In 1974, John G. Sperling left a tenured position at San Jose State University with $26,000 in savings to start an academic program for working adults. In the beginning, he ran the operation out of his house. The program soon outgrew the house, Sperling relocated to Arizona, and the program adopted the name of that state's capital. Now the…

The University of Phoenix is often derided by traditional academics for caring more about its bottom line than about academic quality, and every year, the annual report issued by its parent company focuses more on profits than student performance. This article reports that the institution that has become the largest private university in North…

This article talks about a software designed by the University of Phoenix for its business, information-technology, education, and health-care courses. Through the university's "virtual organizations"--online teaching tools designed to simulate the experience of working at a typical corporation, school, or government agency, Phoenix students can…

Lately there has been a great deal of discussion about the importance of measuring a college's "return on investment." Is the point of a college education quantifiable results or personal and intellectual growth? In pursuit of answers, "The Chronicle" asked a selection of higher-education leaders. Phyllis M. Wise, Chancellor of…

After watching the University of Phoenix become a national leader in online education, officials of the University of North Carolina system thought they could do it, too. Unlike Phoenix, which is a for-profit institution, the North Carolina system benefits from having a strong traditional reputation that comes with being a state university.…

For-profit colleges are some of the biggest critics of the federal graduation rate, arguing that it gives an inaccurate image of their institutions. They point out that the official calculation doesn't take into account the vast majority of the students who attend their institutions, most of whom are neither "first-time" nor "full-time." So major…

While the number of medical-school campuses in Arizona doubled--from two to four--in the last few years, there is no assurance that all of the new doctors they graduate will stick around to practice in the state. Medical schools here and nationwide are struggling to line up enough clinical-training slots so that an influx of new upper-level…

A few years ago, universities were dumping their online spinoffs like rotten fish. Now the virtual campus is re-emerging. But the new speculators are public universities, and instead of creating commercial, online branches like their predecessors, they are embracing a not-for-profit model. According to A. Frank Mayadas, president of the Sloan…

The president of the University of Phoenix calls its centralized course-development process a "safety net" for instructors. Critics call it a "cookie-cutter approach." (EV)

Describes how the for-profit University of Phoenix is attempting again to enter New Jersey, 3 years after withdrawing an application to operate there. This time, its plan focuses more on female and minority students. (EV)

Discusses how the University of Phoenix's online program is gaining more students and more accolades for its business and teaching successes. (EV)

Enrollment in for-profit colleges, while still a relatively small share of the higher-education market, has grown more than tenfold over the past decade. For-profit education companies are now in high demand among venture capitalists and investment bankers, and the industry is one of the rare ones that is faring well in this economy. But while…

A new program linking the Phoenix Union High School District with local community colleges and state universities identifies high-risk high school students, brings their work up to college level, counsels them, and monitors their progress to graduation. The high dropout rate forced institutions in the different segments to cooperation. (MSE)

Faculty at nonprofit colleges and universities are concerned about the quality of faculty at the for-profit University of Phoenix, and about the personnel policies that support them. This institution's faculty lacks tenure, and most teach part time. Ninety percent are fully employed elsewhere. The fast-paced courses and regimented curriculum are…

Explores how Pittsburgh's traditional colleges did not fight the for-profit University of Phoenix when it arrived, but are now going after a tiny for-profit institution, Potomac College, that wants to expand into the area. The colleges claim the school unnecessarily duplicates offerings they provide. (EV)