The University of the Nations (U of N) is an unaccredited Christian university. The University of the Nations operates under the umbrella organization of the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) network.
History The institution was founded in 1978 as Pacific & Asia Christian University (PACU) by Howard Malmstadt and Loren Cunningham, the founder of Youth with a Mission, in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.Mark Juergensmeyer, Wade Clark Roof, Encyclopedia of Global Religion, Volume 1, SAGE, USA, 2012, p. 1397 As other locations were established around the world, PACU was renamed the University of the Nations in 1989.
Accreditation University of the Nations is not accredited by any recognized accreditation body. As such, its degrees and credits may not be acceptable to employers or other institutions, and use of degrees from schools without accreditation from a nationally recognized accrediting agency may be illegal in some states unless the school is approved by the state licensing agency.Diploma Mills and Accreditation - Accreditation, US Department of Education
University of the Nations asserts that other institutions have accepted and continue to accept transfer credits,University of the Nations-Accreditation, accessed December 11, 2010 including Houghton College, and the South African Theological Seminary.
Australia's higher education and training system lists University of the Nations' affiliated Institute for the Nations and Youth With A Mission programs in five locations as registered training organisations authorized to provide certificates and diplomas in several specified fields.Institute Search, Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS), accessed December 11, 2010
Notable people
Alumni Kenneth Bae, author, missionary, and activist Mina Chang, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the United States Department of State's Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization David L. Cunningham, son of university founder and filmmaker
Visiting faculty Forrest Mims, Electronics author and amateur atmospheric scientist Darrow Miller co-founderDisciple Nations Alliance referenced 8/DEC/2010 of the Disciple Nations Alliance, authorYWAM Publishing "Meet our authors webpage referenced 1/NOV/2010 and past vice presidentVice President, Food For the Hungry Int'l. referenced 15/JULY/2009 of Food For the Hungry International David Newberry, senior public health advisor, CARE- Primary Health Care Unit, member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Global Smallpox Eradication Team – Ghana & Nigeria,The Last Child-the Global Race to End PolioCARE Bios of Polio Experts, referenced 8/JUL/2006UofN Visiting Faculty Profile page faculty at Johns Hopkins University, research associate in the Department of International Health Private Voluntary Organization Child Survival Support ProgramCARE profile page
Staff
Controversies In January 2018, Pablo Rivera, the chief financial officer for University of the Nations in Kona, pled guilty to wire fraud.AP, Hawaii School Official Pleads Guilty to Stealing $3 Million, usnews.com, USA, May 18, 2017 Rivera embezzled nearly 3.1 million dollars, amounting to $50,000 per month. Before the fraud was exposed, the school's financial situation had become critical and increased charges were applied to volunteers and students.
In October 2020, University of the Nations in Kona was associated with the largest single day increase of COVID-19 outbreak on the Island of Hawaiʻi up to that date.
See also List of unaccredited institutions of higher learning
References
External links University of the Nations International web site University of the Nations, Kona web site University of the Nations, Louisville web site