This article may not conform to the neutral point of view policy. A Wikipedian has nominated this article to be checked for its neutrality. Discussion of this nomination can be found on the talk page. University of Phoenix Motto One University. Many Ways to Earn Your Degree. Established 1976 Type Private Staff 7,000+ President Laura Palmer Noone Undergraduates 150,000+ Postgraduates 50,000+ Location Phoenix, Arizona USA Campus Urban Locations 170+ campuses Website phoenix.edu The University of Phoenix is the largest private university in the United States and the first with a for-profit model. It is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona and was founded in 1976 by John Sperling. UOP specializes in adult education in three modalities: Ground, Online, and FlexNet. Contents 1 Background 2 Modalities 3 Academic programs 4 Controversy 5 References 6 External links Background 240,000 people attend this institution, most of them through its virtual campus and the rest in one of the 170 campuses this institution has across the United States and Canada, its campus in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico and its campus in Puerto Rico. The university has been accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools since 1978. The university is owned and operated by the Apollo Group, a publicly-traded corporation, which also owns and operates Western International University, the College for Financial Planning, and the Institute for Professional Development. Modalities Ground Ground classes are similar to the traditional college experience. Here, students attend a class with a professor/facilitator who encourages or facilitates a class discussion. These classes normally are 5 - 6 weeks long, depending on the program of study. These students typically attend one day a week and are in class for 4 hours. They also are expected to spend time outside of scheduled class time, working with a "Learning Team". The learning team usually numbers between 3 - 5 students, and are expected to complete assignments for credit in class. Many professors will have each learning team give at least one presentation during their course. Online These students attend an online classroom via their web browser or Microsoft's Outlook Express. In place of a classroom discusion the facilitator will ask the class, "discussion questions" via the classroom newsgroups. Each student then responds to these discussion questions and is expected to respond to one another's responses, thus creating an online discussion on a variety of subjects. To see a slide demonstration of this visit. [1]These classes follow a similar format as ground classes with 5- to 6-week long courses. Students attending online can connect to their online classroom anywhere they have an internet connection. They are expected to enter and particpate in their online classroom 4 out of the 7 days in a week. These students should expect to spend at minimum 15 hours a week on their educational studies. However this time can be divded up over the week to fit the students schedule. Flex-net Students attending class via flex-net attend a ground campus first and last day of class. They attend online classes the other days. Academic programs The University of Phoenix is divided into four schools, some with associated colleges. The John Sperling School of Business and Technology College of Undergraduate Business and Management College of Information Systems and Technology College of Graduate Business and Management Artemis School of Education, Health and Human Services College of Education College of Health and Human Services University College The School of Advanced Studies Controversy Academic purists have criticized John Sperling for introducing the profit motive to higher education and for getting rich in the process. A professor at San Jose State University declared "John Sperling represents something horrible in American education". In his article Drive-Thru U, James Traub of The New Yorker compares the University of Phoenix's profit model to converting a four-star restaurant into a McDonald's. Critics refer to the institution as the "U of F," a jibe at the university's academic standards. The university was investigated by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) during 2004-05 for its recruiting practices and for its student funding programs. In September 2004 the department reviewed complaints from 60 employees and former employees. Some of the practices were considered to be illegal or unethical. Reports indicated how admission counselors were sent to a "glassed-in isolation room, called the Red Room, where underperformers were put on display to work the phones under intense management supervision."[2] The University of Phoenix settled out of court, paying $9.8 million. This is the largest fine ever imposed by the DOE. In August 2005, Apollo Group was fined $343,000 (less than one percent of the federal funding the company received during the period) for two federal violations that involved student funding programs. The Office of the Inspector General stated that the university improperly used funds crediting student accounts for fees on prior learning assessments. Another discovery was that it had issued funds to students enrolled in ineligible programs. Apollo's after-tax income for the three-year period was nearly $700 million. The university also spends much money on internet advertising.[3] References Straub, J. Drive-Thru U. The New Yorker, Oct. 20 & 27, 1997, p.p. 114-123. MGT350 'Critical Thinking'. UOP Press, Mar. 5, 2006, p.1. Marketing campaign grows University of Phoenix Online enrollment. URL accessed on 18 May 2006. Farrell, E. F. [2003, May 30]. For-profit colleges see rising minority enrollments. [Electronic version]. Chronicle of Higher Education, 49, A35. External links Online class demo [4] Official University of Phoenix website and online campus U of Phoenix Degree Offerings Apollo Group, Inc. Corporate Directors: John Blair • Dino DeConcini • Hedy Govenar • John R. Norton • John Sperling • Peter Sperling Assets: College for Financial Planning • Institute for Professional Development • University of Phoenix • Western International University Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Phoenix" Categories: Articles which may be biased | Universities and colleges in Arizona | Online schools | For-profit colleges and universities | Open Universities