Oliver DeMille
Encyclopedia
Oliver Van DeMille is an American author and educator. He is known for his writings on education as it relates to freedom, including A Thomas Jefferson Education, and as a founder and previous president of George Wythe University
.
and attended Brigham Young University
on an Air Force ROTC scholarship. He took a two-year hiatus from his studies to fulfill an LDS mission
in Barcelona, Spain, and subsequently married Rachel Pinegar in 1989. He and his wife have eight children.
As an undergraduate student at Brigham Young University, DeMille undertook additional outside studies in search of greater rigor and depth to his education. He was personally mentored by and worked independently with Cleon Skousen
and submitted this work to Coral Ridge Baptist University
(CRBU), which awarded him a B.A. (Biblical Studies) and M.A. (Christian Political Science) in 1992, and then a PhD (Religious Education) in 1994. CRBU was a Bible college
with a philosophy of close mentorship and intense studies, and the objective to train its graduates for service in military chaplaincy, education and ministry. DeMille's doctoral project entailed helping found and establish the curriculum and instructional design of George Wythe College
. In 1994, DeMille returned to BYU and completed his B.A. in International Relations from BYU
, with the intent of enrolling in an accredited graduate school, as he believed holding an accredited post-graduate degree would improve the credibility of the fledgling college which he helped found.
On his eponymous website, DeMille characterizes his educational history as "a search for a truly great education – experiencing private and public universities, technical and religious schools, corporate and international educational institutions, prestigious colleges and worthless diploma mills; he literally sampled the best and the worst that modern education has to offer, and virtually everything in between." He described his work with personal mentors as the "best," and relates the "worst" by detailing his experiences of being defrauded.
According to his personal blog, DeMille submitted coursework to the Technical Institute of Biblical Studies (TIBS), which awarded him a PhD Upon learning that TIBS was a diploma mill
that had not actually reviewed the merit of his academic submissions, he publicly acknowledged that he had been duped, and called himself "an idiot." He also states that he studied law at LaSalle University (Louisiana), which, based on its familiar name and credible marketing, he assumed to be a legitimate school. He learned later that this LaSalle was actually a diploma mill for which some students, including DeMille, "did real [course]work, even though they didn't have to." DeMille has said that he "unequivocally regret[s]" his interactions with TIBS and LaSalle, and that he is "glad that [his] 'controversial' choices, both good (leaving a successful private university experience to work with a personal mentor) and bad (learning first-hand about the way students can waste their time and even be taken advantage of by straying too far from the beaten path) were motivated by an earnest search for an education."
, a constitutionalist
organization in Duck Creek, Utah, for which he wrote pamphlets on international relations and political science that were later published in an anthology entitled The Constitutional Paradigm and the New World Order.
DeMille is co-founder of The Center for Social Leadership, an action organization "dedicated to healing society, preserving freedom, and ensuring peace and prosperity for humanity,", with its motto, "Empowering Ordinary Citizens to Make an Extraordinary Difference." His recent writings in the genre of political commentary reflect a self-described independent political view, with frequent advocacy of entrepreneurship and education as solutions to various economic and societal ills. His non-political writings have recurring themes of leadership, family, education, freedom and prosperity.
, an institution designed to teach statesmanship, which the University defines as "men and women of virtue, wisdom, diplomacy and courage, who inspire greatness in others and move the cause of liberty." Over the course of almost twenty years he served there as a mentor, board member, department chair, Professor of Law and Politics, provost, president, Director of Graduate Studies, and chancellor.
DeMille also speaks at seminars and conventions, and is a featured presenter with the "Face-to-Face With Greatness" seminar series designed to introduce parents and students to historical examples and methods of improving one's self-education experience. In recent years, due to illness, DeMille's work has primarily been as an author and blogger.
, Leadership Education or TJEd . Most of his works, whether philosophical, political or educational, promote his view that the state of modern education is not favorable for reliably producing principled leaders of the caliber of Thomas Jefferson
, while also conveying an overview of his philosophies and prescriptions for how individuals can provide themselves with a quality self-education and/or select an institution that will deliver an excellent learning experience. He asserts that a classical, mentored education empowers the individual to successfully meet the challenges of the time—whether as an educator, an entrepreneur, a community leader or a parent.
