… or is it some other school with a similar logo? (via Inside Higher Ed)

I have a lot of respect for the accomplishments of the University of Phoenix.  Although I regularly take for-profit schools to task, those are usually the non-accredited technical
schools which I believe provide an inferior education at a superior price. University of Phoenix falls into a different category for me - an accredited university with more diverse offerings.

Some would argue that UofP also provides an inferior education at prices that are too high.  The cost is not far out of line for a private university.I have had colleagues who were continuing their educations through UofP that eventually changed to lower-cost public college online programs. They all seemed happy with their classes and learning but they could not pay private university prices

What I admire about UofP is their focus on customer service and access to education. Many universities seem to believe that these values are inimical to a university education. It is the focus on making a profit and expanding market share that causes UofP to act the way it does. Institutions of higher education that are insulated from the market by large endowments and public funding have no motivation to change.

I recently noticed a UofP ad campaign that I think is brilliant. You can view an example below from YouTube:

Thinking ahead ad (you have to go to YouTube to view - embedding is disabled)

I went through these ads to record the messages being delivered:
University of …

• boundaries are nothing
• next level, here I come
• I don’t want to miss a thing
• classes that escape the classroom
• where I am is not where I am going to be
• class is in session when I so choose
• I am not a hamster and life is not a wheel

Every ad ends with the confident statement, “One university understands how you live today, and where you want to go tomorrow.” Emphasis is very heavy on the word, “One.” The ads aim right at the needs, desires, and fears of the audience UofP is addressing. Is the message fair and not misleading? Certainly the idea that only one university can deliver this kind of program is incorrect, but I think the message is dead on for helping UofP capture more market share. Other colleges and universities tend to focus on prestige in their commercials aired around NCAA sporting events.

Will other universities start to focus on these kinds of customer needs? I think it all depends on whether or not they are exposed to the market forces that UofP faces.

If you have thoughts or experience with UofP, please share them in the comments section.

TSTC Waco was featured on this local news story about increasing numbers of distance learning students.  The cost of gasoline was suggested as one explanation.  The video (here) notes that we had 713 students enrolled in DL courses this summer, up around 300 from last summer.

The reporter interviewed a student named Elisabeth Sandifar out on the campus mall.   She is a dual credit student.  Karen Norman, an instructor in Computer Networking & Systems Administration who is continuing her education online from UT Tyler, was also interviewed for the piece.