Search Results matching tag 'university of phoenix'

For Profit Schools Come Under Fire in the Obama Administration

Cajun — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:13:00 GMT

Are for profit colleges and universities in the gun sights of the Obama administration? Some think so, me for one. The new U.S. Dept. of Education, Deputy Undersecretary Robert Shireman looks like he will be looking into the various compensation and incentives for profit universities provide to their admissions and enrollment people at such schools like the University of Phoenix, Kaplan University and even American Public University AKA American Military University. In fact it seems that this news has reached the ears of investors and has caused some nervous jitters on Wall Street and when Wall Street gets nervous, money starts to get tight.

Mr. Shireman isn’t stopping the boat on just that either, even private for profits which are not publicly traded could have the heat turned up by forcing schools to find gainful employment for a percentage of their graduates in the area that their degrees were earned in. Essentially this would turn your friendly for profit institution into a job placement center as well, something that no state school or non-profit seems to be required to do by the Feds, at least at this time, who knows what they will “fix” next. It will do one thing though; it’ll kill that pesky free market competition so many state schools seem to dread.

All in all there are some serious problems here, first is that the way a college, university, private company, or even a non-profit compensate their people is none of the Federal Governments darn business. Now I understand that some companies, such as GM who use Federal money to save their bacon may be the exception, I’ll hold my opinions on GM to myself suffice to say this is money given to the company to keep them from going under and money that was accepted with preconditions attached.

University of Phoenix on the other hand is doing just fine, better than fine actually they are experiencing steady, sustainable growth and have been for years. They are what I would consider as an investor to be a “safe bet”. If I choose as a student to use my Title IV money to go to University of Phoenix, that’s my choice. It’s a loan, money I have to pay back that the government will gladly garnish my wages to retrieve if necessary. I do not need Uncle Sam narrowing the field of play for me say nothing of fairness to the school itself. If a school uses unethical recruitment practices long enough guess what? Bam, there’s a controversy and soon nobody in their right mind will want to be affiliated with that school. No offense to University of Phoenix, they are a fine school I’m sure, but they were never on my short list at any point in my college career due to past controversies surrounding them. Hey, I’m a reasonable guy, if you pass a policy for one school it should apply to all schools. But to focus in on Ashford University? American Public University? Kaplan? Come on Mr. President, don’t you guys have enough to “fix” already?

Secondly forcing schools to find employment for a percentage of their graduates is ludicrous. Really, if I wanted to borrow $100,000 to attend a state school and major in underwater fish frying I can do it. I’ll sign for the money, get in debt up to my neck and have a degree I couldn’t use anywhere in the world and nobody would bat an eye. Instead I’d be chastised for being so stupid in my major of choice. Don’t believe me? I know of at least 4 people who have spent upwards of $60,000 to $120,000 on a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts. Liberal arts by definition is not a degree designed for a career field, so why in the heck should it cost that much? Why in the heck should the school then find employment for someone in a liberal arts field after they graduate?

Guess what folks, free market principles apply here too. With rare exception a “for profit” school will not offer an unpopular degree. Why? Because nobody will enroll and they (the school) will lose money. So why do people enroll in certain degrees like MBA programs or more importantly why are there so many MBA programs available? Simple, because of pervasive and perceived market demands. MBAs are in demand in the marketplace, companies snatch them up quickly over their undergrad counterparts, they then pay that grad more and thus that undergrad that was passed over, passed by or simply working just as hard for less money goes back to school and seeks out their own MBA. It’s free market principles at work.

I’m seriously concerned! I rarely if ever write about politics in this blog, but this time politicians seem to be encroaching into an area they should leave as is or at least apply equitable policy changes across the board. The U.S. has the finest post secondary education system in the world, despite our abysmal K-12 public schools, in short the system isn’t broken yet but I’m sure with enough “fixing” this administration can change that.

Hey Mr. President, you have North Korea threatening to nuke us, the war in Iraq is still on, the war in Afghanistan still rages, a nuclear Pakistan is more unstable by the day, Iran is almost in a civil war, there are drugs flowing across our border like it’s free, you’ve got a car company to run, you’re overhauling the entire financial industry, you’re trying to “fix” a broken health care system and I haven’t even mentioned that the economy is in the tank even after TRILLIONS of dollars in “stimulus” that somehow isn’t doing a whole lot of stimulating, and that’s just scratching the surface of the stuff on your plate. How’s about you solve just ONE problem before you go on shoveling more onto the table?

