UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX

'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.

Contents

History

University of Phoenix Stadium

Modalities

Accreditation

Criticism

Controversies

Faculty

Lack of AACSB accreditation

Graduation and retention

Federal investigations and lawsuits

References

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.
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.
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.

University of Phoenix Stadium

The 73,000-capacity University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona is 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 but 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]
The University of Phoenix's physical campuses serve only as classroom spaces and administrative offices. UOP does not organize any extracurricular student activities such as student publications, clubs, or intramural or intercollegiate sports.

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.

Accreditation

UOP is regionally accredited by the The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.^[2] 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).
University of Phoenix's business degree programs are accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs ACBSP. ACBSP University of Phoenix . 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)[1].

Criticism

The University of Phoenix has vocal critics among its alumni, students, and employees. Some have created critical web sites such as UoPexperience.com.
The main points of criticism include:

★ The coursework is widely perceived as trivial, non-challenging, and non-educationalDawn Gilbertson, Losing Intel a blow to school'', Arizona Republic, Dec 5, 2006. However, University of Phoenix’s teaching and learning model has been recognized by such organizations as the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business and the American Association of Higher Education. University officials contend that it is the most examined university in higher education. Since its regional accreditation in 1978, University of Phoenix has participated in more than 30 accreditation visits by regional accrediting bodies, 35 evaluations by state education agencies, and 10 program reviews by the U.S. Department of Education.

★ That UoP's tuition cost is grossly disproportionate to the educational value it gives to its students, as compared with community colleges and other educational options.

★ That a degree from UoP is seen by employers as inferior, and that students graduate only to find that their degree doesn't get them the jobs they hoped it would. According to the ''Online University Consortium'', a 2003 study of HR professionals indicated that ''"the majority of the HR professionals surveyed would select a job candidate with an online degree from a traditional school such as USC or University of Michigan over a job candidate with a degree from an organization such as the University of Phoenix"''Greg Eisenbarth, The Online Education Market: A Crossroads for Higher Education & Business, Online University Consortium.

★ The UoP's perceived balance between value to students and profits to shareholders is a major element of criticism. Critics cite that the recent success UoP has seen on Wall Street has come directly at the expense of a declining quality of education to studentsUOPSucks.com, ''Rebuttal to UofP's Response to New York Times article''. They note that they believe people don't have a problem with a university making a profit as long as it is delivering a good value to its customers.

★ That UoP accepts enrollment from anyone, such as first-time college students whom UoP caters to, even if UoP is not suitable for them. This is seen as favoring profits over education.

★ That UoP doesn't have qualified professors or teachers, but rather, ''facilitators'', which encourage students to teach each other. Critics contend this issue is exacerbated by UoP's willingness to enroll anybody regardless of background, pointing out that being taught by "just anybody" is no replacement for traditional classes with a professor.
In a response to the New York Times article by Sam Dillon which was a source for some of the criticism cited in this section, University of Phoenix posted a rebuttal on its website.^[3]

Controversies

Faculty

Many members of the academic community and employers consider UOP's faculty to be too "come-and-go" and nomadic. Approximately 95% of UOP faculty are part-time compared with an average of 47% across all universities, with most holding full-time day jobs within the fields that they teach.Sam Dillon, Troubles Grow for a University Built on Profits, ''The New York Times'', February 11, 2007.

Lack of AACSB accreditation

In November 2006, Intel Corporation, decided to exclude over 100 colleges who lacked the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation from its tuition reimbursement program, including University of Phoenix, saying it lacked "top-notch accreditation."^[4] Stu Woo, Intel Cuts 100 Colleges From Its Tuition-Reimbursement Program for Employees, ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'', February 2, 2007. Additionally, there have been published reports that Procter and Gamble and other companies^[5] will not hire graduates of non-AACSB-accredited programs. Intel acknowledges that UOP is regionally accredited but an Intel manager is quoted as drawing a distinction of "highly accredited" and clearly excluding the University of Phoenix from it because it's MBA program does not have AACSB accreditation.^[6] John J. Fernandes, the AACSB's president, said the University of Phoenix has never applied for membership. He feels that their chances of acceptance would be low because they have a "lot of come-and-go faculty".

