Sequoia University

Sequoia University was an unaccredited higher education institution in Los Angeles, California, which acquired a reputation as a prolific "degree mill" selling degree certificates. Although it was shut down in 1984 by a court order, it is most notable today as the institution from which Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard obtained an honorary "Doctorate of Philosophy" in the 1950s.

In 2009, the British government released a series of documents from the California Department of Education stating that Sequoia was never approved nor recognized as a school.[1]

Ownership and operations

The "university" was originally known as the College of Drugless Healing. Despite claims that it operated strictly through a post office box and delivered mail-order doctorates without classes or exams,[2] it actually had a number of locations and classes through its storied history.

It was unofficially founded in 1950 by psychologist David Seabury, who was both its President and also had an honorary PhD from Sequoia University.[3][4][5]

Sequoia University initially operated in combination with Seabury University at 535 S. Hoover, Room 426 from 1950.[6][7]

Both Sequoia University Press and graduation ceremonies were also held at 5617 Hollywood Blvd, Room 103.[8][9][10]

It also had a satellite location at 2610 W. 8th, Room 3 in 1951.[11]

It later relocated to 920 S. Grandview St. in 1952.[12]

It officially changed its name to Sequoia University on August 20, 1952,[13] and became ratified on August 27, 1952 under a chiropodist named Joseph Hough.[14] It relocated to his home at 915 S. Grandview, from 1952-1956.[15]

In 1956, it eventually moved to 5625 Melrose Avenue. [16]

The university also had various departments: a library,[17] a Slavic studies department,[18] Russian, Spanish and other languages,[19][20] psychology and psychotherapy,[21][22] and others.

Hough's own doctorate was said to have been bogus, reportedly having been purchased from the unaccredited Free University of Mexico in 1938. He was investigated in 1957 by a California State Assembly investigation into degree mills operating in the state, but took the Fifth Amendment 22 times in the course of his testimony and refused to divulge information about Sequoia's activities.[23]

During a legal crackdown on unaccredited Californian educational institutions in 1984, a Los Angeles judge issued a permanent injunction ordering it to cease operating "until it complies with the state education laws."[24] At the time it had outlets in both California and Oklahoma, and was still offering degrees in osteopathic medicine, religious studies, hydrotherapy, and physical sciences. Among the affected was the Federal government as evidenced by a citation proclaimed by the United States House of Representatives in hearings held in 1986, in which Sequoia was mentioned as one of a number of degree mills from which Federal employees had bought false credentials.[25]

Notable alumni

L. Ron Hubbard

In the early 1950s, L. Ron Hubbard established himself in London at the head of the newly founded Hubbard Association of Scientologists International. Hubbard appears to have already had a relationship with Hough, as Scientologists found themselves being given Ph.Ds from the "university."

On February 27, 1953, Hubbard cabled his associate Richard de Mille (a relative of the famous filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille) to instruct him to purchase a Ph.D. in Hubbard's name: "PLEASE INFORM DR HOUGH PHD VERY ACCEPTABLE. PRIVATELY TO YOU. FOR GOSH SAKES EXPEDITE. WORK HERE UTTERLY DEPENDENT ON IT. CABLE REPLY. RON" Shortly afterwards, Hubbard received a "Doctorate of Philosophy" from Sequoia, along with a "D. Scn" (Doctorate of Scientology) which he appears to have bestowed upon himself.[26]

The degree subsequently became a key part of his self-promotional efforts. Hubbard began referring to himself as "L. Ron Hubbard, Ph.D., C.E."[27] (the C.E. referring to an equally unearned civil engineering qualification supposedly obtained from George Washington University, from which he had dropped out in his second year of studies). He presented it as evidence of his scientific qualifications, calling himself "Doctor Hubbard":

For hundreds of years physical scientists have been seeking to apply the exact knowledge they had gained of the physical universe to Man and his problems.

Newton, Sir James Jeans, Einstein, have all sought to find the exact laws of human behavior in order to help Mankind.