-Readers, write your Representatives,

...One discombobulated Cajun

For more see: http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090529-714853.html

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/06/16/cca

Re: Transfering credits from other graduate schools

JacobsenXXX — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:12:11 GMT

The very best graduate schools of business--those accredited by AACSB--will NOT accept graduate transfer credits from schools that do not also have AACSB certification. "Regional accreditation" of a business school isn't worth squat.

Beware of Unaccredited Online MBA and MPA Programs

JacobsenXXX — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 23:41:47 GMT

Strayer University of Arlington, VA, (among others) continues to have accreditation problems, and potential students are advised to avoid the school. Strayer lacks accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (www.sacs.edu); additionally, its undergrad and graduate programs in business are not accredited by AACSB (www.aacsb.edu). The MPA programs is not accredited by NASPAA (www.naspaa.org). Accrediting organizations are balking at an online format in which students take unproctored exams and do not participate in group projects.

Education IPO

WheelCipher — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Anyone who has done research on any of the many schools that provide distance education will have an understanding that market demand is a partial driver of success or failure. There are online schools out there such as University of Phoenix, Kaplan University, and a few others who are “for-profit” institutions. That said, one can also buy stock in some of the publicly-held corporations that own these institutions. The Apollo Group owns University of Phoenix, for instance.

I have always thought that as distance learning evolves, we would see more institutions offering stock in order to raise capital. That happened again this week with Grand Canyon Education, Inc.

The problem is that the shares took a dive after the market opened. I have a few thoughts on this whole idea of education institutions (or corporations) raising money through an IPO.

-    In a market like we have now, someone should have put a stop to the whole process. This is a really bad time for stocks and a worse time to offer an IPO. It was not a smart idea for a short term effort to raise money.

-    The distance education market is still in the early stages of what promises to be a long-term win. But that doesn’t shield it from the cyclical behavior that plagues other industries.

I believe that the “hype” that has surrounded distance education over the past couple of years is currently in a depression. Based on the economy as a whole, people are afraid to spend money on an education right now. A lot of jobs are being lost every day and a degree means almost nothing in an economy that is bleeding.   It will be difficult for a lot of people to get a job no matter what education level they have.

I think that if a person were buy stock in education, it would probably be a long term win. In addition to waiting for the economy to rebound, there has to be some reinvention in the online education market. It has become almost bland from an investor standpoint. Perhaps Grand Canyon or Apollo will notice that and make some moves in the next year or two to separate themselves from the rest of the pack.

Time will tell.

With almost six consecutive years dedicated to distance education, Scott has the experience to answer any questions you may have about the topic. Please feel free to contact Scott about anything having to do with online education.

You can also check out his photo blog or his LinkedIn profile.

Fan Mail From Abiola

WheelCipher — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:27:00 GMT

I was so glad when I came across your blog. My name is Abiola and I reside in Maryland.

I have been considering going back for my MBA for the past few months and have been doing my research for weeks now. At times I just get confused about what school I should attend, accreditation issues, best business online schools to pick from and most of all, if it will be wise to attend an online school or go for the traditional classroom method.

I have a full time job right now and will want it to remain that way. I have to support myself thorough school. Being a foreigner it is harder for me.

I am considering University of Phoenix, Kaplan University, Devry University, Walden University, and Capella University.

In your best judgment, which of the above schools do you think I should try out? Does it really matter if the school is AACSB OR ACBSP accredited? How will the accreditation affect me when seeking a better job in future?

I really need your help and assistance to figure this out. I am all by myself in this country. I need your advice.

I can only speak of Kaplan University since that is where I got my undergrad degree. I have heard some great things about Capella and Walden. If I were you, I would call each of those schools and ask questions. Each one may have different requirements in terms of admission. At the same time, just because one school worked for me does not mean it would be the best school for you. I can sit here all day and give you pointers, but at the end of the day, you will need to do some research on your own to find out which one is best for you.

Having AACSB or ACBSP accreditation is VERY important. Employers will look to see if the school you attended has one of these. If you get the MBA from a school that is not accredited, you may have a hard time justifying it in the eyes of any future employer. When looking for schools, please narrow your selections to those that are sccredited.

