Talk:Global University Systems

Tags
Of the thirteen references, only one is a press release from the company. The remaining references are 5 from the Times Higher Education, 1 from The Guardian, 1 from the Financial Times, 1 from Haaretz, 1 from the Irish Times, and 3 from The Pie (Professionals in International Education). I can't see how the tag Third party sources applies. , if you have no objections, I intend to remove it. I'd also like your comments on the applicability of the other tags you placed on the article: Cleanup-PR and COI. While is pretty clearly an employee of Global University Systems, his contribution to this article has been negligible. I am the principal author of this article which is a result of my clean up of extensive COI on several other related articles which had been heavily edited/created by employees of GUS and/or its subsidiaries. For background, see Talk:London School of Business and Finance/Archive 1, Talk:London College of Contemporary Arts, Talk:London College of Contemporary Arts, and the extensive discussions at Talk:University of Law/Archive 1 (and succeeding sections there). The purpose of this article was not to advertise the company but to make clear that GUS is for-profit and that all the institutions it owns are now for-profit and are subsidiaries of this company, not "academic partners" of each other. GUS consistently attempts to obfuscate the true relationship between them, both on their websites and in their press-releases. Voceditenore (talk) 07:13, 27 April 2018 (UTC)
 * And as I said at Talk:London School of Business and Finance, thanks very much for this. Doug Weller  talk 12:03, 27 April 2018 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the changes. Much better. I've removed the COI tag given your statement.
 * The second-to-last paragraph, with the reference from thepienews.com, seems to be a poorly sourced announcement. --Ronz (talk) 16:08, 27 April 2018 (UTC)
 * Well, the source, The Pie (Professionals in International Education), is actually quite reliable in my view, and if you read the article, it is quite critical of the company, not simply a regurgitated press release. I've also updated that paragraph to indicate that the 2016 planned restructuring does not appear to have happened yet and the reasons for the restructuring. Voceditenore (talk) 17:40, 27 April 2018 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the continued improvements. Much better.
 * I read the article three times now, and don't see what you are claiming of it.
 * I also looked into the publisher a bit, and it seems they are a recruiter and consulting company. I looked at a few of the articles by the same author, and to me they look like warmed-over press releases.
 * I agree that the reasons for the restructuring are noteworthy. The announcement of restructuring itself, as you've indicated, seems to be damage control by the company. --Ronz (talk) 20:52, 27 April 2018 (UTC)

Placement of Information
Hello everyone,

I am employed by Global University Systems (GUS). I would like to extend a hand to the Wikipedia community in an effort to help improve this page and ensure that relevant, noteworthy and correct (sourced) information is present. My Conflict of Interest is that I am an employee of GUS - I seek to be fully compliant with the COI policies and hope to work with all editors for the improvement of the page.

I am requesting that Toronto School of Management be moved from the end of the 'Principle Subsidiaries" list and be moved to the "Canada" section within the list.

This would be a correction in the placement of information as the school currently seems to be attached to the bottom of the "United Kingdom" section. This would thus improve the article.

With thanks - MrAttempt (talk) 08:38, 27 July 2018 (UTC)

✅  spintendo   11:42, 28 July 2018 (UTC)

Aaron Etingen - British Citizen
Hello everyone,

I am employed by Global University Systems (GUS). I would like to extend a hand to the Wikipedia community in an effort to help improve this page and ensure that relevant, noteworthy and correct (sourced) information is present. My Conflict of Interest is that I am an employee of GUS (please see my Talk Page for all COIs). I seek to be fully compliant with all COI policies and hope to work with all editors for the improvement of the page.

The edit I am requesting is to update the page with the correct and relevant information as to Etingen's citizenship.

Can the 3rd sentence of the introduction please be correctly updated as follows (or simply including the basic essential point):

"GUS was founded in its present form and name in 2013 by Russian-born British entrepreneur Aaron Etingen (also known as Arkady Etingen), who serves as chairman, CEO, and majority stockholder."

If the matter of Etingen being Russian-born is relevant to the page, then it correlates that his British citizenship should also be present.