Developed by L. Ron Hubbard, C.E., Ph.D., a nuclear physicist, Scientology has demonstrably achieved this long-sought goal. Doctor Hubbard, educated in advanced physics and higher mathematics and also a student of Sigmund Freud and others, began his present researches thirty years ago at George Washington University.[28]

Hubbard also envisaged using Sequoia to bestow a variety of "degrees" on students of his proposed "Freudian Foundation of America", a scheme which he put forward in April 1953 but which apparently never got off the ground. The students would have received certificates from Sequoia accrediting them as "Bachelor of Scientology," "Doctor of Scientology," "Freudian Psycho-analyst," and "Doctor of Divinity," among other qualifications.[29] He may have abandoned the idea for legal reasons; in May 1953, he told Scientologists in an "Associate Newsletter":

Sequoia University would like to authorize associates to give certain courses. With all due respect to Sequoia University and the project, I have to hand legal opinion that this protection will not stay the heavy threat when levelled.[30]

Public attention was drawn to Hubbard's "degree" by the Anderson Report of 1965, published in Victoria, Australia. The board of enquiry that produced the report was suspicious of the degree's validity and, in its words,

caused inquiries to be made as to the identity of this university and was informed by the Australian Consul-General in San Francisco that the Sequoia University was a privately endowed institution which was not accredited, that is, not registered with the Western Association of Schools and colleges, which is the accrediting body for the west coast of America.[31]

The question of the degree also attracted comment in the British press, forcing Hubbard onto the defensive. He issued a policy letter in February 1966 defending his degree: "I was a Ph.D., Sequoia's [sic] University and therefore a perfectly valid doctor under the laws of the State of California". (The latter claim was not true, as Sequoia had never been accredited by the State, nor had it any chance of being — as Christopher Evans notes, it "used to be well known to quacks on the West Coast as a degree mill where 'qualifications' could be bought for suitable sums."[32]) Hubbard announced that henceforth the title of "Doctor" would no longer be used within Scientology, as "the name has been disgraced" due to "the abuses and murders carried out under the title of 'doctor'" (a reference to his hatred of psychiatry).[33]

A few weeks later, Hubbard publicly disclaimed his Sequoia degree in an advertisement in the personal column of The Times:

I, L. Ron Hubbard of Saint Hill Manor, East Grinstead, having reviewed the damage being done in our society with nuclear physics and psychiatry by persons calling themselves 'Doctor', do hereby resign in protest my university degree as a doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.), anticipating an early public outcry against anyone called 'Doctor'; and although not in any way connected with bombs or 'psychiatric treatment' or treatment of the sick, and interested only and always in philosophy and the total freedom of the human spirit, I wish no association of any kind with these persons and do so publicly declare, and request my friends and the public not to refer to me in any way with this title.[34]

However, even after this disavowal Hubbard continued to cite the Sequoia-issued Ph.D. In an interview with Rhodesian television in April 1966, he told the interviewer: "Actually I have a degree in philosophy, a Doctor of Philosophy".[35] Similarly, biographies published by the Church of Scientology also continued to mention the "doctorate"; the 1973 book Mission Into Time, for instance, claims that

Many awards and honors were offered and conferred on L. Ron Hubbard. He did accept an honorary Doctor of Philosophy given in recognition of his outstanding work on Dianetics and "as an inspiration to the many people ... who had been inspired by him to take up advanced studies in this field..."[36]

Forrest J. Ackerman

L. Ron Hubbard's literary agent Forrest J Ackerman received a diploma from Sequoia University in April 1969, which named him a Fellow of the Sequoia Research Institute.[37]

Kelly Segraves

Sequoia University is also part of a controversy surrounding the credentials of Kelly Segraves, director of the Creation Science Research Center, a creationist organization. Segraves claims to have received a Master's degree from Sequoia University in 1972 and has been criticized over the institution's lack of academic credentials.[38]

Richard de Mille

In 1953, then-Scientologist Richard de Mille was an associate professor at Sequoia University. He taught at the Department of Scientology.[39]

Paul Reps

In 1951, American zen poet Paul Reps published his second book "Unknot The World In You" through Sequoia University Press.[40][41][42]

David B. Steinman

Sequoia awarded an honorary Doctor of Science in Engineering to David B. Steinman received on April 15, 1952.[43][44]

David Seabury

Seabury unofficially founded the university in 1950. He was both its President and also had an honorary PhD from Sequoia University.[45][46][47] He later claimed he had worked at and obtained a degree from Pacific International University, not Sequoia.[48][49]

Johnston Murray

Former Governor of Oklahoma Johnston Murray received an honorary degree of Doctor of Law on July 7, 1952.[50][51]