Furthermore, ask questions of other students that attended these institutions. There are message boards here at eLearners.com that can help out a lot. For me to talk about how good one school is over the other would be wrong since I have not attended those. I only went to Kaplan. I enjoyed my time there. At the same time, their MBA program is not accredited by the AACSB or ACBSP last time I checked. That school would be off of my list for that reason.

I spent a year researching the best school for my MBA. You may need to do the same. This is a very expensive and life-changing decision. Don’t make a mistake because you didn’t do enough research. Take your time and do it right. You will be happy you did.

Do you have any questions about distance education
or anything in this post? Feel free to contact Scott anytime!

Good BS IT degree program?

stargecko — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:07:19 GMT

Hello, all!

I'm currently attending Capella University for my BS in Computer Science, but I'm less than impressed with their setup. It's extremely difficult to cram everything in each week, it's pretty expensive ($1700 per quarter - financial aid only pays for part of it), and it's hard to figure out what each assignment really is asking for. I only have 2 years left, but I'd like those 2 years to not be full of the same constant stress I've had for the last 2 years.

I have talked to reps from the University of Phoenix before, but their programs seem to be about the same.. I have requested information from a bunch of other colleges (let the calls begin flooding in :-P), but I was wondering what other people's experiences have been.

If possible, I'd like it to be a college that has a brick-and-mortar school along with their online programs, because the state I live in doesn't count online-only degrees as being worth anything, employment-wise.

Thanks much for the help!

I'm new here.. could use some info

ROBBIEC — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:47:16 GMT

I'm thinking of going with UoP for an associate's in criminal justice, and i was wondering if anyone had already been through any similar classes? Experience? Opinion?

Thanks Rob

2008 Academic Annual Report: University of Phoenix

victoria — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 21:21:55 GMT

The first University of Phoenix Academic Annual Report contains a transparent look at a variety of ways in which the University of Phoenix measures itself in relation to its Mission and social agenda of access and inclusion. The Report was created within the framework laid out by the Spellings Report: access, accountability, quality, and affordability.

More About the University of Phoenix

Originally founded in 1976, University of Phoenix is dedicated to meeting the needs of working students. Now the largest private university in North America, UOP has more than 190 campuses and learning centers as well as a flexible online learning format available in most countries around the world. University of Phoenix is regionally accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Re: University of Phoenix

sindeez — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 17:00:54 GMT

It is true that there is a low standard of acceptance at UoP and yes, they are a private university (for profit) as is Harvard.

There are many grateful people who worked hard to get their degree in spite of a family of three to support on a single income from a third-shift, factory job. Today, having a degree, regardless of the program of study, opens more avenues in the workplace.

On the other hand, yes the banner ads that are plastered all over the web poised for the "clicking", are a bit unethical when they are attached to a sweepstakes contest. I have spoken to people who were promised a free snickers bar, and were enrolled in college instead.

An entire year at UoP AA programs is only $8,200.00 per year, so it is not insanely espensive and it is actually less than Belleview. The average university is $12,000 annually to attend.

My advice, if you are having difficulties fitting school into your life and have the discipline to READ, take advantage of this stepping stone. See it as an opportunity. With $360,000 students currently, our own NFL football stadium, and the #1 ranked spot in the country for all higher educational institutions...all those people cannot be wrong.

Ignorant statements such as,

"I honestly think that the school (even though I'm sure the actual curriculum is not), is viewed as a joke."

are subject to perception. Who's "view" are we talking about here? "Even though I'm sure" is such a vague assumption. There are bold claims without reference or personal experience. I hope you are in fact getting an "education" that teaches you how to think, because critical thinking is one of the second courses you take at UoP. With this business model doing so well, it is easy to see why other institutions will do everthing in their power to mimic it's success for their gain. Watch out! UoP is fully regionally accredited here in the U.S. is Belleview?

Interviews with Online Students at University of Phoenix

Victoria — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:17:01 GMT

Andrew, Bachelor of Science at the University of Phoenix

Nichelle, Master of Business Administration

Greg, Master's in Organizational Science

Nicole, Master of Business Administration

Jim, Bachelor of Business Administration