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University of Phoenix

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University of Phoenix
MottoThinking Ahead
TypePrivate, For-profit
Established1976
PresidentBill Pepicello
Academic staff
20,000+
Undergraduates220,000+
Postgraduates60,000+
Location
Phoenix
,
Arizona
,
USA
CampusUrban
Locations190+ campuses
Websitephoenix.edu

University of Phoenix (UOP) is a for-profit educational institution specializing in adult education, with campuses located throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. UOP was founded in 1976 by Dr. John Sperling and is now owned by Apollo Group, Inc.. The University of Phoenix is the nation's largest private, accredited university with accessible programs both on campus, online and through flexnet programs.

Faculty

The president of UOP describes the training of the faculty as follows: "Faculty at University of Phoenix are selected through a rigorous process that includes several stages. After initial application, candidates are given a content interview and are asked to make a presentation using a facilitative style. They are then asked to participate in a training program over a several weeks to orient them to the University delivery format, and to provide help for those faculty who are primarily practitioners and not academicians by trade. Prior to teaching a course on their own, faculty also participate in a mentor program. Ongoing development programs are offered at each campus according to need." [1]

Unlike research Universities, UOP faculty do not conduct research. This is in part due to the part-time nature of the majority of UOP's Faculty. However, all faculty at the University of Phoenix have experience in the field they teach, to help provide students with a background in the field.

Accreditation

UOP is regionally accredited and accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. In British Columbia, the University of Phoenix was accredited by the Private Post-Secondary Education Commission (PPSEC) in 2002. That agency is now called the Private Career Training Institutions Agency (PCTIA).

Phoenix's business degree programs recently received accreditation from the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs ACBSP. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing and the Master of Science in Nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The Master of Counseling program in Community Counseling (in Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona) and the Master of Counseling program in Mental Health Counseling (in Utah) are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)[2].

Programs

While the University of Phoenix offers many programs leading to degrees, it is difficult for the individual to evaluate these programs. There are course catalogs available for quick reference online or these can be emailed by a counselor. Before taking courses at any institution, students are advised to check whether the credits transfer to a nearby public university. For example, Southern Illinois University Carbondale lists many 300 level courses in general education at UOP New Mexico as equal to 100 level Freshman general education courses at their institution [3].

History

In the early 1970s, at San Jose State University in California, John Sperling and several associates conducted field-based research in adult education. The focus of the research was to explore teaching/learning systems for the delivery of educational programs and services to working adult students who wished to complete or further their education in ways that complemented both their experience and current professional responsibilities. At that time colleges and universities were organized primarily around serving the needs of the 18-22 year old undergraduate student. That is not at all surprising, given that the large majority of those enrolled were residential students of traditional college age, just out of high school. According to Sperling, working adult students were often "invisible" on traditional campuses and treated as second-class citizens. It should be noted, however, that many public urban universities with universally accredited degree programs specifically address the needs of non-traditional students.[citations needed]

Since 1976, University of Phoenix has grown considerably, producing more than 171,000 alumni. In 1989, University of Phoenix was recognized as the first U.S. university to offer course work online. As of October 2006 University of Phoenix has an estimated 300,000 students enrolled on campuses and online. The University of Phoenix originally was based out of California; later its main campuses were moved to Phoenix, Arizona. [citations needed]

In April 2006 UOP began offering classes through a sister organization, Axia College of University of Phoenix, which is an online-only school focusing on Associate Degree programs and entry level college courses. [citations needed]

Student Life and Athletics

The University of Phoenix's physical campuses serve only as classroom spaces and administrative offices. Like many for-profit or nontraditional-student schools, UOP does not organize any extracurricular student activities such as student publications, clubs, or intramural or intercollegiate sports.

The 73,000-capacity University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona is a rather unusually named sports facility. A multipurpose retractable dome best known as the home of the NFL's Arizona Cardinals and the site of the NCAA's Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, it is not a University facility at all, but rather a municipal sports arena whose naming rights were bought by UOP for advertising purposes. The school agreed to pay $154.5 million for the 20-year arrangement shortly after the Stadium's construction in 2006.[1].

Modalities

Ground classes are similar to the traditional college experience. Students attend a class with a professor-facilitator who mediates a class discussion. These classes normally are 5 to 10 weeks long depending on the program of study. If a student were to schedule their classes to be year round with no more than a week break in between their classes they would accrue credits at the same rate as that of a full time "traditional" college student. These students typically attend one day a week for about 4 hours; they also are expected to spend time outside of the scheduled class, organized into "learning teams." Each "learning team" usually consists of 3 to 5 students who are expected to complete assignments for class credit. Professors tend to require at least one class presentation from each team.