Jack B. Tenney

In 1953, California State Senator Jack B. Tenney gave the commencement address and received an honorary Doctor of Humanities.[52]

Edward Leo Delaney

In 1954, actor turned propagandist Edward Leo Delaney published his first book "False Freedom" through Sequoia University Press.[53]

Mickey Rooney

In May 1956, Sequoia University awarded actor Mickey Rooney an honorary PhD in Fine Arts.[54]

Devendra Varma

In 1968, literary scholar Devendra Varma received a fellowship of the Sequoia Research Institute, a subsidiary of Sequoia University.[55]

References
  1. "Secret mission to expose L. Ron Hubbard as a fake".
  2. Paulette Cooper, The Scandal of Scientology, chapter 20. Tower Publications, Inc, 1971
  3. "Who’s Who on the Pacific Coast: A Biographical Dictionary of Noteworthy Men and Women of the Pacific Coastal and Western States", "Marquis Who’s Who", “Seabury, David”, 1951, page 589, Chicago: The A.N. Marquis Company.
  4. "Who’s Who in America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women, 1952–1953", "Marquis Who’s Who", “Seabury, David”, Vol. 27, page 2164, Chicago: The A.N. Marquis Company.
  5. "Who’s Who in America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women, 1954–1955", "Marquis Who’s Who", "Seabury, David”, Vol. 28, page 2387, Chicago: Marquis – Who’s Who.
  6. "Los Angeles Street Address Directory", "The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company", 1950, page 334, Los Angeles: The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company, June 22, 1950
  7. "Los Angeles Street Address Directory", "The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company", 1951, pages 324, 334, 816, Los Angeles: The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company, June 22, 1951.
  8. "Los Angeles Street Address Directory", "The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company", 1951, pages 324, 334, 816, Los Angeles: The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company, June 22, 1951.
  9. Spache, George Daniel, "Toward Better Reading," 1963, pages 271 and 459, Champaign, Illinois: Garrard Publishing Company.
  10. Hodder, Velma, "A Position Paper on The Teaching of Reading (Developmental and Corrective)", 1965, page A-24, Lincoln, Nebraska: Nebraska State Department of Education.
  11. "Los Angeles Street Address Directory", "The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company", 1951, pages 324, 334, 816, Los Angeles: The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company, June 22, 1951.
  12. "Los Angeles Street Address Directory", "The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company", 1952, page 281, Los Angeles: The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company, January 31, 1952.
  13. Hough, Joseph W. and Gladys M. Hough, “Certificate of Amendment of Articles of Incorporation: Exhibit A”, Los Angeles, Franchise Tax Board, August 20, 1952.
  14. Hough, Joseph W. and Gladys M. Hough, “Certificate of Amendment of Articles of Incorporation”, Los Angeles, Franchise Tax Board, August 27, 1952.
  15. "Los Angeles Street Address Directory", "The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company", 1953, page 297, Los Angeles: The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company, June 12, 1953
  16. "Los Angeles Street Address Directory", "The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company", 1956, pages 317 and 506, Los Angeles: The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company,February 15, 1956.
  17. Cunningham, Frank, "Knight of the Confederacy, Gen. Turner Ashby", 1960, page xiii, San Antonio, TX: The Naylor Company
  18. California Institute of Technology, Engineering and Science Department, “Faculty Changes”, 1962, pages 24-29, volume 26, number 1, Pasadena, CA: California Institute of Technology, Alumni Association.
  19. The Los Angeles Times, "Career Training," page 14, April 22, 1951.
  20. California Institute of Technology, "Bulletin of the California Institute of Technology: Information for Students 1970/1971", 1970, page 64, volume 79, number 3, Pasadena, CA: California Institute of Technology.
  21. McDonnell, William H., ed., Suburbanite Economist (Chicago), “Retired Ballet Dancer Weds Doctor in Hollywood Church”, page 8, September 18, 1955.
  22. Tampa Bay Times, “Psychologist to Address Health Forum”, page 27, February 3, 1957.