This fact can be sourced to the following article: https://www.globaluniversitysystems.com/news/education-investor-global-magazine-features-gus-founder-aaron-etingen-in-its-march-%E2%80%9917-edition. (Unfortunately, the online version of this article does not exist, and this is a written-copy of the article text onto the GUS website. However - I believe this may be sufficient evidence as a claim by GUS as to Etingen's British citizenship.) This is from a printed version of Education Investor Global (March 2017, vol 9 - No 2, pg 42 - 45).

I am asking for this edit as I believe that this is a necessary update to the page, qualifying the presence of the "Russian-born" inclusion, and adding relevant, non-promotional information that helps inform the article with sourced evidence.

All advice from Editors is appreciated.

With thanks - MrAttempt (talk) 10:12, 7 September 2018 (UTC)

UPDATE - An additional source can be found via: https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/07933838/officers. This states Etingen's nationalist as British.

With thanks - MrAttempt (talk) 10:33, 7 September 2018 (UTC)


 * One reference mentions Arkady and the other reference mentions Aaron, but it would appear that never the twain shall meet as neither reference in turn mentions the other name. I would defer to 's expertise, as they know more about this article than I do.  spintendo   11:10, 7 September 2018 (UTC)


 * I'm going to go ahead and add "British" per the Companies House reference and this article from Times Higher Education which states that he is known by both names. Voceditenore (talk) 11:33, 7 September 2018 (UTC)


 * Update: I didn't have to add the Times Higher Education source as the existing reference from The Guardian in that sentence states that he is known by both names. I've added only the Companies House reference. Note that the lead now simply states Aaron Etingen is the founder, CEO, and majority shareholder. However his alternative name + the fact that he is a Russian-born British entrepreneur is now in the first sentence of the "History" section. And, yes MrAttempt, the background of the company's founder, CEO, and majority shareholder is highly relevant, especially in the absence of a WP article about him. Voceditenore (talk) 11:44, 7 September 2018 (UTC) Updated by Voceditenore (talk) 12:05, 7 September 2018 (UTC)

Berlin School of Business and Innovation (BSBI)
Good afternoon,

I am employed by Global University Systems (GUS) and this is my Conflict of Interest (please see my Talk Page for all COIs).

I am requesting that "Berlin School of Business and Innovation- (established 2018)" be added beneath the 'Germany' heading of the 'Principle subsidiaries' section.

This can be sourced to: http://www.educationinvestor.co.uk/ShowArticle.aspx?ID=7315&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

With thanks - MrAttempt (talk) 16:55, 23 January 2019 (UTC)
 * It's already there with a reference and has been for several days. Please check the article carefully before requesting additions. Voceditenore (talk) 17:24, 23 January 2019 (UTC)
 * Please excuse my mistake here, I had been viewing a previous version in error. With thanks - MrAttempt (talk) 08:44, 24 January 2019 (UTC)
 * Pro tip, MrAttempt: To purge a page's server cache, click the "Edit" tab at the top. The resulting URL will look like this (using Global University Systems as an example):
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Global_University_Systems&action=edit
 * At the very end of that URL, replace edit with purge and hit return. This confirmation page will appear (titled with whatever page you are trying to purge). Click the Yes button on the confirmation page and the cached page will purge to show its latest version. Voceditenore (talk) 10:23, 24 January 2019 (UTC)
 * Many thanks - MrAttempt (talk) 10:33, 24 January 2019 (UTC)

Correct Address
Good afternoon,

I am employed by Global University Systems (GUS) and this is my Conflict of Interest (please see my Talk Page for all COIs).

