In August 2008, "The Straits Times" reported that Preston University was a degree mill from which some leading businessmen in Singapore held PhD degrees. "The Straits Times" assertions about Preston were strongly disputed by Jerry Haenisch, Preston's chancellor, who confirmed that the university had no accreditation from any US Department of Education approved body but said that the school was "absolutely not" a "degree mill". Haenisch said that careless inclusion of Preston University in the sensational reporting about degree mills is inexcusable and demanded that the newspaper apologize for publishing articles based on superficial research and for repeating erroneous assumptions and untrue innuendo from other writers. He said that the university was "legally licensed and authorized to operate by the state of Alabama". Finally he took issue with "The Straits Times" statement that the move from Wyoming to Alabama was a sign of disrepute. He said the move was made because Alabama is more populated than Wyoming and has much greater support resources. He also pointed out that the US Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation both state the voluntary nature of accreditation in the country, and caution that a school's accreditation status should not be the sole criterion for assessing its quality or validity. "The Straits Times" responded, ""The Straits Times" ... made it clear that it was not about to apologise to Preston University for telling its readers the truth about its credentials – or rather, its lack of. Said Editor Han Fook Kwang: 'We stand by our story and am satisfied that our journalist was accurate in her reporting of Preston University'."