Meet the Youngest Black Woman University Founder and Chancellor
Thessalonika Embry • April 25, 2024
In 2010, Dr. Thessalonika Embry began attending college at 11 years old. She graduated with a Bachelor in Psychology at 14 years old, an M.B.A. Organizational Leadership and Strategic Foresight at 16 years old, and a Ph.D. in Business and Aviation-related studies at 19 years old.
Ten years later in 2024 she operates Thessalonika A. Embry University (TAEU), a DoD Warfighter Institution serving soldiers and civilians. The mission of TAEU is to lead a modernized era of education in which soldiers achieve their academic and career goals by graduating college in a condensed but flexible format.
In TAEU programs, students progress through 210 college credits and graduate with their Associate, Bachelor, Master, and Doctoral degrees in one of two majors: Learning and Pedagogy, to enable current and future teachers and tutors to increase their income with added skillsets; and Air & Space, to further increase knowledge concerning the aerospace and defense.
At 25, Dr. Thessalonika is happily married to a gentleman, Sir Gavin Creed Embry, a young, honorably retired veteran who served in the armed forces. Sir Gavin is very skilled in kinesic and visually complex coordination of acting, arts, guitar, sound engineering, and singing. With Dr. Thessalonika , he is the co-author of bestselling book “Age of Love.”
This year, TAEU partnered with Prenda Microschool to enable parents to send their children and teens through early college specifically in Denver and Colorado Springs. Children under 18 may attend TAEU’s early college and receive college credit.
Dr. Thessalonika is available for interviews, radio, TV show appearances, podcasts, gala events, and advertising.
PR Contact
Dr. Thessalonika A. Embry
(719) 310-6623
Meet America's Youngest Accredited University President, Dr. Tessa. At 25 years old, Dr. Thessalonika A. Embry is the youngest accredited university founder of her own institution, Thessalonika A. Embry University-Army (DoD Warfighter Institution serving Fort Carson, Buckley SFB, and Peterson AFB). With an administrative team of five professionals, TAEU offers degree tracks combining both undergraduate and graduate levels of Associate, Bachelor’s, Master, and Doctoral courses in one 210-credit hour distance education track.
Thessalonika A. Embry University retains common authority to operate on U.S. forts, vessels, and installations as a DoD government contractor.
Here's a (not-so-obvious) little secret. Accreditation within the United States is structured to direct the flow of Title IV financial assistance to higher education institutions who have been evaluated by private accrediting agencies subject to federal standards set by Department of Education to rate overall academic quality of colleges and universities. According to Higher EdDrive, "critics have questioned whether the Education Department is slow to restrict poorly performing agencies" (Bauer-Wolf, 2023). Colleges and universities pay over $70,000 in fees to these poorly performing agencies for rating teams to visit the physical campus and observe courses in progress. Raters at the private organizations complete extensive paperwork on how constrictively the universities manage academic honesty, complaints from students, and program length. Universities who follow rules of the private accrediting organizations are able to receive Title IV Funding which includes pell grants for civilians and tuition assistance for military students. Civilians and military students are also eligible to receive federal and private student loans to defer tuition debt until after graduation. However, the processes of accreditation have been weaponized. One of the rules of most regional and national accreditation agencies is that the degree programs at colleges and universities must last for at least 3 years. In March 2022, almost all accreditation agencies in the United States signed an agreement with the American Council on Education (ACENET) to increase institutional rigor to "force students learn more slowly." In other words, students have to work longer and harder, not smarter. Apparently, the higher education industry has been threatened by Generation Z's accelerated learning habits. Young adults and teens born after 2006 are accustomed to speedy browsing habits. They can watch lots of Snapchats and TikTok's really fast and will recall everything they see. Universities have trouble keeping students enrolled because the courses last way too long. Students either dropout or graduate with expensive loads of accumulating debt that even a high-paying job will not cover. TAEU does not receive U.S. Dept. of Education Title IV funding or private student loans. Instead of perpetuating the heavy burdens of student loans, TAEU has successfully combined undergraduate and graduate level academic programs into 12 month degree programs. Instead of going to school for 6 years and spend $180,000 for your education, you can reduce your total tuition to less than 1/10ths at TAEU. Our team at Thessalonika A. Embry University (DoD Warfighter Institution of Fort Carson, CO) have resolved "institutional rigor" problems by forming the National Association of Alternative Military Schools and Colleges (NAAMSC). NAAMSC is a committee that implements modern quality control mechanisms to ensure that our degree programs and curriculums properly serve military students, DoD personnel and civilians. NAAMSC independently supports the mission of the Department of Defense's Office of the Under Secretary of Defense Personnel and Readiness (OSUD-PR) in "developing DoD policies, plans, and partnerships to ensure the readiness of the Total Force to execute the National Defense Strategy." Through the NAAMSC, Thessalonika A. Embry University (DoD Warfighter Institution of Fort Carson, CO) is authorized to condense degree program lengths and allow students to complete 210 college credits flexibly over 12 months to complete their Associate, Bachelor, Master, and Doctorate degree in highly specialized fields of study. These degree programs holistically prepare students for the workforce and provides extensive support throughout enrollment at TAEU. NAAMSC identifies, evaluate, and enhance the delivery of quality higher education at TAEU for military and civilian students through an independent peer-evaluation process. For questions about NAAMSC, contact us at fortcarson@taeu.army.
The TAEU Education Center offers a full range of services to include one-on-one in-person classes, counseling and advising, instructor office hours, Jump the Education Barrier program, TESSAM Education Testing, and a computer lab.
Soldiers, airmen, and sailors have experienced difficulty in balancing their pursuits of earning a college degree while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. A large percentage of military personnel are not able to complete college while on active duty. According to the Department of Defense figures during the 2020 fiscal year, $488 million went to online education providers. Students in uniform have rarely completed an associate degree in less than five years. In addition, the educational assistance provided for military personnel is designed to cover only a small portion of college. We are a retired military family. We recognize that students of all ages encounter education barriers related to admissions, tuition, enrollment, grades and graduation. Admissions to universities across the United States have been complicated due to legacy preferences that block students with plain academic histories. The cost of attendance at both small and large colleges significantly increase year by year. Student loans create debt too heavy to handle after graduation and employment. Professors at many universities have added more time and more homework to online and in-person courses that are not even relevant to the students' degree track. College students are often trapped with accusations of plagiarism, unsatisfactory academic progress, and debates related to expressions of speech and religious freedom. And graduation is often delayed due to the collision of real-world situations that interfere with college life. After college, many students are underprepared for the workforce or not able to get hired in the industry of their career field. Thessalonika A. Embry University is founded with the mission to provide flexible, high-quality collegiate learning opportunities for military and civilian students. Our curriculum designers systematically composed majors based on the shifting needs of modern society. This year, we offer four degree tracks: -- Associate, Bachelor, Master and Doctor of Science in Air and Space Studies. -- Associate, Bachelor, Master, and Doctor of Arts in Learning and Pedagogy. -- Associate, Bachelor, Master, and Doctor of Arts in Wealth Cultivation. -- Associate, Bachelor, Master and Doctor of Philosophy in Human Philosophy. As you explore our website, you will see that Thessalonika A. Embry University understands the needs of modern learners better than any other institution of higher learning in the world. Whether you are returning to finish your degree or coming to college for the first time, Thessalonika A. Embry University accelerates your academic progress. Our students complete online or in-person courses, enroll in guided study programs and take advantage of examination programs developed exclusively for alllearners. Students may also earn credit by demonstrating college-level knowledge acquired outside the classroom and by transferring credits earned from other regionally accredited colleges and universities. The hallmarks of our programs are maximum flexibility and academic excellence. Thank you for your interest in Thessalonika A. Embry University. We wish you well as you take the next steps toward achieving your educational goals. We love you. Dr. Thessalonika A. Embry, PhD Founder
