DO SOME INVESTIGATION FIRST and see what former, dissenting students have to say about their experience with C.S.U. If you can, visit the C.S.U. "campus" which is nothing more than a former bait and tackle shop in Orange Beach, Alabama. I've been there, I've seen the operation and it is basically a building with cubicle farms full of underpaid workers dedicated to marketing, adding to enrollment, and sending out massive "E-blast" (spam) campaigns to prospective students. Many of the "Instructors" work from their homes.

12. Check out Phoenix Online and other options before committing to C.S.U. You may find a better education for your hard earned money.

responseThe C.S.U. alumnus who wants "to dispel the individual that's posting negative rumors and false information pertaining to Columbia Southern Universtiy." is making my point! As you can see, any dissent is quickly dismissed as "rumors" and "false information." I can ASSURE YOU that the information that I posted more than once by accident, IS ABSOLUTELY TRUE! I know! I WORKED FOR C.S.U. AND I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! This C.S.U. alumnus sounds like a member of the church of Scientology with his immediate dismissal of my comments. One should take that into consideration when deciding who is telling the truth or not! Everything I said in my statement is TRUE! Notice how the C.S.U. alumnus has not posted his SAT or ACT scores! I took the ACT. I made a 30! I also went on to graduate with a B.S. degree from Auburn University not some privately owned, Johnny come lately, tiny, online school based in a former bait and tackle shop formerly named "Smith Outdoors" located in Orange Beach, Alabama. You see, I can provide the specifics because I live in the area and I've been aware of C.S.U. since their inception. I have the greatest regard for Dr. Mayes. However, his son, Robert is riding his deceased father's coat tails. Dr. Mayes was revered as an employer. Robert G. Mayes Jr. garners no such respect.

I think the C.S.U. alumnus who has chosen to attack my comments only backs-up my assertion that C.S.U. works VERY hard to OVERWHELM ANY NEGATIVE COMMENTS OR DISSENTING OPINIONS. Even if they have to lie! I have no grudge against C.S.U. I'm trying to point out that they are less than honest with their students, prospective students, and their staff when it comes to their mission. Their mission is to MAKE MONEY FOR THE FAMILY THAT OWNS THE SCHOOL. That is the main goal. If students are educated and succeed then that is a bonus. BUT, that is not the primary focus.

I've been there! I've seen the inner workings of the school! Notice that the alumnus who is saying that I'm making false statements doesn't address my assertion that students and prospective students should VISIT the C.S.U. offices. Why? because what I said about their cubicle farms and tactics are 100% True and anyone who is allowed to see the back of the house there would also see how they operate. I'm telling you, C.S.U. DOES NOT TOLERATE DISSENT! They will do ANYTHING TO suppress negative comments from students, former students, employees or anyone else. You simply can't trust what the President of C.S.U.'s Alumni Association is putting out there. HE IS BIASED! If what I have said is true and IT IS!, then his C.S.U. M.B.A. is not worth the paper it's written on!

Try to find ANY dissenting opinions about C.S.U. on the internet. You pretty much can't do it! Why? Because C.S.U. uses their formidable IT department/resources to squash any and all dissenting comments about the school! That is the truth and I can prove it! Look for my upcoming expose on UTube! I don't have a title yet but it's coming soon to UTube. I'm a professional cinematographer and I WILL expose the truth about C.S.U.!

Take the glowing propaganda about C.S.U. with a grain of salt because it isn't worth a grain of salt!

responseYeah im sure CSU goes on this little site that you have to go to page 123 to find on google just so they can play the big brother role. Any other conspiracy theories idiot! The US army is larger than the Air Force, Navy, marines, and Coast Guard put together, so im sure it is perfectly fine. By the way I've been to The university of Phoenix and it is a meduim size sky scraper with no place for students. Wake up! You went to CSU to become a cinematographer? Did you actually go there or did you date someone from there and they spit in your face or something? Grow up peter pan.
responseAs a current employee of CSU, I can vouch for what he is saying. Anyone who questions it should just visit the "campus/call center". The only lives CSU are changing are those who own it. You should check out the latest graduation program. Half the leadership staff's degrees were made up. BAs, MBAs. Ask what degrees the president and vice presidents have and where they came from.
responseI would like to dispel the rumor about the Navy not accepting work at CSU. That is just false, I am a Naval Officer and DBA student and finance my education through Navy tuition assistance. I can't speak to how they treat the staff, although I can confirm high turnover in Student Service Representatives, I am on my third one in a year and they claim it is because they are bringing more people in. The coursework is very easy compared to my RA MBA program.
responseI have read your statement about how bad CSU is and you outlined many negative things. Well, CSU is an online university and most people do not expect any online university to have a huge campus. Second, while saying all negative things about CSU you keep referring to Auban University and how excellent it is. That creates some suspicion in my mind. Is your job to promote Auban University or what? You also claim you visited CSU campus and bad and many things negative. I am a graduate student of Walden University, an online university that has been around for over 43 years. It does not have huge campuses but it is great for its degree programs with former president Clinton at the chancellor. You also talked about CSU using blackboard and that, to you is negative and outdated. Well, most online programs from both regular and completely online schools all use blackboard even today. Another point you raised as negative is CSU being privately owned. Again, this is not negative as many traditional universities are privately owned as well and are profit making entities. Finally I have looked at all accredited online schools on US Department website and CSU is on the list.

If indeed, you worked for CSU, you are probably hurting because you may have been fired for either the wrong reason or otherwise. You do not need to slander the university to the whole world but to take it up with the management if you have any grievance.

responseI have worked for CSU since 2008. This is an excellent University. I have always been treated very well and have nothing but respect for the family who owns the University. Pay is good benefits are very good. This family worked for what they have and are an example of the American dream. The course work is just as hard if not harder then any other University. I would recommend CSU to anyone wanting to further their education. I am also a professional fire chief and would view anyone with a degree from CSU as a viable candidate for any position within my department.
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