Columbia State University

Columbia State University was an unaccredited university based in California. It operated from the mid-1980s until it was closed by court order in 1998.

Although its name implied that Columbia State was a state-supported educational institution, it was not associated with a state government. Rather, it was a private operation owned by Ronald Pellar, a professional hypnotist also known as Ronald Dante who performed on stage under the name Dr. Dante.

In U.S. Senate hearings in 2004, a former employee testified that Columbia State had "no faculty, ... no curriculum, no classes, no courses, no tests, no one to grade tests, no educational facilities, no library and no academic accreditation." However, she testified that the school's promotional materials claimed that it was accredited, displaying a bogus accreditation certificate in the university catalog. Also, the school logo and stationery falsely stated that Columbia State had been established in 1953. The stationery also listed a ten-member "Board of Advisors" that consisted of made-up names and titles. In her testimony, the former employee estimated that the operation had gross income of about $20 million between 1996 and 1998. However further investigation revealed that Columbia State University was licensed to operate by the State of Louisiana. Textbooks and course work were originally provided to students, many of whom completed the work and received degrees with the promise the school would soon achieve accreditation. One Florida law enforcement officer accomplished a complete course in Public Administration only to learn after receiving his degree the school would never be accredited. The State of Louisiana provided the Florida officer records of the school's license to operate in a settlement.

Columbia State offered bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs in a variety of fields. Its marketing targeted people who had not finished college or graduate school, advertising that they could qualify for a degree from Columbia State University in as little as 27 days based on their life, work, and academic experience.

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