Mailbag: University of Phoenix
Blog Post
Nov. 7, 2007
Readers comment on items weeks or even months after a post first appears, and we fear that some may miss valuable and interesting feedback. So from time to time, we at Higher Ed Watch are going to highlight moving, thoughtful, and sometimes incendiary comments that we have received on past posts.
Today we are focusing on the University of Phoenix and comments received regarding a post we ran in February that focused on the school's academic quality and allegations of deceptive recruiting practices. The item, "Fed Up at the University of Phoenix," questioned whether it is in the public's best interest to continue to provide huge subsidies, in the forms of federal grants and loans, to for-profit colleges run by publicly-traded, for-profit higher education companies that appear to be more interested in rewarding investors on Wall Street than educating students.
Few other posts have attracted the kind of reader feedback that our University of Phoenix item has. In fact, we are continuing to receive comments on the post, presumably from readers who find the article on search engines like Google and Yahoo.
Many of the comments we have received come from students who were unhappy with the University of Phoenix. Here's one such comment that we received in March from a student who said that irrespective of secondary school or student preparation, the university places an emphasis on recruiting students or as another student who wrote in put it, getting "asses in the classes":
"The school is killing the value of a college degree by giving it out to people who have no place being in college. If college is really for "everyone" then what makes it different than high-school?"
In July, a graduate of the University of Phoenix named Kathy wrote us, questioning the value of her degree: "I graduated from UOP three years ago. I have to say that I have yet to receive even a "call back" from any potential employer who has received my resume. I make the same amount of money I did when I started school, and now have to go back again and get another bachelor's degree from a state university... Don't end up like me... $40,000 in debt and getting deeper with a $15/hr job!"
Others felt that they had gotten ripped off by the school. This week, a student named Melanie, who is in the University of Phoenix online program, wrote in to say she felt "bamboozled" by the school:
"THEY STALK YOU TO GET YOU IN CLASS, LIE ABOUT THE FINANCIAL AID, AND THEN DROP YOU LIKE A HOT-POTATO ONCE YOU ARE IN THE HEAD-COUNT. THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU ANYMORE."
Of the 34 comments we have received on the post, about a dozen came from readers defending the university. Some came from students who had only good things to say about the education they have received. For example, in August, a student named Jodell wrote the following:
"I am currently completing my 3rd year and final course as a doctoral learner in the University of Phoenix School of Advanced Studies in Educational Leadership. I have received an excellent value of education for my dollar and can stand side by side with any doctoral student in Educational Leadership from a "brick and mortar" traditional university."
Several other students were quite critical of those commenters who had offered negative feedback about the university. In May, a reader wrote the following:
"Let's get real! I have read several pieces of writing regarding a negativity towards this University. The writing has been 'Cry me a River' or 'I am a victim.' I find it completely ironic how many self proclaimed victims there are out there. And by the way, I am a student at UOP. I am pleased with my education..."
Some commenters argued that the concerns we wrote about apply to nonprofit colleges as well. In February, a reader with the initials MR wrote in February:
"Don't fool yourself or attempt to influence your readers into believing that not-for-profit education in the United States is about anything other than money (profit)...I ask you to look no further than the inflated salaries paid to NCAA coaches. What exactly funds these salaries -- ticket sales for sporting events, corporate sponsorship, "marketing" ? This is exactly the type of activity that UOP and/or any company would engage in to promote a product/service and pursue growth of market share."
But other readers felt that for-profit colleges deserve greater scrutiny than traditional colleges. A reader named Suzanne B, who previously worked at a trade school, wrote in June:
"The UoP is not operating in a vacuum. There are many other for-profit schools out there that take your money and do not deliver on their "education" promises. I worked for a for-profit school that routinely signed up students using government Title IV Funds and the admissions reps knew what they were selling was an undeliverable product. Students were screwed; they had huge student loans that came due, no diploma to show for it and, here's the best part, their credit history was ruined (probably for life). But the school posted record profits. The for-profit system should be abolished. It's not about the student or education; it's about making money for the board of directors and the shareholders."
We appreciate all the comments we have received on the University of Phoenix matter and other items. Please keep them coming. Sometimes, we respond publicly. Sometimes not. Regardless, others do. We publish nearly every comment, including those critical of us, without editorial change beyond legal considerations and aim to make sure the most trenchant comments are read widely. We'll continue to do so in the future.