He received his Juris Doctor from the UCLA School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from Yale University. He has worked extensively with governmental agencies on many different levels, including federal, state, and tribal, and has extensive teaching experience with other online institutions and several brick-and-mortar colleges (such as University of San Diego, California State University at San Bernardino, Alliant International University, and Kumeyaay Community College). In addition to his teaching experience, Dr. Bathke has been working with tribal governments in the Southern California area for the past twelve years developing and administering governmental programs. He lives in La Mesa, CA. His advice to all students is to not be shy. "There is no such thing as a bad question, so feel free to ask."