On-Line PhD (Business) from Purdue/Cornell?

Maybe they did once. Do not know. It could be researched. Perhaps that's Dix's primary issue: lack of research. Unfortunate, because he's been a journalist forever, has a law degree, and certainly is capable of doing his due diligence and seeing through an (alleged) academic fraud before going to press.

Look at Shreve's Linkedin page, he doesn't even list a Kaplan degree, lists two PhDs: one from Cornell, one from Purdue. So the updated article doesn't match with the assertions made by Mr. Shreve elsewhere, so it seems very unlikely that he told Dix, the journalist, this tale of the Kaplan program that Dix later garbled into a dual Cornell/Purdue program. It seems far more plausible that Mr. Shreve told him exactly the same thing that he tells everyone else on his business social media.

The claim that Kaplan offers a degree with material jointly prepared by professors from Cornell and Purdue sounds extremely unlikely also. Really, would Kaplan pay for that? I've prepared materials for other colleges before, test bank questions, for two B&M schools that are well known for online offerings and are frequently discussed here. It's fairly pricey stuff even to hire me, Average Joe Middling State U faculty. What would it cost to hire out profs from those august institutions to develop your coursework? Would Kaplan do that?

This sounds like utter nonsense to me.

 

Its official he's a sack of crap. I checked his Facebook and he lists all those schools as well. Btw, dudes got like five Facebook pages. Those are some huge claims to make, his wife doesn't call him out on his BS? She works at a State school.....I wonder if her degrees are fake as well?

 

Maybe she doesn't care, just thinks it's Jim going through his midlife crisis and figures at least the lug's not sleeping with his secretary or buying a new Corvette, he's just making up academic accolades. I can think of worse diversions for a middle aged guy.

Do not know about her credentials. Her claims are at least believable. You have to think her school would've gotten transcripts, so she's probably on the up and up. That said, 10 years ago I was a finalist for an academic job at this nice liberal arts college and thought I had it in the bag but got beaten out. Out of curiosity a month or so later I checked out the college's website and read the announcement of their fabulous new hire. Had a degree that looked strange, from a legit school, but didn't think that school offered that degree. Sure enough, they didn't, I even checked with the department chair at the school where he claimed to have matriculated who said they'd never offered that particular degree. So either there was a major error in the press release or the guy was playing the game that Shreve is allegedly playing, and managed to ace me out of a job by doing it (he did me a favor, because the offer I got at my current school a couple months later was a whole lot better).

 

I think it's time to have some fun with this - perhaps someone should send a link to this thread to the president and board chair of Stark State College.

(It won't be me - I don't do that kind of stuff anymore, in part because of lack of time and interest. But I'd be happy to watch the entertainment.)

 

The story has been removed. How's that for journalistic ethics? What are the laws there for falsely claiming education titles?

 

I guess they took the easy way out. Might have been better to print a complete retraction, but OK, at least they did something. I wonder if Linkedin has a policy against faking your academic record? Mr. Shreve still persists in claiming he earned two PhDs, claims it took him two years to earn the Cornell PhD and three years to earn the Purdue, and that he did so simultaneously.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-shreve-379410129/

That's called chutzpah.

 

Emailed the Editor and got a response. They will be publishing a story Sunday...I'm sure they were very aware of us and it was pulled because of us and mainly FTFaculty for pushing on this.

 

Well this is not much of a correction. Located at the bottom of an unrelated story is a dishonest attempt to note they were lied to twice. They lie as well by omission because the correction doesn't tell the whole truth that Mr. Shreve has zero doctoral degree.

 

Suppose Dix didn't want to smack down his buddy too much. Understandable, but you're right, a much smaller retraction than one would think warranted.

Shreve still has the two apparently phantom PhDs and the possibly phantom bachelors from Villanova up on his Linkedin page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-shreve-379410129/

I don't understand academic fraud, don't get faking something up when you know in your heart it's a lie. What pleasure in that?

 

I have an alternative theory or two here . . .

David Dix, it seems, is the retired publisher of this mediocre, small-scale daily newspaper that states on its masthead that it serves Kent, Ravenna, and Portage County in Ohio. Headquartered in Kent according to its Wiki and now owned by a national chain, the area it serves consists of small towns between Akron (where the major daily is the Beacon Journal) and Youngstown (where the major daily is the Vindicator). The paper was sold to a chain, Gateway Newspapers, by its former owner – Dix, who is now the retired former publisher. Its primary office in Kent is located in the same small city (population just over 30,000) as Kent State University, which became somewhat infamous when ini 1970 the National Guard shot and killed several students during a protest against the Vietnam War. By the way, Kent has one of the two best state college-based theatre departments in Ohio (the other one is Wright State University near Dayton) – I’ve been there many times for theatre and recitals.

So my theories? Dix may have taken his car in to have a dent repaired, got fed a line of bullshit from the collision shop manager, and was dumb enough to believe it and write about it. He’s likely an old-fashioned publisher who doesn’t have a clue about higher education and got snockered by this.

