I often patronize this site for useful information about Phoenix enrollment, layoffs, closures, academics, advising, leadership, culture, and systems. I appreciate many of the contributors and have found some of the opinions insightful and information useful; HOWEVER, I really dislike sorting through posts authored by agitators, whiners, the disgruntled and spiteful, and most of all those with Phoenix degrees who clearly require remedial writing assistance. I do like reading posts that are effectively written and related to complaints, concerns, opinions, experiences, assessments, quality, processes, culture, leadership, academics, HR, IT, and other types of legitimate organizational evaluations. Please don't use this forum to merely spout off on Phoenix and offer comments that can best be characterized as vulgar, immature, petulant, or are clear reprisals aimed against a Phoenix who has done you wrong. There is a ton of Phoenix behavior to write about that is legitimately unethical, dishonorable, spiteful, biased, unprofessional, incompetent, avaricious, and perhaps illegal. Use spell-checker and also check grammar; however, I do realize that those with Phoenix degrees probably don't even realize or recognize what is or is not appropriate grammar, punctuation, and sentence construction.
10 replies (most recent on top)
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Close the joint down.
Every institution does have problems because we are yet to be perfected; however most of the problems I have experienced at other institutions are not the same caliber as those at Phoenix that involve poor brand reputation, countless lawsuits, regulatory sanctions, unbridled growth, going public and then back again to private, being sold, huge layoffs, attrition, graduation rates, open enrollment, student loan debt, predatory recruiting practices, instructional dollars versus advertising, and the intense scrutiny and criticism such behavior has invited. Granted institutions have conflict and problems related to tuition, cost, relevance, academic freedom, tenure, government regulations, research grants, and other problems associated with managing a complex public or private institution of higher learning that is mission-driven. They seem to avoid the experiences of the profit-driven sector. Few non-profits I know of have been forced to defend themselves against predatory recruiting, a tarnished reputation, whistle- blowing, and fraud.
Most of the replies here affirm my observations and sentiments. It really isn't a joke and is a sad commentary on both UOP and academics in America. Of course there are graduates who are competent and could have been successful anywhere. Over the years this number has tragically dwindled. Competition, reputation, the economy, the academic model, and horrible management all conspired against UOP sustainability. Throw in unmanageable growth and it is clear what happened to the sparse quality once resident in academic programs. Unfortunately open enrollment is not Darwinian when there is external and artificial intervention to retain students and enable them to graduate such as pressuring faculty to help retain students through soft grading, and dumbing down the curriculum to enable the lowest common denominator to pass through. The doctoral program is a joke and should never have been attempted. College is not for everyone. And UOP proves that. Some people simply cannot manage the rigors a college education should present; however many students were duped by UOP to think they could. State institutions throughout the country contribute to academic attrition. This was one of the factors driving early UOP success, providing access for adults and degree completion for the approximately 30% of freshman who annually drop out of state schools for a myriad of reasons. Pompous, perhaps. That does not by definition undermine the insight I have gained and earned through 25 years of teaching and administration at several UOP campuses and online. Few people in a system can see its flaws because doing so threatens security, effort, and posterity. For many years I justified my employment by telling people and myself I was educating students despite system and model constraints and that I could be a voice for change. I was rationalizing why I did not leave what I knew to be a corrupt culture and systematically ineffectual model. And they paid me well which is probably why many of my colleagues who were competent and dedicated people did not leave. I am confident my students did learn; however the UOP model does not and will not provide the breadth and depth required from a bonafide college experience available at most traditional institutions. The structure and philosophy need to be critically examined and questioned. Fast is not by definition good. An accelerated model moves students through the process faster, but learning and maybe even competency are probably jeopardized. I am not surprised by the rancor my comments generated. After all, most here are UOP graduates, and lack critical thinking skills. I guess you can blame it on UOP and like many other Gen Xers and Millennials, refuse to take personal responsibility and accountability, content or compelled to blame others. Or blame it on faculty.
Just a bunch of extraneous blather from some who you thinks he/she is smarter than everyone else. Every institution has dipshits and problems. You sound like one of the very cancerous whiners that any university would love to boot. Shove your "civility" and go be a baby somewhere else.
You may be faculty, or were, but no need for insulting those who earned their degrees through UoPX. Mind you, I've worked with some dim folks over the years but that was more, in my opinion, because they were in the wrong position.
I would like to say that part of the problem is that pompous facilitators (that's right, not "instructors"} add to the damage of the brand. Being a gate-keeper without teaching someone for 25 years at UoPX does not make you great. Educating an individual and changing a life does.
Take your opinions elsewhere and only request facts, or ask questions like a good, educated person would. By the way, I bet my survey scores are higher than yours, any day.
Ifn yew don’t lik wut is rit heer, go sumwers els. Anywun dat wuz edumakated at feenix hav a rite to rite heer.
That is being civil and acknowledging the elephant in the room. After 25 years of teaching here ( and several other "higher" institutions of learning, I feel more than qualified to offer my insight and opinion. The truth while painful, can be civil.
I won't dignify your lack of etiquette with a response. You just made my case.
Re:OP
The quality of verbosity in this instance should be restrained but alas he tends to drop it like verbal diarrhea on the posts below.
First, get off thesaurus.com and make an attempt at actual human dialogue.
Second, you request civility, then proceed slam the intellect of the people you are addressing.
Hypocrite. Leave.
Hold on - while calling for civility you bash people with degrees from UOP?
You are a moron.