EC-Council University will have to wait a while longer for a license to operate in Wyoming, the state Board of Education said Wednesday.

The university, which does not yet exist in a physical form, is seeking a license to offer master's degrees in security science, both on-site in Laramie and via distance education. According to the university's plan, classes could start within a year, but degrees wouldn't be issued until a deeper curriculum is established, said Phil Nicholas, who is an attorney for the university.

He also is a state senator representing Laramie.

The university has been working with the Wyoming Department of Education for a year to amend its application and meet state statutes, Nicholas said. But on Wednesday, department representatives recommended against issuing a license for the school.

Colleen Anderson, who works in the department's finance office, said the department has concerns about the school's relationship with EC-Council, another corporation with the same owners that issues certificates in the same subjects and produces textbooks and curriculum. She said the department also is unsatisfied with financial documents provided by the university and about students who could misread implied claims of accreditation by the university.

Nicholas said the concerns are based less on existing statutes than on a philosophical undercurrent in the state that opposes licensing.

"I submit that the department is caught up in a period where philosophy is changing and they don't want to give licenses," he said. "They don't want anything to do with it."

A proposed bill expected to go before the Legislature in February would overhaul the laws applying to private, degree-granting institutions, like EC-Council University. The law, which is designed to crack down on diploma mills that provide degrees without substantive course work, would require all institutions to be accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Accreditation isn't currently in EC-Council University's plans, though Nicholas said the university would seek accreditation through the Distance Learning and Training Council if required to be state law.

In the meantime, he said, the board should use existing rules to judge the university's application.

Board members, who currently have final say on whether an institution is licensed, conceded but also said they needed more information.

"It's important we use current statute, but we do have the right to table this," said board member Michelle Sullivan.

The board agreed to take 30 days to review EC-Council University's request in more depth before making a ruling at a special meeting.

Also Wednesday, the board set hearing dates for two licensed institutions who have been accused of violating operating rules. Halifax University, which has its offices in Casper, was reportedly the subject of student complaints, which department representative Fred Hansen said were not handled in a timely manner. Rutherford University, based in Evanston, is accused of not providing substantive academic or student services activities at its Wyoming location, according to the department.

Three members of the board, led by a representative of the state's office of administrative hearings, will form a hearing committee and listen to the cases starting March 13.

Staff writer Jenni Dillon can be reached at (307) 266-0619 or Jenni.Dillon@casperstartribune.net.