Is this person pulling a fast one?

Dr. Ellis worked out at the gym without a RA doctorate.

 

Re: Re: Re: Geez

You are right Russell, I am jumping the gun based on my own bad experience with California Coast.

Still, the whole thing has a whiff of phoniness about it. Some of the places he is claiming certification do not exist or have no listing for him. I am still not seeing where his licensure is listed on any governmental site.

 

There is definitely no reason to "crucify" the person, but there may be reasons to question his academic qualifications. It is clear that CCU is close to being a degree mill. Its classes, even at the graduate level, consist of reading a textbook and taking an unproctored multiple choice exam. This is not the behavior of an academic institution. CCU is not a new school seeking accreditation. It has had several decades to choose this path. When I see a CCU degree, or in this case three, alarm bells go off. At the least, this person is trying to misrepresent his qualifications. The question I can't answer is has he misrepresented himself elsewhere? Reputation is a serious issue and is quick to disappear when misrepresentation begins. I definately value all of the previous opinions.

 

I'm still missing where he is mis-representing himself.

 

Hi Ellis

I don't mean to be too harsh on CCU, but it seems clear to me they are NOT an academic institution of any kind. Unproctored multiple choice exams at the graduate level is not the activity of a University. That along with their longtime unaccredited status defines them as a business selling degrees that APPEAR to be academic degrees. When this gentleman lists a BA, MBA, and Ph.D. he knows that most people will not be familiar with CCU and will assume it is a university. To me this is less than honest.

 

north pole/south pole-kind of confused

I really have cofusion. On the one had the credentials look kind of ticky tac. Fluff. Not for use in the real world.
On the other hand he does not seem to be claiming anything. He does not overtly claim to be teaching or using hypnosis, he does not claim to be a great educator, he doesn not claim to be a great business leader. and he is up front about the credentials.
At the same time is it odd to be pitching a field, without a credential in that field? If his claim to service is the exercise program, where did he get the skills to develop a legitimate one.
It kind of reminds me of the noble prize winner in physics who pitched vitamins. Sure he had a great reputation in physics, but what does that prove he knows about nutrition?
Or the movie stars who pitch products. Sure Connie Selleca has been on tv, and looks great, but where did she learn about skin care?
Slap a star in a white coat and they are suddenly experts in pain control?
Give George Foreman a skillet and he is an expert on "cutting fat"?
I guess what it comes down to is I don't see anything wrong or illegal in his credentials and what he is doing. He is no different from Connie S., George F., Susan Sullivan, Suzanne Somers, etc. pitching a product.
However, the public has to always be asking the questions, where does this actor/pitchman/snakeoilsalesman get the knowlege they claim to have? Is it a reasonable source for the expertise? and apart from the pitch, does the concept make scientific sense?
All the best!

 

Re: north pole/south pole-kind of confused

Ellis is a little too scary to me. Sorry, but a California Coast doctorate does not qualify one to speak on health related issues (IMO).

Of course, the people on the distancedegree.net board might disagree with me, seeing that it looks like it is shaping up to be a very good millboard for some people.

I think this board is great, because it filters out all of the spammers and garbage that can be seen on some other places.

 

is there anyone qualified doing infomercials?

Ellis does not seem to have any credentials or expertise in the health area. But I don't see him claiming to have health credentials.
All his less-than-wonderful credentials are in fields which don't relate to his product.
It is kind of scary that anyone can pay the money and go on tv with an infomercial. What does Victoria Pincipal know about skin, and where did she learn it.
It is even more scary that these infomercials make a ton of money for the snakeoil.
The state of science education must be very low in this country?
So while I am not thrilled by the less-than-wonderfully credentialled people pitching products on infomercials, I don't see it as usually illegal.
Occasionally a product will make false claims. "...take this pill to loose weight..." Then you discover the loss of weight is from your wallet getting smaller.
There currently are people on tv channeling the dead. The credential comes from god? "I sense the letter R (or maybe p) was important?" "The number 3"? From the otherside the message is, everything will be ok. Now that whole event is scary.
All the best.

 

Re: north pole/south pole-kind of confused

Yeah, that's how his resume struck me, too.

Sometimes people fall for it. Like when people were tricked into thinking that Steven Spielberg could direct motion pictures, despite his never having finished his bachelors degree.

Something that we often forget here on Degreeinfo is that it's entirely possible to know about something, and to be very successful in it, without having a university degree in the subject.

The fact that some people have problems believing that is probably what motivates guys like Ellis to fluff up their resumes.

The bottom line, especially in services like private fitness training, seems to be satisfied customers and good word of mouth.

But, what has any of this got to do with distance education?

 

Re: Re: north pole/south pole-kind of confused

For a moment I was thinking "What the heck did *I* do?

But then I realized that the guy's last name was the same as my first name.


(Sorry for the digression ...)

 

Re: Re: north pole/south pole-kind of confused

Heh heh .... BTW: As a film professor how would you have liked to have HIM in your class when he recently finished his bachelors degree?

I'm glad someone that said it.