U.S. academic degrees

From Media Indonesia

Something extraordinary always incites curiosity. I had that feeling when I saw in the Kompas daily June 15 a picture with the following text: Dr. Yohannes Yacob PhD showing a power of attorney from former president Soeharto. Does Pak Yacob have two PhDs? A person with two academic degrees must be extraordinary.

The article Who is Yohannes Yacob? informs readers that he received a PhD in political science from Pacific Western University in Los Angeles, the U.S. My curiosity increased further because I studied for seven years in Los Angeles and do not know of the existence of Pak Yacob's school.

I opened all my books on institutes of higher learning in the U.S., including The Gourman Report published in Los Angeles and publications of The New York Times, The Yale Daily News and U.S. News. I could not find the name of Pak Yacob's school. Is there something missing in my collection?

Higher education in the U.S. is a very liberal system. There are the best universities in the world down to universities that sell diplomas. School ratings are given in books like those mentioned above. The U.S. also has universities which have only an office but no campus. They make use of rooms of other institutes in the evening or on Saturdays for their lectures. There are others which offer degrees through correspondence and even sell diplomas. Having no campus, those universities usually organize graduations in posh hotels.

Since I could not find the rating of Pak Yacob's school, could the Indonesian Embassy in Washington, the Ministry of Education and Culture or the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta provide me with information on the accreditation and the rating of Pak Yacob's school? I am convinced that many other readers wish to know the education of a prominent figure who has just come on the scene.

WIDJAJONO PARTOWIDAGDO

Bandung, West Java