How has the University evolved since its inception?

Dr. Pepicello asserts that the University has always been at the forefront of innovation in higher education offering such conveniences as online classes, flexible scheduling and continuous enrollment since its inception.

How do you define the University?

Two words come to Dr. Pepicello’s mind when defining the University: integrated and relevant. With online and local campus degree offerings, students can study at an accredited university at the associate’s level all the up through the Ph.D. level.

Who is the typical University of Phoenix student?

Aspiring to help strengthen America and be a productive member of the middle class, the typical University of Phoenix student fully understands the value of education in their lives and the lives of their families.

How does University of Phoenix help unprepared and underserved populations succeed?

With a diverse student body, a holistic approach to teaching and an open admissions policy, the University has a history of providing access to these populations.

How do University of Phoenix completion rates compare nationally?

Although the typical University of Phoenix student is faced with balancing career and family obligations, Dr. Pepicello affirms that completion rates at the University are comparable to conventional four-year colleges and universities.

How are the online students and physical campus students connected?

All students, regardless of how they go to class, have the opportunity to access academic tools, including the library, online or at local centers located across the country where they can also interact with faculty and their classmates.

What is the breakdown in online vs. on-campus student enrollment?

Dr. Pepicello points out that this differentiation in higher education, especially with accredited institutions, is no longer relevant as students typically move seamlessly between online and local campus classes.

How many students graduated from University of Phoenix last year?

According to Dr. Pepicello, the number of graduates from University of Phoenix yearly generally falls in the tens of thousands. However, in the last four years alone, the University produced 80,000 graduates in high-demand fields as nursing, health care, teaching and IT.

Is University of Phoenix Accredited?

University of Phoenix is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association (www.ncahlc.org). Also, a number of degree programs in business, counseling, education and nursing hold additional programmatic accreditation.

Can University of Phoenix credits transfer to other schools?

Transfer policies are determined by individual institutions and vary by school and program of study.

How large is your faculty? What percentage of your faculty is part time vs. full time?

According to Dr. Pepicello, more than 25,000 professionals make up the community of faculty members at University of Phoenix. Out of that number, the University employs 1,500 full-time or core faculty members who are responsible for curriculum and overseeing instruction.

What marketing goals does University of Phoenix have? How will these be measured?

The University, says Dr. Pepicello, doesn’t measure marketing as much as it measures how well it is accomplishing its mission in helping students achieve their goals. Marketing is just one component of how that is achieved.

What opportunities and challenges do you see with the new Obama-led administration?

By providing access to quality education that has a real-world application, University of Phoenix supports President Obama’s goal that every American have at least one year of education and to help our nation become the most highly educated country in the world by 2020.

The Provost, one of the highest positions an instructor can aspire to, is responsible for the college’s programs and accreditation. At University of Phoenix, this means overcoming the challenges and responsibilities of a University that spans more than 35 states and includes multiple regional accreditations. Find out more about our Provost, Adam Honea, and how he’s continuously improving University of Phoenix programs.

What is your background?

Dr. Honea received his Ph.D. from Stanford University and has been in higher education for more than 30 years. After starting with University of Phoenix in 1991 as a faculty member, he became a dean in 1999 and has been a Provost for the last three years.

What does a University provost do?

The provost oversees the academic programs and accreditation. Dr. Honea says the Deans of the various colleges work with him so that University of Phoenix maintains its accreditation or approval of programs.

How is Academic Affairs organized at UOPX?

Academic Affairs is organized by a series of colleges. The deans of each college are responsible for ensuring their respective academic programs meet accreditation standards. Dr. Adam Honea goes on to say that as a part of Academic Affairs, Academic Operations oversees the faculty who are teaching in the classes.

How is the curriculum developed and revised?

Our courses at the University of Phoenix are designed with input from faculty and the instructional designers. Together, they create course design guides that faculty use as their syllabus. Dr. Honea goes on to say that faculty is able to change assignments and the presentation as long as they adhere to the design guide outcomes.

How do you ensure degree and program quality?

All the programs at University of Phoenix are aligned to recognize national, programmatic and industry standards according to Dr. Honea. When a new program is developed, the first step is to attempt to find standards for that program. If none exist, the faculty team is used to help develop the standards.

Can you share some insights on how assessment is done at UOPX?

Assessment at University of Phoenix is done at the program and classroom level. Dr. Adam Honea says that the University uses different measures to triangulate the outcomes so the results of the assessment are more accurate. Additionally, classroom assessment is left to the faculty through individual and group assignments.

How do you select courses and how often do you change them?

Dr. Honea says that courses are selected at University of Phoenix based on the program. The program is designed first and then courses are aligned to that program. Individual courses are updated on a continuous improvement plan, and depending on the type of course it may be updated every year or two.

What kind of scholarly research does the faculty do?

University of Phoenix is student-focused and teaching students is our most important goal according to Dr. Honea. That’s why our faculty strives to stay relevant by doing scholarly research in a variety of areas. Some of our faculty even publish books and journal articles, as well as present their findings at professional conferences.

How were the academic reports developed and why is it important for universities to publish these reports?

The academic annual reports are broken down into two main sections. The first section describes current issues in higher education. This year, we focused on the 73% of students who do not fit the traditional model of a student. The second section of the report lets the outside world take a look at how our students are doing through demographics, faculty and outcomes from various measures.

What’s the idea behind the First-Year Sequence?

The First-Year Sequence customizes the student experience for students who are just entering college. This program is based upon research around retention and provides students with academic and life skills that help them have a successful college career.