Maxine Klein Asher (August 15, 1930 – March 19, 2015) was an
Atlantis
Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas (mythology), Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works ''Timaeus (dialogue), Timaeus'' and ''Critias (dialogue), Critias'' ...
researcher who founded and operated
American World University, an institution which sold
academic degree
An academic degree is a qualification awarded to students upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions commonly offer degrees at various levels, usually including unde ...
s, and the
World Association of Universities and Colleges
In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
, an institution which "accredited" American World University, as well as other universities selling mail-order degrees which paid for
accreditation
Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...
by that body. Neither institution is accredited by any accrediting body recognized by the
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...
.
Personal life
Raised in California, Asher earned a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in psychology from the
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
, and after graduation, worked as a public school teacher.
[Maxine Asher Has a Degree for You]
, Thomas Bartlett and Scott Smallwood, ''The Chronicle of Higher Education
''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' is a newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty and student affairs professionals (staff members and administrators). A subscription is required to rea ...
'', published June 25, 2004, accessed February 22, 2007. She later returned to school and earned a
master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. in ancient history from
California State University, Northridge
California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. With a total enrollment of 38,551 students (as of Fall 2021), it has the second largest un ...
, a doctorate in education from
Walden University
Walden University is a private online for-profit university headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It offers Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Master of Business Administration, Master of Public Administration, Master of Public Health, E ...
, and a doctorate in linguistics from the
University of Granada
The University of Granada ( es, Universidad de Granada, UGR) is a public university located in the city of Granada, Spain, and founded in 1531 by Emperor Charles V. With more than 60,000 students, it is the fourth largest university in Spain. Apar ...
.
She was married with three children and suffered from
fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a medical condition defined by the presence of chronic widespread pain, fatigue, waking unrefreshed, cognitive symptoms, lower abdominal pain or cramps, and depression. Other symptoms include insomnia and a general hyp ...
.
Atlantis research
In 1973, Asher organized an expedition, sponsored by
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and t ...
, to search for the mythical continent of Atlantis off the coast of
Cadiz, Spain. Consisting of 70 teachers, students, and other interested parties, the members of the expedition planned to
skin dive
''Skin Dive'' is a jazz vocal album by Michael Franks, released in 1985 with Warner Bros. Records. It was Franks' ninth studio album, and the first he co-produced himself. The single off this album, "Your Secret's Safe With Me", is his biggest ...
along the coast of Spain and
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
, seeking evidence of the lost island. Employed at the time by Pepperdine as an audiovisual instruction expert, Asher expressed confidence from the onset that the trip would be successful.
The group subsequently claimed to have discovered and photographed Atlantean artifacts. However, it was forced to seek refuge in Ireland after running afoul of the Spanish government, which believed that they were spies. Asher claimed that there were murder attempts and that at one point she was forced to jump from a moving car to evade kidnappers.
She wrote an unproduced screenplay about her Spanish experiences.
After arriving in Ireland, her group explored inland sites around
Galway Bay
Galway Bay (Irish: ''Loch Lurgain'' or ''Cuan na Gaillimhe'') is a bay on the west coast of Ireland, between County Galway in the province of Connacht to the north and the Burren in County Clare in the province of Munster to the south; Galwa ...
,
Craughwell
Craughwell (historically ''Creaghmoyle'', from ) is a town and townland in County Galway, Ireland.
Name
The name Craughwell is also used as a surname, properly '' Ó Creachmhaoil'', though often anglicised as ''Craughwell'', ''Croughwell'' and ...
, and the
Dingle Peninsula
The Dingle Peninsula ( ga, Corca Dhuibhne; anglicised as Corkaguiny, the name of the corresponding barony) is the northernmost of the major peninsulas in County Kerry. It ends beyond the town of Dingle at Dunmore Head, the westernmost point o ...
, and conducted dives in the area of Galway Bay near the coast of the
Aran Islands
The Aran Islands ( ; gle, Oileáin Árann, ) or The Arans (''na hÁrainneacha'' ) are a group of three islands at the mouth of Galway Bay, off the west coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, with a total area around . They constitute the histo ...
.
[Singer, Jon Douglas. ''Ireland's Mysterious Lands and Sunken Cities: Legends and Folklore'', Xlibris Corporation, 2001, p. 97. ] These Irish investigations were conducted on the belief that ancient Irish
megalith
A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea.
The ...
s are really the work of the Atlantean people.
