Dr. William Pepicello, University of Phoenix President, helps prepare graduates for the road ahead
It's the season of caps and gowns, pomp and circumstance, and parties. University of Phoenix graduates across the country will be attending commencement ceremonies to celebrate their academic accomplishment, and embark on a new chapter in their lives and careers.
“The word commencement does not mean the end of something,” says Dr. William Pepicello, president of University of Phoenix. It means the beginning of something. For students, it’s the beginning of the next portion of their lives, whatever that is going to be.”
Dr. Pepicello will act as Master of Ceremonies for the Phoenix-area graduations, and will attend numerous ceremonies at various University of Phoenix campuses nationwide. He says graduation day provides a chance for the staff and faculty at the University to see the results of what they do year-round. Pepicello talks not only to the graduates, but their families, as he knows it hasn’t always been easy for any of them. That's because many graduates are working learners — adults who balance jobs, their studies and family responsibilities.
“The advice I would give is number one, follow your passion, and along with a little luck and a lot of hard work having achieved a degree will allow you to do that,” he says. “And number two, remain flexible. My passion led me to where I am. I never planned to be president of University of Phoenix, or president of anything for that matter. But if you follow your passion and remain flexible, you will achieve success that you might not even have dreamed of.”
Preparing for challenges ahead
Today’s graduates face a plethora of workforce challenges, including stiff competition for jobs, but a degree can help them move forward in their careers. Pepicello says entry-level jobs are more highly competitive today versus years ago, partly due to the economy and partly because companies are outsourcing their work to labor forces in other countries.
University of Phoenix faces challenges as well. Its top challenge, he says, is preparing students to “enter a job market in the next five to ten years that will be full of jobs we have no idea about. We prepare people who have skills and abilities that they will be able to adapt going forward. The health care industry, for example, will have to prepare for the onslaught of Baby Boomers that will need care in the coming years. And today’s workforce is increasingly multi-cultural, requiring the ability to understand and work with those who have diverse experiences and perspectives. The University is responding to these shifts.”
“What we really want to stress for people is the ability to think critically, to be a problem solver and work collaboratively, and certainly to have communications skills,” Pepicello says.
This year's graduates have not only learned these valuable skills, they have the chance to use their degree to fulfill their goals in life. University of Phoenix is proud to be part of that.
