Thread regarding DeVry Inc. layoffs

As 3toz stated, the prior CEO took us down a path that drastically strayed from what we were, what we were known for, and we essentially abandoned our well-established technology niche. Some of us railed about this vision in faculty meetings held over fifteen years ago and we predicted this horrific outcome, and here we are. Had we not been chasing waterfalls and instead nurtured, evolved and grown our brand as a highly reputable, career-oriented, hands-on technology school we may have been able to weather the storm (i.e., the great consolidation) in higher education that’s been occurring since roughly 2012 or so. We effectively abandoned this valuable niche rather than fight to hold and extend it. Instead, during much of this we served as the cash cow to launch Chamberlain, which is fine with me except we took our eye off the ball at DeVry and let it die, and that’s not truly the concept of diversification. Indeed the former leadership destroyed a strong and respected organization.

The point was next made in this thread as to why the current leadership has not yet managed to fix things, but consider all of the damage that was done to our organization along with our current vile reputation. I personally suspect that moving forward one of the things senior management will need to do is change our university’s name, just as was done for Adtalem, since our reputation and current moniker has been ruined. Finally, when the latest senior talent took over at the top level, many of us strongly suspected that LW’s marching orders from the board required her to stabilize the financials and quickly find a buyer who would take this tar baby off of Adtalem’s hands once and for all, rather than try to repair all of the damage. It would seem she had quite a challenge, since the best she could do was give away DVU for free, plus pay a multimillion dollar “dowry” and also cover some of the expenses of the deal for a buyer that some were probably concerned might never pass muster with the regulators.

This is just my perspective from where I sit up in the cheap seats, and like all of you I’m mad, too, about the misguided direction, management hubris, and now the multifaceted abuse we currently suffer as faculty here. If anyone out there has a time machine please let me know so I can travel back to 2000 and warn my younger self not to hitch my cart to the DVU horse. Is anyone considering writing a piece about this organizational debacle? It would count toward a scholarship item on your next IPP, if there is one.

3toz...He's been gone for three years now...and while it's easy to pile on, I'm wondering why those who were charged with cleaning up the mess aren't being assessed as critically?

Hamburger DESTROYED this school! He is nothing more than a highly educated con artist. And he is very good at it.

Devry is the root of "grifting" behavior because they not only encourage instructors to lower educational standards, they penalize them if they don't. Sorry, but Devry management has been lowering educational standards for ten years and more.

Since you are not appreciated, much less valued, leave this phantom "school" and go where you can make a contribution. Wishing all of you well.

I hated the term "persistence" when I first heard its "newspeak" (Orwell's term for language designed to diminish thought) in 2011. What can one do to persist those whose illiteracy is profound and whose ethic is purely mercenary. It grated on me almost as much as the Burgermeister's "doing well by doing good"--faugh!

The better term for the aforementioned manipulative group of “students” is “grifters”! They’re deliberately abusing the financial aid system and have contributed to devaluing the organization’s standing along with the degrees earned by serious students. The organization has been either unable or unwilling to institute more stringent policies and procedures to quickly identify, counsel, document, and “nudge” these fraudsters OUT of the university, and it’s all in the name of “persistence” (a euphemistic term I’ve grown to loathe). This is bad business, and it seems to me we could have addressed the problem early, except that by allowing the grifters to stretch their stay to the limit we bolster enrollment and revenue numbers.

It’s sobering to think this is really an aspect of the business model, and that the professor is the one held accountable and blamed when the phantom student does not pass. So much for being a “valued” employee.

You are missing the biggest scammer, DeVry. We make money on the tuition and can use these students in the 10% of the 90/10 rule. 10% of students cannot use Title IV funding. We need these students at any cost. Learn to accept this if you want to keep your job or go teach somewhere else.