The Secret

The Canadian Press interviews the previously elusive Jim Hillyer.

A local student group revealed during the campaign that his "MA in Political Economy" and "advanced PhD studies in Constitutional Law" came from tiny George Wythe University. It’s located off the side of a highway in Cedar City, Utah, and is not accredited to grant recognized degrees. The school was founded in 1992 by a man who argued that The Book of Mormon contains "all the necessary fields of study, at levels from kindergarten to doctoral studies ... both for religious and secular education." 

Hillyer, who also has a BA in philosophy from the University of Lethbridge, said the complaints about his credentials come from "bitter people grasping at straws and finding anything." He said the notion of university accreditation is misunderstood and overrated: "Theoretically, a school could form it’s own accreditation body and call itself accredited."