  23. "Diploma Witness Won’t Talk", Los Angeles Mirror News, October 23, 1957
  24. John B. Bear and Mariah P. Bear, Bears' Guide to Earning College Degrees Nontraditionally, p.331 Ten Speed Press, 2003.
  25. "Fraudulent Credentials: Federal Employees", House Select Committee on Aging. Subcommittee on Health and Long-Term Care, 1986
  26. Russell Miller, Bare-Faced Messiah, chapter 12. Michael Joseph Ltd, 1987
  27. Hubbard, "Professional Auditor's Bulletin No. 87", June 5, 1956
  28. Hubbard, "PE Handout" Archived 2007-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, HCO Information Letter of 14 April 1961. Reprinted in the Organization Executive Course volume 6.
  29. Jon Atack, A Piece of Blue Sky Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine, part 3 chapter 5. Lyle Stuart, 1990
  30. Hubbard, "Associate Newsletter No. 4", ca. May 1953. Reprinted in Technical Volumes of Dianetics & Scientology", vol. 1
  31. Kevin Victor Anderson, Q.C., Report of the Board of Enquiry into Scientology, chapter 6. State of Victoria, Australia, 1965
  32. Christopher Evans, Cults of Unreason, p. 21. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1973
  33. Hubbard, "Doctor Title Abolished", HCO Policy Letter of 14 February 1966. Reprinted in Organization Executive Course volume 2
  34. Hubbard, in The Times, March 8, 1966; cited in Christopher Evans, Cults of Unreason, p. 21. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1973
  35. Hubbard, in Introduction to Scientology (interview of April 1966); quoted in Expand!" magazine, issue 21, 1973, p. 11.
  36. Hubbard, Mission into Time, p. 16. American Saint Hill Organization, Los Angeles, 1973
  37. "Forrest J Ackerman Diploma". icollector.com. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  38. "Some Questionable Creationist Credentials", TalkOrigins Archive, May 31, 2002. Retrieved January 7, 2007.
  39. Hart, Alphia (1953). "Son of Dr. Hubbard is Phoenix College Head". The Journal of Scientology. 11-G: 2.
  40. "Paul Reps Timeline". PaulReps.com. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  41. Catalog of Copyright Entries: Books and Pamphlets Including Serials and Contributions to Periodicals. January–June1951. Third Series. Vol. 5. Part 1A. No. 1. Washington, D.C.: The Library of Congress. 1951. p. 260.
  42. Reps, Paul (1951). Unknot The World In You. Hollywood, CA: Sequoia University Press.
  43. Who's Who in America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women, 1960–1961 (31 ed.). Chicago, IL: Marquis - Who's Who. 1960. p. 2766.
  44. "Professional Record of D. B. Steinman". The Australasian Engineer: 88. 7 July 1954.
  45. "Who's Who on the Pacific Coast: A Biographical Dictionary of Noteworthy Men and Women of the Pacific Coastal and Western States", "Marquis Who's Who", “Seabury, David”, 1951, page 589, Chicago: The A.N. Marquis Company.
  46. "Who's Who in America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women, 1952–1953", "Marquis Who's Who", “Seabury, David”, Vol. 27, page 2164, Chicago: The A.N. Marquis Company.
  47. "Who's Who in America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women, 1954–1955", "Marquis Who's Who", "Seabury, David”, Vol. 28, page 2387, Chicago: Marquis – Who's Who.
  48. "Who's Who in the West: A Biographical Dictionary of Noteworthy Men and Women of the Pacific Coastal and Western States", "Marquis Who's Who", “Seabury, David,”, 1954, page 622, Chicago: Marquis – Who’s Who.
  49. "Who's Who in the West: A Biographical Dictionary of Noteworthy Men and Women of the Pacific Coastal and Western States", "Marquis Who's Who", “Seabury, David,”, 1958, Sixth Edition, pages 691–92, Chicago: The A. N. Marquis Company.
  50. McMillan, Harry, ed. (1952). The Journal. Oklahoma: The Association. 23: 1286. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  51. "Governor Is Given Hush-Hush Degree". The Daily Oklahoman. 13 July 1952. p. 123.
  52. Barham, Patricia; Cunningham, Frank Harrison (1953). Operation Nightmare, 2nd edition. Hollywood, CA: Sequoia University Press. p. 312.
  53. Delaney, Edward L. (1954). False Freedom (1st ed.). Hollywood, CA: Sequoia University Press.
  54. Hopper, Hedda (31 May 1956). "Altoona's Own Hedda Hopper Writes From Hollywood". The Altoona Mirror. p. 17.
  55. "New Postings". Canadian University & College. 3: 60. 1968.
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