that neither the degree nor the school were considered legitimate: "In fact, they told me that I was wasting my time and money studying with that school." In March 2004 The Washington Post reported that a public official was criticized for possessing a doctorate from American World University. The article quoted John Bear as saying "Academically, there's nothing there," said Bear who noted "I don't call it a school, I call it a business." As of 2006, the Los Angeles-area Better Business Bureau's report on AWU gave it a D rating, apparently based on one complaint, which the BBB says AWU "refuse[d] to adjust, relying on terms of agreement." The Mississippi Better Business Bureau, however, called AWU's record "satisfactory," again mentioning just a single complaint (presumably a different one) which, they judged, AWU had "made every reasonable effort to resolve." AWU granted Ph.D. diplomas to several people who later supported the university in its literature, including Dr. Adrian Waller (a former lecturer at Nihon University in Tokyo and Mishima, Japan,) and Dr. Bruce Rosen (former Asst. Professor, Computer Science, University of Texas–San Antonio). See also List of unaccredited institutions of higher learning References External links AWU's website AWU's Virtual University E-learning System for Spanish Speaking Students Unaccredited institutions of higher learning in the United States Education in Rapid City, South Dakota Educational institutions established in 1990 Distance education institutions based in the United States 1990 establishments in South Dakota