Online students attend an online classroom via the Internet and either a web-based user interface, known internally as OLS3, or else Microsoft Outlook Express. In lieu of a classroom discussion, the facilitator will ask the class "discussion questions" in the classroom newsgroups. Each student responds to the questions and each other's responses, thus creating online interaction on a variety of topics. These classes follow a similar format to the ground classes. Students attending online can connect to the online classroom wherever there is a proper internet connection, and are expected to participate online at least 4 days a week, for 5-6 weeks. To be considered in attendance a student must post a message on two days of the week. A student not in attendance is automatically dropped from his or her course after one or two weeks of absence. A typical student should expect to spend at least 15 study hours per week, but the time can be distributed over the week to fit the student's schedule. Typically classes are 'condensed' into 5-week sessions and can be taken back-to-back. Thus, completing 24-units or eight 3-unit classes could be accomplished in 40 weeks of school time, roughly the same as a traditional 4-year college or university.

FlexNet modality is a hybrid of the Ground modality and the Online modality. The typical FlexNet class is five weeks in length. The FlexNet students meet during the first week of the course in a classroom, and the next three weeks in the online environment, and finally the last week is held once again at a ground campus. During this first meeting the instructor will distribute the course syllabus. Over the next three weeks, the students complete their assignments in an online format using classroom newsgroups.

Controversies

Academics

The business degree at UOP has been criticized as an "MBA Lite" for its low level of instruction.[2] Approximately 95% of UOP faculty are part-time compared with an average of 47% across all universities, with most holding full-time day jobs; to help its facilitators, courses are written by the school's headquarters.[2] The University accounts for the high number of part-time faculty through its requirement of undergraduate- and graduate-level faculty to be professionally employed in their respective field while teaching University of Phoenix students.[3] In November 2006, the Intel Corporation, which had previously had hundreds of employees go through UOP, stated that it was excluding the university, along with over 100 other colleges and universities, from its tuition reimbursement program, saying it lacked "top-notch accreditation" - notably from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business and the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.[2] [4] A 12-month corporate preference study held with HR professionals conducted by the Online University Consortium (OUC)[4] concluded that "all the best business degree programs now carry both regional and professional accreditation from an accrediting body that's been approved by the Department of Education. A program accreditation to look for is Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International. It's considered to be one widely accepted standard in the market for business education. Another to consider is the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE).[5]" Additionally, there have been published reports that Procter and Gamble and other companies [6] will not hire graduates of non-AACSB-accredited programs.

On July 1, 2007, University of Phoenix was named one of the top ten online universities in the World. The distinction, published in the 2007 edition of The Best and Worst Online Degree Programs by Global Academy Online, ranks the University of Phoenix as the #3 online university in the World, and the #1 online university in North America. [5]

Graduation and retention

When calculated by the federal standard used by the Department of Education, UOP's overall graduation rate is 16%, which is among the nation's lowest.[2] The federal standard measures graduation rates as the percentage of first-time undergraduates, with no prior experience, who obtain a degree within six years. The number is significantly lower at its Southern California campus (6%) and its online programs (4%).[2] However, UOP claims these percentages come from students who enter with no college experience, or 7% of its students, excluding 93% of the University's total student population.[3] According to the University, a substantial number of students enroll with 24 or more prior college credits.[3]. The institution publishes a nonstandard graduation rate of 59%, accounting for its large population of non-traditional students.[2]

Federal investigations

UOP receives more federal student financial aid than any other university in the United States, receiving $1.8 billion in federal student aid in 2004-5.[2] A whistle-blower/false claims lawsuit accusing the university of fraudulently obtaining hundreds of millions of dollars in financial aid is currently pending.[6][2] That lawsuit was dismissed by the district court and then reinstated by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court declined to hear University of Phoenix's appeal of that decision.[7][8] UOP has previously paid out a settlement of $9.8 million to the United States Department of Education for alleged violations of the Higher Education Act provisions which prohibit distributing financial incentives to admission representatives.[9][10][11][12][13]The University of Phoenix has also been fined by the United States Department of Labor[14][15][16] for its treatment of recruiters.[2][17] In addition to the pending false claims suit, the University is also being sued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission [18] for alleged religious discrimination favoring Mormon enrollment counselors.