Asher continued her studies of Atlantis-related topics. She was the director of the
Ancient Mediterranean Research Association, an organization she co-founded with
Julian Nava
Julian Nava (June 19, 1927 – July 29, 2022) was an American educator and diplomat. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Nava served as the United States Ambassador to Mexico from 1980 to 1981.
Life
Julian Nava ...
, and she wrote or co-wrote several books on Atlantis. Her car's
vanity license plate was "ATLANTS".
Asher claimed to have
psychic abilities
This is a list of alleged psychic abilities that have been attributed to real-world people. Many of these abilities pertain to variations of extrasensory perception or the ''sixth sense''. Superhuman abilities from fiction are not included.
Psyc ...
, which she credited for helping her find Atlantis, as "the highly civilized people of Atlantis also were very psychic".
According to her, Atlanteans used these psychic energies as a power source, characterizing them as being as strong as
nuclear energy
Nuclear energy may refer to:
*Nuclear power, the use of sustained nuclear fission or nuclear fusion to generate heat and electricity
* Nuclear binding energy, the energy needed to fuse or split a nucleus of an atom
*Nuclear potential energy
...
.
[Grant, John. ''Discarded Science: Ideas That Seemed Good at the Time...'', Sterling Publishing Company, Inc., 2006, p. 107. ] She believed that the lost continent was enormous in scope, spanning the gap between
Bimini
Bimini is the westernmost district of the Bahamas and comprises a chain of islands located about due east of Miami. Bimini is the closest point in the Bahamas to the mainland United States and approximately west-northwest of Nassau. The populat ...
and the
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...
, and stretching from Ireland to
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
.
Asher attributed its sinking to seismic upheavals, but also felt that these upheavals were the result of a cosmically ordained "Divine Retribution", a result of "negative forces" generated by its "evil" inhabitants.
She also claimed that her discoveries had been suppressed by "the Jews and the Catholics" because the discovery of Atlantis would contradict the teachings of the
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
.
According to her, the cataclysm that destroyed Atlantis was the same as the
Great Flood
A flood myth or a deluge myth is a myth in which a great flood, usually sent by a deity or deities, destroys civilization, often in an act of divine retribution. Parallels are often drawn between the flood waters of these myths and the primaeval ...
described in the Bible.
She also believed that there were actually twelve
Noah
Noah ''Nukh''; am, ኖህ, ''Noḥ''; ar, نُوح '; grc, Νῶε ''Nôe'' () is the tenth and last of the pre-Flood patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5– ...
s who survived the flood, and not just one, with each surviving Noah going on to found one of the
Twelve Tribes of Israel
The Twelve Tribes of Israel ( he, שִׁבְטֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל, translit=Šīḇṭēy Yīsrāʾēl, lit=Tribes of Israel) are, according to Hebrew scriptures, the descendants of the biblical patriarch Jacob, also known as Israel, throu ...
.
Higher education
Asher is the founder of
American World University, a postsecondary
distance learning
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 ...
institution which is commonly considered to be a
diploma mill
A diploma mill (also known as a degree mill) is a company or organization that claims to be a higher education institution but provides illegitimate academic degrees and diplomas for a fee. The degrees can be fabricated (made-up), falsified (fa ...
. The school, which was founded in 1990, awards course credits for life experiences and does not require fluency in English.
['Stealth U' in Iowa City duped many, experts say]
", Ryan J. Foley, The Daily Iowan
''The Daily Iowan'' is an independent, 6,500-circulation student newspaper serving Iowa City and the University of Iowa community. During the 2020–2021 academic year ''The Daily Iowan'' transitioned from printing daily to producing a print edi ...
, published January 27, 2003, accessed February 21, 2007. Foreign students comprise more than 90% of the "student body",
which consists of approximately 7,000 people.
Tuition costs vary by country, and international students are attracted through local representatives, who handle regional advertising and in return receive half of the money they generated as a finder's fee.
AWU does not have a physical campus. It was based in
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...
, until forced to move by the passage of new state legislation governing post-secondary institutions in 2000.
AWU relocated to
Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...
, but was forced to move again by the creation of a similar law.
It was later based in
Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula ( ) is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula Combined Statistical Area. The population was 22 ...
,
[Quick and Dirty: a notebook of news and politics]
, the ''Las Vegas Mercury
''Las Vegas Mercury'' was an alternative newspaper published in Las Vegas, Nevada from January 4, 2001 to March 15, 2005. The paper folded when Stephens Media purchased ''Las Vegas CityLife'' and combined the two newspapers.
Columnists
* James ...
