In Albania, can a U.S. diploma deliver

Rising above the dingy back streets of the Albanian capital, the silhouette, instantly recognizable, shines out like a promise: the Statue of Liberty, symbol of America, land of opportunity — and also the logo of the University of New York, Tirana (U.N.Y.T.), where students pay more than $32,500 for what a sign in the lobby describes as “the only real European and American education” in the country. On its elaborate Web site, U.N.Y.T. paints a glowing picture of students enjoying a typical American university experience — complete with student union, college sports, and campus social life — without having to ever leave Albania. Although known locally as “New York University-Tirana” — the name listed on its official charter from the Albanian government — the school has no connection with the campus in Greenwich Village. Nor does it have a dining hall, dormitories, gym, or stadium — the Web page covering sports has been “under construction” for more than a year. The photograph of a library, featured on the cover of the school’s handsomely printed brochure, was in fact taken elsewhere, school officials concede. But the classes are in English. And thanks to an arrangement with the State University of New York this private Albanian institution does offer its 650 students the chance to acquire an American diploma. By paying the for-profit U.N.Y.T. an extra $100 per credit, for the first three years plus an additional $5,000 for the final year, students can graduate with a degree from Empire State College, a division of SUNY based in Saratoga Springs devoted to adult education and nontraditional learning. Known by various labels — “validated” or “franchised” degrees, “supported programs,” or branch campuses — such arrangements between universities in the United States, Britain or Australia and various private providers in the developing world have become increasingly common. While students in Tirana seem satisfied, critics say that with a revenue structure based on tuition fees, and an admissions process subject to the need to recruit paying customers, all too frequently these arrangements deliver the form, but not the substance, of an academic education. Armand Kapllani, a 2007 Empire State/U.N.Y.T. graduate now studying at Southern Methodist University in Dallas said that many of his courses were pitched at the level of an American high school. “We didn’t even learn how to use a financial calculator. You are graduating with a degree in finance and you don’t know how to use the calculator,” he said. But Gavin Lowder, director of international programs at SUNY Empire State, says U.N.Y.T. is held to “the same academic guidelines as the rest of the college. There are no separate standards for our Tirana program.” Konstantine Giakoumis, U.N.Y.T.’s deputy rector, said in an interview that “the curriculum is jointly drafted and approved by committees of both universities.” On a recent visit to the Albanian campus, SUNY’s influence seemed more like a label than an active presence. The overwhelming majority of courses are taught by local faculty members hired without any input from SUNY, who also have little say over the content. Of 15 Empire State courses offered in the autumn 2011 catalogue, only three appear to be taught by instructors with doctorates. “Our teachers are not SUNY faculty. Not directly,” said Mr. Giakoumis. Empire State College, he added “does not have centrally managed exams.” Instead exams are set and marked by the faculty in Tirana. Faculty members teaching SUNY courses “are expected to be approved by the program director,” Mr. Lowder said in an e-mail. “As part of the approval process, résumés are reviewed and approved. Where possible, faculty are interviewed prior to the semester,” he said. But he admitted that faculty teaching U.N.Y.T. courses “are not subject to Empire State review or approval.” For example, Mr. Giakoumis holds a bachelor’s degree from Athens University and a doctorate from the Center for Byzantine, Ottoman and Modern Greek Studies at the University of Birmingham, yet teaches both U.S. History and Diplomatic History.