John F. Kennedy University was a

private university Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public student loans, and grant (money ...

based in California with offices in Pleasant Hill, San Jose in California;

Natick, Massachusetts Natick ( ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 37,006 at the 2020 census. west of Boston, Natick is part of the Greater Boston area. ...

; and

Willemstad Willemstad ( , ; ; en, William Town, italic=yes) is the capital city of Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean Sea that forms a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was the capital of the Netherlands Antilles pr ...

Curaçao Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coa ...

. The university was founded in 1965 to offer degrees and certificates for non-traditional higher education students, taught mostly by adjunct faculty. In April 2009, the university became an affiliate of the National University System initially as an independent university. The institution closed in 2020 with programs transferred to other National University schools.

Academics

The institution was organized as a

collegiate university A collegiate university is a university in which functions are divided between a central administration and a number of constituent colleges. Historically, the first collegiate university was the University of Paris and its first college was the C ...

comprising four

constituent colleges A collegiate university is a university in which functions are divided between a central administration and a number of constituent colleges. Historically, the first collegiate university was the University of Paris and its first college was the C ...

which conferred

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-le ...

and graduate degrees in

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." Having a business name does not separ ...

psychology Psychology is the science, scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immens ...

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

, and

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

. The university did not own a traditional campus and instead taught either through

distance education Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...

blended learning Norm Friesen (born March 21, 1966) is Professor in Educational Technology at Boise State University. Norm Friesen studied German Literature, Secondary Education, and Communication at the Johns Hopkins University, University of Alberta and Simon Fr ...

. Physical locations of the university for blended learning programs were typically housed in leased office sites and business parks.

College of Undergraduate Studies

John F. Kennedy University College of Undergraduate Studies was accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (formerly known as the Western Association of Schools and Colleges). The college offered certificate programs, undergraduate degrees, and graduate degrees, including a JD-MBA dual degree and MBA. The college also housed the university's experimental Institute of Entrepreneurial Leadership (IEL) which offered certificate programs and low-cost office spaces. The Sanford Institute of Philanthropy was also housed at the college.

College of Psychology and Holistic Studies

The College of Psychology and Holistic Studies was a graduate institution which offered certificates, master's, and doctoral degrees. The college held

experiential learning Experiential learning (ExL) is the process of learning through experience, and is more narrowly defined as "learning through reflection on doing". Hands-on learning can be a form of experiential learning, but does not necessarily involve students ...

curriculums through three community-based

clinical internship A medical intern is a physician in training who has completed medical school and has a medical degree but does not yet have a license to practice medicine unsupervised. Medical education generally ends with a period of practical training simil ...

programs. The counseling psychology program housed student-operated art camps which taught self-confidence and self-expression to elementary-aged children. The Family Resiliency Project, also under the counseling psychology program, operated with Californian school districts for family counseling and childhood behavioral therapy. The Solt Evans LEAP Project in the Sports Psychology program provided disadvantaged youth life skills lessons through athletics. The college also operated three University Counseling centers in California which provided affordable, confidential access to mental health services.

College of Law

John F. Kennedy University College of Law offered four-year, part-time program, and three-year programs. The college housed a Housing Advocacy and Legal Clinic offered free legal services to elderly locals at risk of

eviction Eviction is the removal of a tenant from rental property by the landlord. In some jurisdictions it may also involve the removal of persons from premises that were foreclosed by a mortgagee (often, the prior owners who defaulted on a mortgag ...

. The college had an enrollment of 160 students at the time of closure. Although it conferred the

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice l ...

degree, the college was accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the

State Bar of California The State Bar of California is California's official attorney licensing agency. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, prescribing appropriate disciplin ...

rather than the more professionally recognized

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of aca ...

. The lack of ABA accreditation limited the ability of graduates to take bar exams and practice as attorneys outside the

state of California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

. The college had a California Bar first-attempt pass rate of 33% in October 2020.

School of Medicine

The John F. Kennedy University School of Medicine offered a 4-year, offshore

Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. ...

degree program which accepted Curaçaoans and international applicants from the US and Canada. The school was approved by the

World Federation for Medical Education World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) is a non-governmental organisation concerned with education and training of medical doctors worldwide. WFME’s main objective is to "enhance the quality of medical education worldwide, with promotion of ...

(WFME),

FAIMER The Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to "support the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) as it promotes international health p ...

, Medical Council of India, and the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...

to hold its third and fourth-year clinical rotations sites outside of

in the United States, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. As an

offshore medical school An offshore medical school is a medical school that caters "primarily to foreign (American and Canadian citizens) students, wishing to practice medicine in the US and Canada" according to the World Bank, compared to local schools that focus on the ...

, the college followed the legal convention at the time in which classes were given outside the US in

while it kept a legal address in the US in

. Though the college's clinical training was marketed to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

n students, the curriculum itself was neither accredited by the

Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates According to the US Department of Education, the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates is "the authorized credential evaluation and guidance agency for non-U.S. physicians and graduates of non-U.S. medical schools who seek to practice ...

nor by the

Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions The Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP) is an accrediting body for the education programmes and schools of medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, nursing and other health profession ...

and graduates did not qualify to practice in the US.

References

External links

* {{authority control Law schools in California Private universities and colleges in California Universities and colleges in Alameda County, California Universities and colleges in Contra Costa County, California Universities and colleges in Santa Clara County, California Universities and colleges in Santa Cruz County, California

University A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

Pleasant Hill, California Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Educational institutions established in 1964 1964 establishments in California Defunct law schools