'', published February 26, 2004, accessed June 28, 2007. with some operations such as the grading of papers also taking place at Asher's home
in
Westwood, Los Angeles, California
Westwood is a commercial and residential neighborhood in the northern central portion of the Westside region of Los Angeles, California. It is the home of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Bordering the campus on the south ...
. The school also had a branch in
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, where Brazilian government officials estimate that it generated revenues in excess of four million dollars over its first two years in that country.
AWU is accredited only by the
World Association of Universities and Colleges
In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
, an accrediting body founded by Asher which is not recognized by the
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...
. Founded in 1993,
[Seebach, Linda.]
Getting a fake education is big business
, Scripps Howard News Service
The E. W. Scripps Company is an American broadcasting company founded in 1878 as a chain of daily newspapers by Edward Willis "E. W." Scripps and his sister, Ellen Browning Scripps. It was also formerly a media conglomerate. The company is he ...
, published July 19, 2004, accessed June 28, 2007. the WAUC offered accreditation to several institutions which have been classified as diploma mills by the federal government or state governments, including
Lacrosse University,
Columbus University, and
Madison University
Madison University is a School accreditation, non-accredited distance learning college located in Gulfport, Mississippi, Gulfport, Mississippi. The state of Mississippi considers Madison an "unapproved" college. Madison is also listed as an unac ...
. Neither AWU nor the WAUC are officially recognized by either the
US Department of Education
The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...
or the
Council on Higher Education Accreditation
The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is a United States organization of degree-granting colleges and universities. It identifies its purpose as providing national advocacy for academic quality through accreditation in order t ...
.
[Johnson Deputy Defends Degree - Unaccredited School Granted Doctorate]
, Paul Schwartzman, ''The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'', p. B1, published May 21, 2004, accessed February 22, 2007.
Asher granted Ph.D. diplomas to several people who later enthusiastically recommended the diploma mill in its literature. For example, Dr. Adrian Waller (part-time tutor, Nihon University) wrote, "It is little wonder ... that I should speak so highly of AWU—and of Dr. Asher—for integrity, a commitment to the highest standards of post-secondary education, and to unswerving plans to remain a leader in distance learning by continuing to upgrade the concept in the years to come."
AWU, Letters of recommendation
/ref>
A degree-fraud expert who has worked with the FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
has described AWU as "dreadful, useless, and terrible", while a former temporary employee describes the operation as a "total fraud", stating that Asher told her to write comments on students' papers "so that students would feel like they were being read". University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
professor John Bear, an expert on diploma mills, has described AWU as a "mail drop".[Wills, Larry.]
Scoundrels and Scholars
, The ''Las Vegas Mercury
''Las Vegas Mercury'' was an alternative newspaper published in Las Vegas, Nevada from January 4, 2001 to March 15, 2005. The paper folded when Stephens Media purchased ''Las Vegas CityLife'' and combined the two newspapers.
Columnists
* James ...
'', published January 22, 2004, accessed June 28, 2007.
Asher defended the academic rigor of AWU's curriculum, stating, "We're not Harvard, we're not Princeton, but I think we do a very credible job educating people." She claimed that AWU was modeled on a fusion of American and European approaches to higher education.
In 2004, Asher was forced to close down the World University of Iowa, a Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
-based institution similar to AWU. As part of a summary judgement, she was ordered to cease operations, refund tuition money to all students, and pay $240,000 in damages. The action was part of a statewide crackdown on unaccredited schools, as many had relocated there after 1999 in an effort to evade regulation in the mainland United States. During court proceedings, Asher refused to provide school documentation such as a list of students. Asher characterized the actions against WUI and other Hawaii-based schools accredited by the WAUC as pure harassment.
Bibliography
*''Discovering Atlantis''. Ancient Mediterranean Research Association (unknown binding). 1974. 114 pages
*''Ancient Energy: Key to the Universe''. Harper & Row
Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins based in New York City.
History
J. & J. Harper (1817–1833)
James Harper and his brother John, printers by training, started their book publishin ...
(unknown binding). 1979. 181 pages.
*''Tapping Into the Force'' (with Ann Miller). Hampton Roads Pub. Co. Inc. (hardcover). 1990. 194 pages.
*''The Atlantis Conspiracy''. Selene Books (paperback). 1991. 110 pages.
*''The Waves of Atlantis''. Bookhenge (paperback). 1997. 136 pages.
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Asher, Maxine
1930 births
2015 deaths
University of California, Los Angeles alumni
California State University, Northridge alumni
Walden University (Minnesota) alumni
People from Westwood, Los Angeles