His notable works include:
George Wythe University
George Wythe University is a non-profit classical liberal arts school in Cedar City, Utah which offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the liberal arts, education and political philosophy. GWU's curriculum is centered on the Great Books of the Western World published in 1952 by Britannica...
.
History
DeMille was born and raised in Hurricane, UtahHurricane, Utah
Hurricane is a city in Washington County, Utah. Its population was 13,748 at the 2010 U.S. Census. Along with several other areas of southwestern Utah, the Hurricane area has seen a large population growth since the 1970s, and it has blended in with neighboring city of St...
and attended Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
on an Air Force ROTC scholarship. He took a two-year hiatus from his studies to fulfill an LDS mission
Missionary (LDS Church)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
in Barcelona, Spain, and subsequently married Rachel Pinegar in 1989. He and his wife have eight children.
As an undergraduate student at Brigham Young University, DeMille undertook additional outside studies in search of greater rigor and depth to his education. He was personally mentored by and worked independently with Cleon Skousen
Cleon Skousen
Willard Cleon Skousen was an American author, conservative American Constitutionalist and faith-based political theorist. He was also a prolific popularizer among Latter-day Saints of their theology...
and submitted this work to Coral Ridge Baptist University
Coral Ridge Baptist University
Coral Ridge Baptist University was a Bible college and seminary in Florida. It merged with Freedom University and Seminary in 2001.-History:...
(CRBU), which awarded him a B.A. (Biblical Studies) and M.A. (Christian Political Science) in 1992, and then a PhD (Religious Education) in 1994. CRBU was a Bible college
Bible college
Bible colleges are institutions of higher education that specialize in biblical studies. Curriculum is Bible-based and differs from that of liberal arts colleges or research universities. Bible colleges generally exclude the study of philosophy, unlike seminaries and theological colleges...
with a philosophy of close mentorship and intense studies, and the objective to train its graduates for service in military chaplaincy, education and ministry. DeMille's doctoral project entailed helping found and establish the curriculum and instructional design of George Wythe College
George Wythe College
George Wythe University is a non-profit classical liberal arts school in Cedar City, Utah which offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the liberal arts, education and political philosophy. GWU's curriculum is centered on the Great Books of the Western World published in 1952 by Britannica...
. In 1994, DeMille returned to BYU and completed his B.A. in International Relations from BYU
BYU
-Education:* Brigham Young University, a university located in Provo, Utah, USA administered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.**BYU Salt Lake Center, a satellite center in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA...
, with the intent of enrolling in an accredited graduate school, as he believed holding an accredited post-graduate degree would improve the credibility of the fledgling college which he helped found.
On his eponymous website, DeMille characterizes his educational history as "a search for a truly great education – experiencing private and public universities, technical and religious schools, corporate and international educational institutions, prestigious colleges and worthless diploma mills; he literally sampled the best and the worst that modern education has to offer, and virtually everything in between." He described his work with personal mentors as the "best," and relates the "worst" by detailing his experiences of being defrauded.
According to his personal blog, DeMille submitted coursework to the Technical Institute of Biblical Studies (TIBS), which awarded him a PhD Upon learning that TIBS was a diploma mill
Diploma mill
A diploma mill is an organization that awards academic degrees and diplomas with substandard or no academic study and without recognition by official educational accrediting bodies. The purchaser can then claim to hold an academic degree, and the organization is motivated by making a profit...
that had not actually reviewed the merit of his academic submissions, he publicly acknowledged that he had been duped, and called himself "an idiot." He also states that he studied law at LaSalle University (Louisiana), which, based on its familiar name and credible marketing, he assumed to be a legitimate school. He learned later that this LaSalle was actually a diploma mill for which some students, including DeMille, "did real [course]work, even though they didn't have to." DeMille has said that he "unequivocally regret[s]" his interactions with TIBS and LaSalle, and that he is "glad that [his] 'controversial' choices, both good (leaving a successful private university experience to work with a personal mentor) and bad (learning first-hand about the way students can waste their time and even be taken advantage of by straying too far from the beaten path) were motivated by an earnest search for an education."
