Maxine Asher

Maxine Klein Asher (August 15, 1930 – March 19, 2015) was an Atlantis researcher who founded and operated American World University, an institution which sold academic degrees, and the World Association of Universities and Colleges, an institution which "accredited" American World University, as well as other universities selling mail-order degrees which paid for accreditation by that body. Neither institution is accredited by any accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education.

Personal life Raised in California, Asher earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and after graduation, worked as a public school teacher. She later returned to school and earned a master's degree in ancient history from California State University, Northridge, a doctorate in education from Walden University, and a doctorate in linguistics from the University of Granada.

The group subsequently claimed to have discovered and photographed Atlantean artifacts. However, it was forced to seek refuge in Ireland after running afoul of the Spanish government, which believed that they were spies. Asher claimed that there were murder attempts and that at one point she was forced to jump from a moving car to evade kidnappers. These Irish investigations were conducted on the belief that ancient Irish megaliths are really the work of the Atlantean people. She believed that the lost continent was enormous in scope, spanning the gap between Bimini and the Canary Islands, and stretching from Ireland to Newfoundland. Foreign students comprise more than 90% of the "student body", with some operations such as the grading of papers also taking place at Asher's home the WAUC offered accreditation to several institutions which have been classified as diploma mills by the federal government or state governments, including Lacrosse University, Columbus University, and Madison University. Neither AWU nor the WAUC are officially recognized by either the US Department of Education or the Council on Higher Education Accreditation.

Asher granted Ph.D. diplomas to several people who later enthusiastically recommended the diploma mill in its literature. For example, Dr. Adrian Waller (part-time tutor, Nihon University) wrote, "It is little wonder ... that I should speak so highly of AWU—and of Dr. Asher—for integrity, a commitment to the highest standards of post-secondary education, and to unswerving plans to remain a leader in distance learning by continuing to upgrade the concept in the years to come."

A degree-fraud expert who has worked with the FBI has described AWU as "dreadful, useless, and terrible",

Asher defended the academic rigor of AWU's curriculum, stating, "We're not Harvard, we're not Princeton, but I think we do a very credible job educating people." She claimed that AWU was modeled on a fusion of American and European approaches to higher education.

In 2004, Asher was forced to close down the World University of Iowa, a Hawaii-based institution similar to AWU. As part of a summary judgement, she was ordered to cease operations, refund tuition money to all students, and pay $240,000 in damages. The action was part of a statewide crackdown on unaccredited schools, as many had relocated there after 1999 in an effort to evade regulation in the mainland United States. During court proceedings, Asher refused to provide school documentation such as a list of students. Asher characterized the actions against WUI and other Hawaii-based schools accredited by the WAUC as pure harassment.