Network Marketing course in the University?

Many network marketing companies have claimed that network marketing is being taught in universities in the US. I have done some research and found this decent article published by The Sheffield Group. If you have not heard of this group, you should visit their site at http://www.sheffieldnet.com. Sheffield group is one of the leading network marketing/MLM consultant. Below are some excerpts of the article. For the full article, you can visit http://www.sheffieldnet.com/srn_artice6.html.

The Academy of Network Marketing?
University Scholars Discover Network Marketing.
Network Marketing Lifestyles

By Michael L. Sheffield
Network Marketing Expert Consultant

Excerpt 1: 

The "MLM at Harvard" rumor is one of a handful of Baron Munchausen-like tall tales that made the rounds in the early 1960s. First published as an unsubstantiated claim by an over-eager author, the Harvard rumor soon took on a life of its own. Starved for recognition and respect, network marketers by the score circulated this falsehood. Finally, in 1992, Upline ran a story by founder John Fogg, entitled "The Lies of MLM, " that quickly became one of the journal's most popular, oft-reprinted articles in its history. "MLM taught at Harvard" was one of the first industry canards to fall under myth buster Fogg's ax.

Why was the article so popular? Because people want to know the truth — and more, people want to know that when they boast about this great business that they're connected with, that their boasts are factual. It's interesting that Harvard was the anchor of credibility seized upon by those inferiority complexed individuals who fed the Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) rumor mill.

Excerpt 2: 

Genesis of the Center for Network Marketing 
Today, there is a window of opportunity opening in the academic world with possibilities appearing for college courses devoted to network marketing and scholarly journals dedicating pages to it.

Excerpt 3: 

Early Academic Rumblings

Dr. Charles King of the University of Illinois at Chicago developed and has taught a seminar in network marketing since 1994. The class, which combines a functional approach to theory, methods, and practice for the network marketing distributor has attracted more than 1,100 participants.

The first college textbook focusing on direct sales (including network marketing) has been written and published by Dr. Keith Laggos, whose company sells a number of periodicals aimed at home-based entrepreneurs. This text has been adopted by Utah Valley State College for use in a network marketing program it hopes to offer on campus in the year 2000.

Why isn't network marketing taught in business schools? For one thing, business school professors are not businessmen, but academics. Their passion is theory, not practice. Their understanding is based on corporate statistics. Network marketing businessmen have never been seriously analyzed, statistically or academically.

Excerpt 4: 

Who's Doing What? 
Since 1973, the Direct Selling Association (DSA) has worked through its educational arm, the Direct Selling Education Foundation (DSEF), to foster awareness of the profession through distributing educational materials, sponsoring seminars, and initiating on campus visits between academics, students, and direct sales practitioners.

The academic world's interest in network marketing and direct sales was evident at a recent conference at Utah Valley State College. According to Ian Wilson, Dean of the School of Business, "We created this conference to create interest and enlist support for launching a course of study on network marketing in the year 2000." This one-day event was well attended by local network marketers and corporate executives.

Excerpt 5: 

About That "Harvard" Thing ... 
Has the day finally arrived when direct sales and network marketing are addressed in the classrooms of traditional business schools? Hardly. There is still a long way to go. But there is no doubt that this is a very exciting time for network marketing professionals: the industry is truly coming of age.

University of Illinois' Dr. Charles King has become a well-known figure to network marketers for his historic championing of the business in academic circles. He appears on Tim Sales's best-selling education-and-prospecting video, "Brilliant Compensation." King, a Harvard Business School graduate himself, recently addressed his alma mater on the subject of network marketing. For that matter, I was also recently honored to speak about our industry to a Harvard Business School Alumni Association convention. Is network marketing now being taught at Harvard? No, but we are making progress — it has been taught to Harvard.