08113
February 13, 2008

WCC says it removed doctorate from CV of its general secretary

by Peter Kenny
Ecumenical News International

GENEVA — The World Council of Churches says it removed details from the official curriculum vitae of its general secretary, the Rev. Samuel Kobia, pertaining to a doctorate he received from Fairfax University, an institution that is not recognized by state authorities in the United States.

News about Kobia’s qualifications was reported in the German Protestant news agency, epd, on February 12, the day before the main governing body of the World Council of Churches, its central committee, was to start meeting, at a time when Christianity's largest grouping of churches is celebrating its 60th anniversary.

At a February 13 media briefing, the WCC said the re-election of its general secretary is on the agenda of the meeting of the council's committee, as Kobia's first term in the post is shortly to expire. Kobia, who has been general secretary since 2004, is believed to be the sole candidate.

ENI has been unable to contact Fairfax University, which is described as being located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university's Web site and a listed phone number appeared not to be operational.

The U.S. State of Maine includes Fairfax University on a 2007 listing of  “Unaccredited Post-Secondary Educational Institutions". It adds, however, that the institution now, “Does not exist.”

When ENI contacted the WCC, its spokesperson Mark Beach said that Kobia pursued his doctoral studies through Fairfax University from 2000 to 2003 and he was awarded the degree in 2004.

Kobia’s doctoral thesis in not currently in the WCC library, Beach stated. Its title is: “The courage to hope - The roots for a new vision and the calling of the Church in Africa.”

The spokesperson said that 60 percent of the cost of Kobia's studies had been met by the WCC, as provided for in the church grouping's staff regulations.

The WCC said that in December 2007 the moderator of the WCC's central committee, the Rev. Walter Altmann, was informed about the fact that Fairfax University lacks accreditation to award degrees.

“This information came as a shock and disappointment to both the moderator and the general secretary,” said Beach. Subsequently the WCC removed the information about Kobia’s Fairfax doctorate from its Web site. The current biographical details of Kobia on the WCC Web site make no reference to any of his qualifications.

On June 22, 2000, the Louisiana Board of Regents, a state regulatory body, said: “Fairfax University must discontinue admissions into all doctoral programs immediately. Students currently enrolled in these programs will be allowed to complete their program.”

Two months later, the Louisiana regulatory board noted that Fairfax University had withdrawn its application for state accreditation. “By withdrawing its application,
Fairfax University agrees to discontinue operations immediately in Louisiana as an academic degree-granting institution,” the regulatory board stated.

In 2007, Kobia was appointed the first chancellor (honorary president) of St Paul’s University, a multi-denominational Christian institution in Limuru, in his home country, Kenya.

The Kenyan university on its Web site states that Kobia holds a Diploma in Theology at St Paul’s United Theological College, Kenya; a Diploma in Urban Ministry from McCormick Theological Seminary, USA; a Masters degree in City Planning (MCP) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA; a degree of Doctor of Divinity by the Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, USA; and a PhD in Religious Studies from Fairfax University, Louisiana, USA.