Researcher and Writer
During his undergraduate studies at BYU, DeMille worked as a seminar presenter, researcher and writer at the Meadeau View InstituteMeadeau View Institute
The Meadeau View Institute was a conservative constitutionalist organization that operated in Duck Creek, Utah, from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. The institute was notable for seeking to build a Utopian community of alternative-lifestyle conservatives in Southern Utah...
, a constitutionalist
Constitutionalism
Constitutionalism has a variety of meanings. Most generally, it is "a complex of ideas, attitudes, and patterns of behavior elaborating the principle that the authority of government derives from and is limited by a body of fundamental law"....
organization in Duck Creek, Utah, for which he wrote pamphlets on international relations and political science that were later published in an anthology entitled The Constitutional Paradigm and the New World Order.
DeMille is co-founder of The Center for Social Leadership, an action organization "dedicated to healing society, preserving freedom, and ensuring peace and prosperity for humanity,", with its motto, "Empowering Ordinary Citizens to Make an Extraordinary Difference." His recent writings in the genre of political commentary reflect a self-described independent political view, with frequent advocacy of entrepreneurship and education as solutions to various economic and societal ills. His non-political writings have recurring themes of leadership, family, education, freedom and prosperity.
Career as an educator
In 1992, DeMille was a principal contributor to the founding of George Wythe UniversityGeorge Wythe University
George Wythe University is a non-profit classical liberal arts school in Cedar City, Utah which offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the liberal arts, education and political philosophy. GWU's curriculum is centered on the Great Books of the Western World published in 1952 by Britannica...
, an institution designed to teach statesmanship, which the University defines as "men and women of virtue, wisdom, diplomacy and courage, who inspire greatness in others and move the cause of liberty." Over the course of almost twenty years he served there as a mentor, board member, department chair, Professor of Law and Politics, provost, president, Director of Graduate Studies, and chancellor.
DeMille also speaks at seminars and conventions, and is a featured presenter with the "Face-to-Face With Greatness" seminar series designed to introduce parents and students to historical examples and methods of improving one's self-education experience. In recent years, due to illness, DeMille's work has primarily been as an author and blogger.
Works
DeMille is noted for his promotion of an educational paradigm popularly known as Thomas Jefferson EducationThomas Jefferson Education
Thomas Jefferson Education, also known as "TJEd" or "Leadership Education" is a philosophy and methodology of education which is popular among some alternative educators, including private schools, charter schools and homeschoolers. It is based on the Seven Keys of Great Teaching and the Phases of...
, Leadership Education or TJEd . Most of his works, whether philosophical, political or educational, promote his view that the state of modern education is not favorable for reliably producing principled leaders of the caliber of Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, while also conveying an overview of his philosophies and prescriptions for how individuals can provide themselves with a quality self-education and/or select an institution that will deliver an excellent learning experience. He asserts that a classical, mentored education empowers the individual to successfully meet the challenges of the time—whether as an educator, an entrepreneur, a community leader or a parent.
His notable works include:
- A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-first Century (1st edition, softbound, 2000; 2nd edition hardback 2006; 2nd edition softbound 2009; published by TJEdOnline)
- A Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion (2006, with Rachel DeMille and Diann Jeppson; published by George Wythe University Press)
- Leadership Education: The Phases of Learning (2008, with Rachel DeMille; published by George Wythe University Press)
- The Coming Aristocracy: Education and the Future of Freedom (2009; published by The Center for Social Leadership)
- Thomas Jefferson Education for Teens (2009, with Shanon Brooks; published by TJEdOnline)
- The Four Lost American Ideals (audio CD, 2009; published by The Center for Social Leadership)
- FreedomShift (2010; published by The Center for Social Leadership>
- The Student Whisperer (2011, with Tiffany Earl; published by TJEdOnline)
- Various monographs and audios