Research done by THE NEW TODAY uncovered that a university, owned and operated by an American religious outfit from Montano but located in the Turks & Caicos Islands was granting doctoral degrees for years without regional recognition from the United States.
The little-known Charisma University purportedly conferred a Doctorate on Grenadian-born but Canadian-based Researcher and Labour Market Statistician Justine Pierre who is a leading figure in the firm Dunn Pierre and Barnett & Company Ltd.
A 2015 article quoted the President of Charisma University Dr John Beyer as saying that the school was “a global online higher learning institution” and further investigation revealed that it has no building to facilitate classes on the small island.
A background search conducted by this newspaper also revealed that Charisma University has only a “candidate for accreditation” status with the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS), an agency recognised by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
“…. the U.S. Department of Education recognises Charisma University’s commitment to accreditation standards but has not officially accredited it yet,” said the report.
It went on to say: “Charisma University is not directly listed as a recognised university on the US Department of Education website. The university’s business programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), which is also recognised by the US Department of Education through the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). The main office is in Montana, USA, though it is also licensed by the Turks and Caicos Islands Ministry of Education.”
The controversial Pierre has been accusing THE NEW TODAY of engaging in “cyber bullying” for looking into his educational qualifications and threatened to report the matter to the Police.
In an earlier interview with the newspaper, Pierre said that he was granted his doctorate degree from the university in 2019 but THE NEW TODAY saw a document in which the Fontenoy, St George-born Researcher had submitted a proposal to the Turks & Caicos government and was using the name Dr. Justine Pierre two years earlier in 2017.
As part of the probe into Pierre’s qualification, the following letter was sent Wednesday to the Registrar of Charisma University Cristina Jean on the issue:-
Subject: Request for Verification of Doctoral Degree – Mr. Justine (Cleophas) Pierre
Dear Ms. Jean,
I am writing in my capacity as a journalist with THE NEW TODAY newspaper in Grenada.
Our publication is currently conducting a verification exercise concerning the academic credentials of Mr. Justine (Cleophas) Pierre, who has publicly stated that he earned a Doctoral degree from Charisma University in 2019.
Earlier today, we received an email purporting to confirm Mr. Pierre’s doctoral status and affiliation with your institution. In the interest of accurate reporting and journalistic integrity, we seek official confirmation from the Office of the Registrar.
We respectfully request clarification on the following:
1. Enrollment Verification:
Please confirm whether Mr. Justine (Cleophas) Pierre was admitted as a doctoral student at Charisma University and, if so, his dates of enrollment.
2.Degree Conferral:
Kindly verify whether Mr. Pierre successfully completed all academic requirements and was awarded a Doctorate degree in 2019. If confirmed, please provide the official degree title, program of study, and date of conferral.
3,Admission Basis:
We request information regarding the basis on which Mr. Pierre was admitted into the doctoral program, specifically:
*What academic transcripts or prior degrees were submitted?
*Were these credentials verified by your admissions office?
*Did he meet the standard entry requirements for doctoral-level study at Charisma University?
4.Dissertation Verification:
If Mr. Pierre completed a dissertation, please provide:
*The title of his dissertation,
*The repository, database, or archive where it is published,
*A link, reference number, or citation allowing us to locate and review the work.
5.Embargo Status:
If the dissertation is currently under embargo, please provide the official embargo receipt or documentation confirming the embargo period and approval.
6.University Publication Policy:
If no dissertation is published under his name, we kindly request clarification on Charisma University’s policy regarding the publication, indexing, and archiving of doctoral dissertations.
For transparency, I have conducted extensive searches through ProQuest, Google Scholar, JSTOR, EBSCO/ATLA, and institutional repositories but have been unable to locate any dissertation attributed to Mr. Pierre under any known variant of his name. Because of this, your office’s clarification is essential for our verification and public reporting.
We appreciate your cooperation and respectfully request a timely response, as the information is being compiled for an active news report. Should you require additional details, please contact me directly by email or telephone.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your prompt and official response.
Sincerely,
George Worme
In an earlier interview with THE NEW TODAY, Pierre said that he did his doctoral Thesis on “The Labour Market of Small Island States with emphasis on Grenada.”
However, a letter purported to be released by an individual at Charisma University on Wednesday disclosed that Pierre was awarded “a Doctorate in Business Administration.”
The following questions were asked of Pierre on his doctoral studies:-
NT: Where did you study for your doctorate, Phd?
JP: At Carisma University, it is a university based in the Turks & Caicos Islands. It has moved to the United States now – it is based in the US – 2015 to 2019 – graduated 2019.
NT: What did you do your thesis on?
JP: I did my thesis on the Labour Market of Small Island States with emphasis on Grenada. That is basically what I did.
NT: Who did you defend your thesis before? Who was the person who took you through it and you defended it? How long was your thesis in terms of pages?
JP: I studied from 2015-19 and a series of Lecturers will guide you through your thesis.
NT: A series of Lecturers – I know it is one person who will guide?
JP: You have what is called at the university a Mentor that will guide you – same thing as your Masters. I did my Masters at the University of Technology in Jamaica and they take you through your Masters – help you in your Thesis, your course work, all of your projects – all of that – yes.
NT: What exactly is the length of your Thesis?
JP: My Thesis is 310 pages – that’s including references from cover – like beginning to end. 257 (pages) and all like the references and index and abbreviations and all of that.
NT: In comparison with my daughter’s PhD, you didn’t write much.
JP: Listen – a Phd Thesis could be 100 pages, 110 pages – most PhD on average.
The full amount of the Thesis is 258 pages and the cover page which comprise of the differ statements, which is comprised of the dedication, abstracts, acknowledgements, table of contents, appendices, list of tables, all of the references – all of that came up to 50-something pages.
NT: So you were actually living in the Turks & Caicos?
JP: Well yes – I lived there and I used to work there.
NT: So you did the Thesis while working there?
JP: Yes. Remember we did the Turks & Caicos National Skills Audit and the Migration Study – spent about 3 years there. I did my PhD there and in 2019 we finished.
There has been no response from the Registrar of Charisma University to the letter sent by THE NEW TODAY on the Justin Pierre issue.
It is not known whether the local Educational Accreditation body recognises degrees granted by Charisma University.
The outfit is requesting a fee from anyone seeking such information.
In the 1970’s, Grenadian journalist Alistair Hughes investigated a Doctorate degree that was conferred on Grenada’s first Prime Minister Eric Gairy and tracked it down to being awarded by an outfit that operated from “a semi-detached house” in Manchester in the United Kingdom.
