On John Bear’s reply to a mortal member at the DegreeInfo Forum: Yes, John Bear has developed into a cult status, due to his provocative book which has enlightened millions of us about the endless educational possibilities that are "out there." Concurrently, he must have made a mint due to the ongoing popularity of his first book: "College Degrees by Mail" which, by the way, still sits on my shelf. I have enjoyed referring to it and have used it frequently.
This "godfather" talk conjures two humorous images: 1. John Bear making Les Snell an offer he can't refuse. 2. John Bear delivering a toe-tapping rendition of "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag (of questionable diplomas)" to a packed room at the Apollo. Happy Holidays, everyone! Larry
I have referred to Dr. John Bear as the "godfather of distance learning" on several occasions, and always with the greatest admiration and respect. Although he did not invent DL, over the past quarter century John has: 1. Presented DL as a viable option for continuing one's education. This alone has allowed, who knows how many, for the completion of degrees at all levels. 2. Facilitated the process of discerning substantive options from the less-than-wonderful. 3. Exposed numerous degree/diploma mills, becoming known as THE EXPERT in many DL cases. 4. Garnered a devoted following of Bear subordinates, which includes many on DegreeInfo--a following which continues the valuable work he began. 5. Incurred the "Wrath of Khan" from proponents of degree/accreditation mills. Cult Status? Hmmm? I don't know. But I do keep my BG 14th Version close at hand. Russell, Who after four years of searching for a substantive Ph.D. program which he could afford, found a solid non-US GAAP program which was highly recommended by Dr. Bear.
I agree. At least he has earned that cult status. Some people are born great, some people achieved greatness, and some people have greatness delivered to them. Dr Bear is a pioneer of DL in the USA through his writings and publications. His books have helped to open new windows of educational opportunities for majority of distance learners of my generation. He has achieved greatness and greatness has also been collectively delivered to him by my generation. No one should be surprised that he has attained a cult status.
I agree. At least he has earned that cult status. Some people are born great, some people achieved greatness, and some people have greatness delivered to them. Dr Bear is a pioneer of DL in the USA through his writings and publications. His books have helped to open new windows of educational opportunities for majority of distance learners of my generation. He has achieved greatness and greatness has also been collectively delivered to him by my generation. No one should be surprised that he has attained a cult status.
When I first read his book ”College Degrees by Mail,” I was absolutely stunned to learn that a regionally accredited bachelors degree could be obtained without stepping foot into a classroom. The book was so cogently written too. At that time, I only had an A.A. degree. As a result of his book, I obtained 24 college credits from Columbia Union College. While I didn’t graduate from CUC, those 24 credits did help me to finish a residential bachelors degree (The 24 external credits were accepted -- In fact, the transcript doesn’t even indicate that they were external!!!). The book also taught me about Nova Southwestern University, which I may (???) possibly apply to, pending completion of a masters degree in the next two years. Anyways, it’s a very interesting book.
Thank you, one and, uh, some. Ike: Some people are born great, some people achieved greatness, and some people have greatness delivered to them. I've always liked my advertising mentor's line: "Some people are born with butterfly nets; some people achieve butterfly nets; and some people have butterfly nets thrust upon them." -Howard Gossage When a colleague and I left Gossage's ad agency to start our own business, at the farewell party, Gossage toasted: "Here's to Joe and John, the elephants of the marketing world. [long pause] When they pass through, it takes a dozen people to clean up after them." --John Bear, still starting things, but not especially enjoying running things