I am requesting that the address in the info-box be updated to the following:

"Tower H, 5th Floor WTC Amsterdam, Zuidplein 36 1077 XV Amsterdam The Netherlands"

This can be sourced to the GUS website (scroll to the bottom: https://globaluniversitysystems.com/contact

With thanks - MrAttempt (talk) 15:55, 25 January 2019 (UTC)


 * Address updated  Spintendo   17:11, 25 January 2019 (UTC)

Removal of WhiteHat as a subsidiary
I have removed the following which was recently added to the list of UK subsidiaries:


 * WhiteHat (firm run by Euan Blair promoting apprenticeships)

a. The Daily Mail is generally not considered a suitable source for referencing Wikipedia articles.

b. Whitehat is not a subsidiary of GUS. GUS owns a minority stake in Blair's business, contrary to the claim of 90% in the 2016 Daily Mail article.

c. The 2018 accounts in Companies House show that Euan Blair owns 7500 shares in White Hat Ltd. while GUS owns 2500. Voceditenore (talk) 09:26, 3 March 2019 (UTC)

Further subsidiaries
Good afternoon,

I am employed by Global University Systems (GUS); my Conflict of Interest (please see my Talk Page for all COIs).

I am requesting the addition of one more subsidiary to the 'Principal subsidiaries' section. This is:

Edology.com

Can this please be added to the United Kingdom section?

All advice and input by Editors is appreciated: MrAttempt (talk) 13:09, 1 July 2019 (UTC)


 * Not done. The URL you gave clearly states "Edology is owned and operated by InterActive Pro." InterActive Pro is already listed as a subsidiary of Global University Systems. There is no need for any further advertising of their products via the contents of that URL. Voceditenore (talk) 13:18, 1 July 2019 (UTC)

Many thanks for your help - MrAttempt (talk) 13:27, 1 July 2019 (UTC)

Introduction locations
Good afternoon,

I am employed by Global University Systems (GUS); my Conflict of Interest (please see my Talk Page for all COIs).

I am requesting for the introduction to be updated so as include the locations of Asia and Israel.

Institute of Technology and Innovation and HighQ are both based in Israel, whilst The University of Law is opening a campus in Hong Kong.

Thus, would it be possible to update the introduction's second sentence so as to read: "As a corporate group, it owns and operates several private for-profit colleges and universities in the UK, Canada, Europe, Israel, and Asia as well as other brands and companies in the education sector such as the e-learning provider InterActive"


 * I've added "Israel" to the lead, but not "Asia". The Israel references you gave are superfluous. They are already in the article as are the two Israeli subsidiaries. The "Asia" you're referring to is not a separate institution. It is merely an outpost of the University of Law which is in the UK. The courses are all online with no mention of even an office let alone a campus. In addition, they are not even accepting students until September. It is a misleading and inappropriate assertion for this article. Voceditenore (talk) 13:45, 1 July 2019 (UTC)

Many thanks for your help - MrAttempt (talk) 13:52, 1 July 2019 (UTC)

Removal of sentence
Good afternoon,

I am employed by Global University Systems (GUS); my Conflict of Interest (please see my Talk Page for all COIs).

I am requesting for the removal of the following sentence from the History section's third paragraph.

"The University of Law was to become the sole provider of academic qualifications and professional qualifications, including the master's degrees previously offered by the LSBF Group. However, as of 2018 LSBF was still offering master's degrees, none of which were provided or validated by the University of Law."

It strikes me that this information is quite outdated and is not wholly relevant to the article anymore.

Additionally, the sentence can be interpreted to mean that LSBF has been providing Masters degree without accreditation. This is not the case, as the school's Masters degree are accredited by the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO and Geneva Business School.

All advice and input by Editors is appreciated. With thanks - MrAttempt (talk) 14:38, 1 July 2019 (UTC)


 * The restucturing announced in the wake of St Patrick's College and LSBF losing their Tier 4 licenses is still quite relevant to the article. However I have updated the final sentence to:
 * However, as of 2019 LSBF was still offering master's degrees awarded by the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO and Geneva Business School. There were no programmes provided or validated by the University of Law.
 * Voceditenore (talk) 15:14, 1 July 2019 (UTC)

Many thanks for your help and insight. Do you think it would be possible to apply this information to the final paragraph of the History section for the London School of Business and Finance article? Justice4Trevor (talk) 15:43, 1 July 2019 (UTC)

Additionally, I also believe the focus on the outdated article as detailed by is not quite relevant to the article anymore. Justice4Trevor (talk) 15:47, 1 July 2019 (UTC)

