I am a financial adviser and I was investigating DV for a client when I stumbled upon this site. It was interesting that this site about DeVry layoffs came up in the same search results with articles talking about the strategy to turn around and transform DeVry University. I applaud everyone's efforts to get to the bottom of the corporate scheme, but I have always believed that the way to see what a company is up to is look at their financial records. Money talks in more ways than one and employees have a right to know what their company's money is saying. Some of you probably know all of this already so forgive me if it is repetition, but here is my speculation from the point of view of someone who has seen similar things in similar organizations.
After reading the 2015 prospectus, I speculate, they are not going to “turn anything around”. They are changing course/transforming and phasing out programs, not associated with Health Care, CPA’s and global expansion. You should begin seeing requests to reduce student enrollment, in programs selected for the chopping block if you haven't already. There is an attempt to redirect and re-invest company funds to support other more viable programs and projects. When UIS phased out a few two year programs, they made the announcement two years out from the expected end date. In this case, I would expect to see such an announcement at the start of the next fiscal/academic year (July/Sept 2016). If you do not, then that could indicate an alternative exit strategy, that could be communicated when/if it requires your participation.
What would this mean to faculty and staff, cuts of course. They should make an attempt to see that all current and recently accepted students have access to all of the basic degree requirements, for the next couple years. A few staff may hang on beyond the 2017-2018 academic year to ensure any remaining students finish. This would likely be a cheaper option than giving students refunds. This option also helps with their grad and retention stats too.
In the end, they have other priorities and need to redirect funds to support this new direction (health care, CPA’s and global markets). It looks like a few of these new programs are set to begin within the next two years. So, DeVry Group will want to have additional money available by then. This is mostly just speculation of course, but it is supported by data and experience.
I can tell you for sure that the layoffs have little to do with saving money because it was not saved, it was all re-invested in other places. DeVry definitely has money, so the threat of bankruptcy, is not on the table at the moment. What I do not know, is why these things have not been communicated to you by this point. The numbers show a common phaseout pattern, that should have been announced, at least internally by now. If it is not announced soon, that may be cause for concern. I really do not mean to stir the pot, but if you are not in DeVry's health care, CPA or international departments, it may be time to start looking out for yourself and asking some questions.
Hope this helps.