The Commerce Department approved the expansion of the ".edu" domain name on Tuesday to allow usage by schools such as the Connecticut Institute of Hair Design and the American Film Institute.
Critics complain the expansion will cheapen the Internet neighborhood for its present occupants -- generally four-year institutions and community colleges.
"Somebody who goes six months to a beauty school, I would not consider in the same league as somebody who's even been two years at a community college," said Ralph Meyer, a retired administrator at Princeton University. "There's too much dumbing down already."
Mike Murphy, director of marketing for Phoenix College in Phoenix, Ariz., said the expansion could confuse prospective students into equating not-for-profit colleges with proprietary training schools.
"They provide a valuable service for students they serve, but we don't think there's anything to gain by blurring the two types," Murphy said.
For many years, the ".edu" domain name had been restricted to four-year colleges and universities in the United States.
In 2001, a university technology consortium took over management of the suffix and expanded eligibility to Phoenix and other community colleges, which are accredited by the same regional groups as four-year institutions.
The technology consortium, Educause, then recommended further changes to include schools approved by specialty accreditation organizations recognized by the Department of Education. They include the Midwifery Education Accreditation Council and the American Board of Funeral Service Education.
Some foreign schools such as London Business School and think tanks such as the Brookings Institution got their ".edu" names before restrictions took effect and could keep their names, though they would not be eligible today, even with the latest expansion.
Steve Worona, Educause's director of policy, said about 95 percent of the responses during a public-commenting period were in support of the change. He said the board considered the objections but felt, on balance, an expansion was warranted.
About 7,500 ".edu" domain names have been assigned to about 6,000 schools. Educause is now compiling lists of newly eligible institutions, and they should be able to obtain names in mid-April.
Mark Gross, chief executive of the National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences, said the expansion should help his member schools gain standing.
"We all do different things, serve different needs of the consumers, but this begins to put all education in the same place, where it belongs," Gross said.
Michael Lambert, executive director of the Distance Education and Training Council, said the change would end discrimination.
"Consider yourself, would you go to a dot-com school when you can go to a dot-edu one?" he said. "We think it's a wonderful way of leveling the playing field."
Copyright 2003. Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
