Social change, according to Dr. Ted Ellis, starts at the local level. As Program Chair and faculty for the Bachelor of Arts in Social and Criminal Justice and the Master of Science in Criminal Justice programs at the University of Arizona Global Campus (UAGC), he wants students to look beyond their textbooks and the online classroom, and engage in the conversations that are happening around them.
“Focus on local justice system and government issues in the areas where you live, or in areas of interest to you, and think about reform,” Dr. Ellis says. “Focusing on local issues is often an important way to underline their relevance and promote involvement in efforts for improvement.”
These are complicated issues, he acknowledges. That’s why he leads by example. A law school graduate and lifelong learner, Dr. Ellis has been teaching in the field of social and criminal justice since 2011, and he is heavily involved in the design and revision of the course content at UAGC. His involvement in research, including his participation at this year’s Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Annual Meeting, his role as an Intercollegiate Mock Trial coach, and his published contributions to a textbook on corrections, serve as a path that students can follow in their studies.
A Complicated, and Compelling Field
Currently, Dr. Ellis is conducting research in the field of corrections using statistical regression techniques, building models that help explain and predict outcomes related to correctional issues. It’s a fascinating subject for someone who’s genuinely curious about data. The study of law, Dr. Ellis explains, challenges you to think about all aspects of the “system” and its related data, which can be used to examine the effectiveness of rehabilitation programs and even predict recidivism rates.
Analyzing the relationship between pieces of data, he says, can help understand how changes to one variable affect another. In a recent conversation with UAGC, Dr. Ellis explained how the topics he studies and teaches are relevant to students and society, how real-world insights affect his courses, and more. Read on to hear his thoughts on these important topics.
Getting to Know Dr. Ted Ellis
UAGC: Can you talk about the relevance of the topics you teach?
Dr. Ellis: The topic and the issues in social and criminal justice courses are relevant to society.
For example, and this is not by way of limitation, there are opportunities to examine topics involving community corrections through a focus on local community programs, and on ideas for improvement.
The topic of reintegration and release following incarceration, or during or after community corrections, is relevant to society, and people can increase their understanding of this topic in local settings and think about issues and potential opportunities for improvement in their local environments.
There are also opportunities, for example, in a course to focus on diversity issues relevant to corrections. Relevance is also indicated in opportunities in another course to think about the effectiveness of the justice system, contribute ideas for improvement, and focus on local justice systems and issues.
On a broader level, it is evident that conversations are occurring in many contexts about issues in both social justice and criminal justice. These issues are relevant to all members of society, and focusing on local issues is often an important way to underline their relevance, and to promote involvement in efforts for improvement.
UAGC: How do you integrate real-world insights and life experiences into your teaching?
Dr. Ellis: It is essential to connect the study of social and criminal justice to current issues, policies, challenges, and to local settings. I encourage class members to examine local issues for local governments in criminal justice, and I also encourage class members to think about how data and research are relevant to current issues in criminal justice. In my own research, I focus on building models with data for analysis of questions in corrections through the use of statistical regression. Through recent course revisions, hypothetical scenarios are built into the course experience to connect activities to real-world settings.
UAGC: What kind of a student were you?
Dr. Ellis: First, I regard myself in a continuing learning process. As a student, I enjoyed learning. I received a scholarship to law school and passed the bar exam on my first attempt. I earned membership into the International Golden Key Honour Society through the Master of Science in Criminal Justice program. I received membership to the International Golden Key Honour Society, and membership to the Phi Kappa Phi honor society through my PhD program and was nominated for “Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities” as a PhD student. Most importantly though, to me, I appreciated the learning process.
UAGC: What was the greatest lesson you learned in your career, and how can graduates learn from your example?
Dr. Ellis: Once, I was attending the research presentation of a colleague. However, the technology for the slide presentation, for some reason, would not work, and for a moment, I noticed my colleague seemingly pause with the realization that the only tool available was now a microphone.
My colleague then made a decision — which continues to be an instructive and a very compelling model for me — to acknowledge what was not available and to go on, and to work with what was available.
The result was an engaging and informative presentation, and the lesson was a powerful reminder, with far extending application for me of the importance of being willing to adapt when necessary, and working with what you have with interest and enthusiasm.
UAGC: What do you love most about teaching?
Dr. Ellis: The opportunity to be a part of a proactive educational environment in which individuals advance their goals for learning through persistence and critical thinking as they reflect on issues. I appreciate the ongoing opportunities to learn and grow as an educator and to adapt as technology impacts educational and instructional settings. I appreciate the opportunities to work in curriculum through collaborative course revisions, with focus on collaboratively designing activities relevant to real-world, practical contexts.
UAGC: What are three things your students would find interesting about you?
Dr. Ellis: One, I love swimming and have had close calls, including one in which another person needed help. Once, we were on an outing with relatives at a lake. I had been swimming when I heard a cry for help from one of my in-laws, a few years older than me, who was out a ways in the lake, and seemed to be flailing and calling out. I immediately started swimming toward him. In my mind, I was not sure of how things would go, as this was a new experience for me. I reached him in deep water, and it was evident that he was panicking. As I swam vigorously toward him, in my mind, I was apprehensive because of the panic that he seemed to be in, and because of my uncertainty as to what would happen when I reached him. Somehow, I was able to help him back to shore, and he said afterward that he had experienced a cramp. What stays with me is the thought in my mind, as I was swimming out to help him, that I was not sure how my efforts would go, but I knew that I was going to try.
Two, I completed a bicycling event in which I rode approximately 200 miles in two days, about 100 miles each day. At the conclusion of the second day, I lay down on the grass at the terminus, exhausted. I have also participated in a few one day 100-mile rides.
Three, one of my favorite hobbies is amateur astronomy. My community involvement in the past includes youth soccer coaching, and more recently, serving meals at a local shelter. I also enjoy amateur work in upgrading and working on desktop computers. Once, I took apart a personal laptop computer and successfully replaced the CPU and thermal past.