As for James Shreve, he’s simply a collision shop dude who is an all-around bullshitter. He got his 15 minutes of fame out of the deal, and is probably still laughing his ass off at having “had” Dix.

The loser in this case is the Record-Courier, where no one, from copy editor to regional editor, could spot bullshit when they saw it. And Shreve’s wife, who should be worried about her own reputation with Kent State Stark campus, and should kick her husband in the nuts.

In short, this is a pretty funny story, and kudos go to FTFaculty for exposing everything in it. It’s sad, yet funny, when you consider that the average member of D.I. could spot the B.S. in this before supposedly reputable journalists.

 

I second this, I was ready to give up (darn faith in man and all) and accept the Kaplan story.

 

Heck, Steve, I'm just riding in your wake, learned watching people like you and the gang around here do your investigations.

As for b4cz28 and your faith in man, you have "The Bible" listed in your tag line. Here's one for you, a fellow named Jeremiah once said in that Bible: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man." (another reason why I gave up the traditional, institutional church, got tired of listening to well-fed pigs in business suits stand in front of a pulpit under the spotlight each Sunday with every eye on them...and talk of their humility and how "It's jus' all 'bout Jesus"--yeah, yeah, step down from your elevated stages once and for all, renounce your salary and perks and get a real job like Paul, that guy who wrote much of the New Testament did, stop pointing the finger at everyone else and judging the world outside the church--which was specifically forbidden by Paul--start considering other people better than yourselves and just shut up and serve others, then maybe I'll come back to your buildings because at that point you'll be acting a little bit like the true church--OK, off topic religious rant over).

 

Nice rant (not) My pastor works about 50 hours a week, 52 weeks a year. Makes about 30K and has a MDiv. He could go back to teaching and coaching and make about 70K.

Kind of hard to work 50 hours a week for free and have a church that has over 300 members attend each Sunday. His sermon prep alone is 12 hours a week for the three completely different services he preaches at.

You sound very judgmental and it seems as if you like to stereo type. Oh btw, I'm an asst. pastor who life coaches and works with youth for about 20 hours a week at our church, all for free. I also preach at two different nursing homes no charge in the service of my Lord.

My friend who works at another church 40 hours a week makes 17K a year. He does get a free one bedroom apartment though, its about 250 square feet. He has a job full time in the service of Jesus.

Who are these fat cats in suits you are talking about? What you mean the 1% you see on TV? Most pastors barely make a living wage and have zero benefits.

 

And you, I suppose, reserve all your judgments and stereotyping for the Political Forum.

 

Sure that's fair. FTF gets to bash me and my faith once more and I'm the one in the wrong. I freaking thank the guy and this is what I get for being nice. :frown:

 

Yes, service to your Lord, but emphatically not to other Middle Eastern refugees :arms:

Having said that, I agree with your points. In Eastern Orthodox circles in US, the clergy in the Greek Archdiocese make middle-class wages (nothing extravagant), while the others are lucky if they get half that. They sometimes suffer from a negative stereotype based on the more extravagant of the Old Country clergy (like the Patriarch of Moscow, technically a monk, and his $80,000 watch). I believe it's the same in mainline Protestant churches, while Catholic priests make more uniform (and rather modest) incomes. So the business suit scoundrels FTF describes are limited to the assorted "Evangelical" ministries - and most likely a minority there as well. In essence, a pastor is a managerial position in a non-profit sector - a few would abuse their non-profit and milk it for high compensation; most are not in any position to do that. Perhaps more lavishly paid ones are more visible, that's all.

 

I'm a friend to our pastor, and in any case try to attend the annual AGMs at the parish. We do not pay him a great deal; certainly no "perks". This is the norm rather than exception in our denomination, where lay Parish Councils hold the purse strings. In a tradition where priests are almost all married and raise children, it's not a lucrative position by a long shot

 

My main rant was not about money, televangelists and mega church pastors who make big bucks are in the minority, agreed. Reread, not the main point. My main rant is about anyone who stands up in front of a group of Christians each Sunday on an elevated stage under a spotlight with all eyes upon them, presuming that they're The Man to bring the word of God. Wrong. Not a Christian model. Not humble. Not the way it ought to be. If your pastor friends do that...they need to sit down, shut up, in humility considering others better than themselves, realizing that the Bible's pretty clear that mature Christians are not in need of teachers, having the Holy Spirit in them, fully capable of submitting one to another, teaching each other, iron sharpening iron, with no one being The Man. That's all in the Bible, unlike the distinctly unbiblical model we see in churches.

Not bashing the Christian faith; you're not dealing with Joe Atheist Faculty here, you're dealing with a Christian, a stark raving Christian...who used to work as youth director at a church and was on paid staff. Used to be a member of one of the largest megas in the Upper Midwest, and was on unpaid leadership with them, a former elder at two churches, etc. It's not like I don't know the game.

Maybe we should take this to another forum within this site, maybe political (though I hate politics), it was my bad taking this thread off topic.