Thanks to you both, and for your efforts - MrAttempt (talk) 15:51, 1 July 2019 (UTC)

I can do this if you prefer, but I see this is more your territory and wouldn't want to tread on any toes. I'm still learning! :) Justice4Trevor (talk) 15:56, 1 July 2019 (UTC)

Aha! Beat me to it! Justice4Trevor (talk) 15:57, 1 July 2019 (UTC)

Justice4Trevor, I've made the addition to London School of Business and Finance as you requested. In terms of the relevance of the whole paragraph, I think it is a relevant part of the company's history. They announced a fairly major restructuring in reaction to the loss of the Tier 4 licenses. The degree to which they then carried this out remains an open question. Voceditenore (talk) 16:02, 1 July 2019 (UTC)

Accusations of poor standards
Good afternoon,

I am employed by Global University Systems (GUS); my Conflict of Interest (please see my Talk Page for all COIs).

I am requesting the removal of the final sentence from the 'History' section's 2nd paragraph: "Institutions run by the group have been dogged by accusations of poor standards."

The source for this is a 5-year-old Guardian article of 2014. It no longer bears relevance to GUS institutions and the current wording suggests the accusations are up-to-date; which is not the case. It is also a very broad statement which essentially reflects on all GUS brands, whereas in fact the article only relates to a few GUS brands at the time of the article was written.

If removal of the sentence is rejected, perhaps the sentence could be updated to: "Several institutions run by the group have previously received complaints of poor standards." - using the same link.

With thanks - MrAttempt (talk) 11:36, 2 July 2019 (UTC)


 * I removed the sentence. The editor who added it simply plunked it down at the end of a paragraph were it made no sense. I also agree with you concerning the misleading implications. The only major issue was with LSBF and St. Patrick's College. It was serious because it led to the permanent suspension of their Tier 4 licenses in 2015. However, there have not been any reported incidents of this kind with other GUS institutions, nor further incidents reported in the press about those two institutions after 2015. There were complaints about University Canada West, but those were in 2012 when it was owned by Eminata Group, not GUS. What I have done is amend the beginning of the following paragraph to:
 * Concerns about the standards at both St Patrick's College and LSBF led to the UK government suspending their Tier 4 licences in 2015. Following the suspensions, Global University Systems announced plans for a two-year restructuring process of the group's UK holdings to begin in mid-2016.
 * Voceditenore (talk) 14:01, 2 July 2019 (UTC)
 * Thank you for this and for help over the multiple Edit Requests made over the past 48 hours. MrAttempt (talk) 14:23, 2 July 2019 (UTC)
 * You're welcome. Voceditenore (talk) 14:33, 2 July 2019 (UTC)

Trebas Institute Acquisition
Good morning,

I am employed by Global University Systems (GUS); my Conflict of Interest (please see my Talk Page for all COIs).

I would like to request the following sentence be added to the bottom of the ‘History’ section:

“In 2020, GUS expanded its portfolio by acquiring Trebas Institute, a provider of music, film, business, technology, and management programmes with campuses in Toronto and Montreal, Canada.”

With thanks,

MsAttempt (talk) 09:30, 29 January 2021 (UTC)


 * ✅ Ferkijel (talk) 21:22, 31 March 2021 (UTC)

Aaron Etingen – British Nationality
Good morning,

I am employed by Global University Systems (GUS); my Conflict of Interest (please see my Talk Page for all COIs).

I would like to request to update the page with the correct and relevant information pertaining to Etingen’s citizenship. Can the first sentence in the ‘History’ section of the page be corrected updated to the following, please?

“The London School of Business and Finance (LSBF), the forerunner of GUS, was founded in 2003 by Russian-born British entrepreneur Arkady Etingen (sometimes known as Aaron Etingen).”

Please refer to the below source that states Etingen’s nationality as British.

With thanks, Mstechvision (talk) 11:09, 19 January 2023 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: Denied due to insufficient sourcing. We need another one to confirm this. Quetstar (talk) 20:18, 26 January 2023 (UTC)