Graduation and retention

When calculated by the federal standard used by the Department of Education, UOP's overall graduation rate is 16%, which when compared to the national average of 55% is among the nation's lowest.Sam Dillon, Troubles Grow for a University Built on Profits, ''The New York Times'', February 11, 2007. The federal standard measures graduation rates as "the percentage of first-time undergraduates who obtain a degree within six years". The number is significantly lower at its Southern California campus (6%) and its online programs (4%).Sam Dillon, Troubles Grow for a University Built on Profits, ''The New York Times'', February 11, 2007. University of Phoenix published a response acknowledging the 16% graduation rate but took exception to the Federal standard used to calculate the rate, noting that the rate is based upon criteria which includes only 7% of UoP's student population. The institution publishes its own nonstandard graduation rate of 59% to account for its large population of non-traditional students.Sam Dillon, Troubles Grow for a University Built on Profits, ''The New York Times'', February 11, 2007.

Federal investigations and lawsuits

The university 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 in September 2004.^[7]''University of Phoenix Receives Record Fine'' Austin Business Journal, September 14, 2004]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^[8][9]
A whistle-blower/false claims lawsuit accusing the university of fraudulently obtaining hundreds of millions of dollars in financial aid was filed in 2003 and is currently pending.^[10]
Lisa M. Krieger Lawsuit: University of Phoenix breached ethics, laws, ''San Jose Mercury '', Jun 23, 2007. The university 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. The 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.^[11][12] The U.S. District in Sacramento refused a motion to dismiss the case on the grounds that an "alternate remedy" had already been achieved in the $9.8 million settlement. The case is set to go to trial in September 2009.''University of Phoenix fraud case goes forward''L.A. Times, August 21, 2007
The university paid $3.5 million in back wages owed to 1,700 workers related to overtime pay and exemption status given to its recruitment advisers, under a settlement reached in July, 2004 with the United States Department of Labor.^[13][14]
The university is being sued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for alleged religious discrimination favoring Mormon enrollment counselors.^[15]
The university settled allegations concerning issues of noncompliance or errors it made related to the its interpretation of and control over its educational processes with the United States Department of Education for $6 million dollars in March 2000. In essence, government auditors ruled that the university's teaching schedule fell short of the minimum time required for federal aid programs.United States Department of Education ordered the university to pay $650,000 for failing to promptly refund loans and grants for students who withdrew.

References

1. Cardinals get collegiate feel, ''Sports Illustrated'', September 26, 2006
2. Higher Learning Commission website. Last accessed July 8, 2007.
3. University of Phoenix Response to New York Times article
4. Dawn Gilbertson, Losing Intel a blow to school'', Arizona Republic, Dec 5, 2006
5. ''Business School Seeks Accreditation'', The Ithacan, by William Earl, October 7, 2004
6. ''University of Phoenix Staggers Under Growing Criticism'', ConsumerAffairs.com, by Truman Lewis, February 11, 2007
7. ''Student-recruitment Tactics at University of Phoenix Blasted by Feds Univ. of Phoenix Audit Leads to .8 mil Fine The Arizona Republic, September 14, 2004, by Dawn Gilbertson
8. US DOE Program Review Report
9. US DOE and U. of Phoenix Settlement Agreement
10. List of Court Documents Related to False Claims Suit
11. ''Supreme Court Lets False-Claims Lawsuit Proceed Against University of Phoenix'', Chronicle of Higher Education, by Goldie Bluumenstyk, May 4, 2007
12. ''Apollo Group Legal Information Center''
13. ''University of Phoenix, Dept. of Labor Reach Overtime Agreement'' The Phoenix Business Journal, July 23, 2004
14. ''Apollo to pay Department of Labor M-M to Settle Case'' Austin Business Journal, July 17, 2004.
15. ''Worker Bias Suit Targets University of Phoenix-School Favors Mormons, EEOC says'' September 28, 2006, by Dawn Gilbertson