The University of Phoenix's parent corporation, Apollo Group, Inc., is the target of a securities-related lawsuit [19] alleging that the group disseminated false financial statements to stock purchasers. "In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said that it denies all claims and that it intends to defend itself vigorously against the allegations made in the suit." In July, 2006, the SEC requested information from several U.S. corporations including Apollo for its investigation of stock option backdating.[20] In November 2006, Apollo Group's chief financial officer and chief accounting officer resigned in the midst of an internal investigation into the procedures for issuing and documenting certain stock option grants,[21] resulting in a dip in profits and a likelihood of restatement of prior profits.[22] In addition, Stull, Stull & Brody announced commencement of a lawsuit against Apollo Group for back-dating of stock options. [23] Apollo Group discontinued the tracking stock option for University of Phoenix Online in August 2004, placing all of UoP stock under the Apollo Group umbrella. [24] On July 3, 2007, Apollo Group announced that the Securities and Exchange Commission completed its investigation of the company and does not plan to recommend any enforcement action. [25]

Anti-drug criminalization stance by founder John Sperling

University of Phoenix founder, John Sperling, has repeatedly entered the public spotlight due to his being an opponent of medicinal drug prohibition. He has financed initiatives in both Arizona and California that decriminalize drug offenses under the label; "Treatment, not Jail". Sperling admits to having smoked marijuana in the 1960s in order to control pain caused by cancer. [26][27]

Notable alumni

References

  1. ^ .Cardinals get collegiate feel, Sports Illustrated, September 26, 2006
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Sam Dillon, Troubles Grow for a University Built on Profits, The New York Times, February 11, 2007. Cite error: The named reference "Dillon021107" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c University of Phoenix, The Facts About University of Phoenix February 12, 2007.
  4. ^ Stu Woo, Intel Cuts 100 Colleges From Its Tuition-Reimbursement Program for Employees, The Chronicle of Higher Education, February 2, 2007.
  5. ^ The Top Ten Online Universities in the World, July 1, 2007.
  6. ^ Dawn Gilbertson, Court revives U. of Phoenix fraud lawsuit, The Arizona Republic, Sept. 6, 2006
  7. ^ Supreme Court Lets False-Claims Lawsuit Proceed Against University of Phoenix, Chronicle of Higher Education, by Goldie Bluumenstyk, May 4, 2007
  8. ^ Apollo Group Legal Information Center
  9. ^ Student-recruitment Tactics at University of Phoenix Blasted by Feds Univ. of Phoenix Audit Leads to $9.8 mil Fine The Arizona Republic, September 14, 2004, by Dawn Gilbertson
  10. ^ University of Phoenix Receives Record Fine Austin Business Journal, September 14, 2004]
  11. ^ U. of Phoenix Uses Pressure in Recruiting, Report Says - Institution disputes charges that it pumps up enrollment through illegal tactics, Chronicle of Higher Education, by Goldie Blumenstyk, October 8, 2004
  12. ^ US DOE Program Review Report
  13. ^ US DOE and U. of Phoenix Settlement Agreement
  14. ^ University of Phoenix Reaches $6M Settlement The Business Journal of Phoenix, March 28, 2000
  15. ^ Apollo to pay Department of Labor $2M-$3M to Settle Case Austin Business Journal, September 14, 2000
  16. ^ University of Phoenix, Dept. of Labor Reach Overtime Agreement The Phoenix Business Journal, July 23, 2004
  17. ^ Dealing in Diplomas, For the University of Phoenix, college is a big business - and getting bigger, The Dallas Morning News, February 28, 2004 by Katherine Yung
  18. ^ Worker Bias Suit Targets University of Phoenix-School Favors Mormons, EEOC says September 28, 2006, by Dawn Gilbertson
  19. ^ Judge Upholds Securities Suit Against Apollo Group, The Business Journal of Phoenix, October 20, 2005,
  20. ^ Apollo Plans Full Cooperation into Stock Option Backdating Accusation, The Biz of Knowledge, Bill Belew, July 12, 2006
  21. ^ Angela Gonzales, Apollo controller resigns on heels of CFO departure, The Business Journal of Phoenix, November 9, 2006.
  22. ^ Chris Kahn, Apollo Group 1Q profit dips on higher costs, restatements likely, Associated Press, February 7, 2007.
  23. ^ Stull, Stull & Brody Announces Commencement of Lawsuit against Apollo Group, Inc for the Back-Dating of Stock Option Grants Stull, Stull & Brody website, January 17, 2007
  24. ^ Remember Tracking Stocks? Most Are History, USA TODAY, September, 2004, by Matt Krantz
  25. ^ [http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/07/03/ap3882582.htmlApollo: SEC Wraps Probe, Plans No Action Associated Press, July 3, 2007]
  26. ^ A Guide to Drug-Related State Ballot Initiatives
  27. ^ Prescription: Drugs - medical use of illegal drugs
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