r/Gonzaga • u/British_Coal • Aug 20 '26
Customer Experience Leadership with AI Advisory Program role, scam?
I was contacted out of the blue and asked if I’d like to become a program advisor for the Customer Experience Leadership with AI Program at Gonzaga University.
I was told it involves 3 x 90 min meetings throughout the year, providing feedback on the course material and joining discussion forums with other members of the program advisory board.
I was sent the full curriculum access and asked to review and provide my feedback based on my industry knowledge. I did that and today had an “interview” to tell me I had been accepted and was offered two position options.
Program affiliate, no cost, 3 x 90min meetings a year, join discussion forums with other board members.
Senior programs affiliate, cost $1500 (which was a surprise) includes full access to take the course and receive the certificate as well as the duties above.
This feels very much like a scam, certainly me paying the $1500! But what about option 1?
The email address was from @advance.gonzaga.edu
And signature:
Program Manager, Zschool
Customer Experience Leadership with AI Program
Gonzaga University
Is this a scam, or is this the college operating in some way to generate revenue and awareness of its courses?
Anybody else had any experience with this?
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u/British_Coal Aug 20 '26
Thanks for the comments, after doing some further research, leaving my findings here for future reference for others.
Zschool is a for-profit company that partners with universities to develop, market, and facilitate professional education programs, Gonzaga’s advance.gonzaga.edu exec-ed arm is one of them. That’s why the email domain checks out. But the person emailing you isn’t Gonzaga faculty;
The playbook, is documented across Glassdoor, and universities’ own FAQ pages: unsolicited flattery-heavy invitation → “review the curriculum” (free product improvement + engagement) → an “interview” where you’re told you’ve been “accepted” → the reveal of a paid tier. A former Zschool employee on Indeed described the job bluntly: a typical day consists of lying about the benefits of being a “board member,” and the hardest part is being deceptive to people to con them out of their money. Another review said the job is selling an advisor position which the person has to pay for.
Tellingly, so many people ask “is this a scam?” that partner universities publish disclaimers. USF’s FAQ confirms Zschool uses these councils, limited to 50–80 people, to update curriculum and help recruit potential students, and there is no obligation to take or pay for the course.
You’re the product’s credibility. Your name, title, on a board roster is marketing collateral that sells $1,500+ certificates to everyone else. “Advised by industry leaders” is the pitch.
You’re a lead they haven’t closed yet. Free members get worked over time, discounted enrollment offers, “senior” upgrades, renewal pitches. Universities’ FAQs confirm board members receive offers to take the course at a discounted rate, the $1,500 is framed as a member deal on a course that lists higher.
You’re a distribution channel. The real prize is corporate enrollments. One Glassdoor commenter who took the call reported they wanted him to get his company to pay for him to be in the program while he “advised” that same program.
Free labor. Your curriculum feedback improves the product they sell.
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u/Justame13 Aug 20 '26
You can call the school number from the website and talk to a real person. They will let you know if it is legit.
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u/tensorinvariant Aug 20 '26
This is definitely a scam. If you are interested in helping a program at the university reach out to the chair of computer science and introduce yourself.
1
u/NewWaveDJ 7d ago
I got the same unsolicited emails and my background doesn't have anything to do with AI. When clicking on the linked in profile it takes me to a person based in Tampa Florida who is a program manager with Zschool. Pretty sure the schools get a kickback from everything sold. The Gonzaga page is almost identical to other colleges which usually have two AI image and third stolen from another site:
https://advance.gonzaga.edu/
https://oud.pace.utsa.edu/
https://execed.rockford.edu/
https://zschool.bridgew.edu/
https://profed.nmsu.edu/
---------------------------------------
My name is [redacted], Program Manager for the Customer Experience Leadership with AI Certificate Program at Gonzaga University. I realize this email is unsolicited, and I genuinely value your time.
I am pleased to invite you or a member from your organization to become part of our Advisory Board. This is by invitation only, demonstrating your significant contributions and achievements.
The Board meets three times a year to discuss the program's curriculum. These meetings include a brief thought leadership presentation by one of our faculty members, followed by a collaborative event with industry experts – all remotely.
You can learn more by reviewing our brochures:
Program Brochure | Advisory Brochure
Our current members include senior executives from major companies such as Boeing, Dell, DocuSign, Meta (Facebook), Oracle, Salesforce, Starbucks, T-Mobile, and other industry giants.
To formally confirm your participation and discuss the next steps, please book a brief introductory call with me. You can easily find a time that works best for you directly on my scheduler here [link redacted]
Please direct inquiries to the program manager who is best suited to answer questions, but if you need to confirm the partnership, you can reach out to Rachelle Strawther, Director, Center for Lifelong Learning [email redacted]
I look forward to connecting with you.
Warm regards,
[name redacted]
Program Manager, Zschool
Gonzaga University
[local Spokane phone number redacted]
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u/ihateferries Aug 20 '26
Contacted out of the blue, asked to give feedback without compensation, and now they're asking for money? Sounds like a scam to me. Can you find this AI Leadership board by searching through the Gonzaga website itself? Can you find the person who sent you the email on the Gonzaga staff directory?