The University of Phoenix and Football?

The University of Phoenix does not have a football team. In fact, it has no athletic teams at all. It concentrates all of its efforts in online and regional centers which offer pre-packaged degree programs. Student support services are less that those offered at other more traditional universities allowing the Apollo Group (the owners of the University of Phoenix) to reap higher profits by not spending money on things like coaches, counselors, and librarians.

As such, it was a shock to many when the Apollo Group actually spent $154.5 million dollars to rename Cardinals Stadium in Arizona the University of Phoenix Stadium for the next twenty years. Even though the University of Phoenix has no football team, it will now have its name on the stadium hosting the 2007 NCAA Division 1 National Championship game. As Watters (2006) wrote, “The university considers it a good marketing move. The stadium's national attention widened with the ESPN broadcast of this week's Monday Night Football game pitting the Cardinals against the Chicago Bears. The spotlight will only intensify with the Fiesta Bowl and national college football championship game in January and Super Bowl XLII in 2008.”

This move makes a lot of sense. Many people (including educators in higher education) question the University of Phoenix model. Many are reluctantly accepting online degree programs from traditional campus based institutions such as Central Michigan University and Penn State. However, Phoenix (and other similar schools) are not as accepted and are seen by many as being little better than glorified diploma mills.

Big time college athletics is one of the main ways many in the United States see higher education. Most Americans do not have a college degree. However, many of these non-college degree holders avidly follow college athletic teams. Outside of the Final Four, the BCS Bowl games (including the rotating national title game) are among the biggest sporting events in college athletics. Millions will view the Fiesta Bowl being played in Arizona. And Guess what? Ohio State (or Michigan depending on this Saturday’s game) will be playing another well known school at the University of Phoenix’s field.

Without a doubt, this will help to legitimize a University of Phoenix degree for many. A student considering college will see the game played with the Phoenix name on the screen. Employers will think that Phoenix degree is as legitimate as more traditional degree from schools that are playing in the University of Phoenix Stadium. Perhaps this will make them more willing to hire a Phoenix graduate? And for the University of Phoenix, this twenty year deal is a real bargain. Supporting a Division 1 athletic program would be far more expensive over the same period of time and would bring in less visibility.

The University of Phoenix is competing with traditional schools for students. In the past, it could not compete with the good PR that these schools get from their televised athletic events. This helps the University of Phoenix close the gap on this with these schools. In addition, it clearly shows that the University of Phoenix is the strongest and most prestigious of the mostly online schools. How can Walden University (and other similar schools) compete with the U of P marketing wise?

The University of Phoenix has claimed some prime football real estate without having a football team. The national college football game will be held at their stadium as will the Super Bowl in 2008. With this comes a great marketing opportunity which may help to legitimize a Phoenix degree. Can the traditional schools respond? Can the other non-traditional degree providers find a similar marketing opportunity to keep up with Phoenix? I am not sure of the answers but I think this was a well spent $154.5 million on the part of the University of Phoenix.

Reference

Watters, C. (2006, Oct. 18). Arena name could change soon. Arizona Republic, accessed at http://www.azcentral.com/community/westvalley/articles/1018gl-a arena18Z20.html on 13 November 2006.

Should a College Education Equal Higher Wages?

Tannock, S. (2006). Higher education, inequality, and the public good. Dissent, 53(2), 45-51.

Abstract

The author of this article makes the argument that the real issue of access to higher education is not cost. Instead, the issue is the large gap between the earning power of college graduates and non-college graduates. He argues that since most jobs do not require a college degree, and that as most Americans are not college graduates, the best solution would be to suppress the wage gap so that a college education is not the only real viable choice for social mobility.

The article documents the widening gap in income levels between those with college degrees and those without. This is then coupled with commentary on those who then argue that college should be for all. The author disagrees with this, states fewer should attend college, and then argues that higher education today is a failure because it is a cause of the wage disparity.

Higher education is criticized for marketing itself as an investment in future income. Further, higher education is accused of pushing graduates into high paying jobs and ignoring lesser paying jobs due to high student debt loads. Public law and teaching are cited as examples of areas for the public good that many college graduates can not afford be employed in.

The author argues that universities should turn their research agendas towards studying ways that the education wage disparity can be shrunk. Further, he wants institutions of higher education to lower the pay disparity between professional and non-professional staff. Why should faculty make four times more than the cleaning crew?

Implications

I found this article down right goofy and full of impossible recommendations to be of any real note. However, in the larger environmental scanning mode, I can see the importance of this article. While the arguments may not always be on target, I can see the public at large begin to doubt the need for higher education in the future.

As tuition costs creep ever higher, and more and more become disenfranchised from the process, many will ask “why bother?” Leftist activists who believe that everyone should have the same income coupled with right leaning populist who wish to diminish the power of the “egg heads” may work together to undermine the universal importance of higher education. I can see a real push to create additional gatekeeping processes which allow individuals access to positions of power and influence that cuts out the need for higher education. Higher education advocates will need to prove the value of academia.

The Life Experience Degree Diploma Mill University This is a clever site which parodies all those diploma mills which operate on the Web. In particular, I liked the page which was titled "The University of Bull Shit." I hope this site discourages people from purchasing "easy" degrees.

From the site:

We are a panel of educators, employers, and administrators who believe that veterans, parents, spouses, those who have conquered addictions, successfully dealt with hardships, or have mastered their trades, should be granted respect, and credit, in the form of a degree from a prestigious University.

Actually, we are not such a University, but we'll do our best to play the part! Let's be honest here. We're the only site that will tell you THE TRUTH!

Actually, Here Is How It Goes:

A webmaster creates the web pages for this site, a graphic artist, a printer, a calligrapher and a shipping service coordinate to issue our "diplomas" to our "alumni". But even though many people are involved with this process, our "tuition" is the most affordable around.

Surf the Internet and you'll see we speak the truth about "Life Experience Degrees" . . . They're all "BULLSHIT" . . . and employers know it, too!

The Value of a College Degree. Yes, they really are worth something. In addition to being better educated and more sophisticated, you can actually increase your earning power over time. This would be a good article to share with junior high and high school students who are reluctant about college.

From the article:

The escalating cost of higher education is causing many to question the value of continuing education beyond high school. Many wonder whether the high cost of tuition, the opportunity cost of choosing college over full-time employment, and the accumulation of thousands of dollars of debt is, in the long run, worth the investment. The risk is especially large for low-income families who have a difficult time making ends meet without the additional burden of college tuition and fees.

In order to determine whether higher education is worth the investment, it is useful to examine what is known about the value of higher education and the rates of return on investment to both the individual and to society.

Turning Ph.D.'s into Librarians

Turning Ph.D.'s into Librarians This article in the Chronicle details how Yale University has a fellowship program which is intended to turn Ph.D. holders into librarians in a year. Note that Yale does not have a library school and that this program does not result in a MLS degree. This bothers me.

Check out the following paragraph from the article: "What is so important about this new program is that it opens up a library career to Ph.D.'s after only a year of training in an academic library. The union card for library positions has always been the master's of library science (M.L.S.), and for Ph.D.'s that has traditionally meant two additional years of study and expense after completion of the Ph.D. Understandably, library professionals have mixed opinions about a shortcut for Ph.D.'s that bypasses a library degree. Some are pleased that this shortcut will bring more needed Ph.D.'s into the library, and others are worried that these Ph.D.'s will lack crucial knowledge about how libraries work."

Bothered? You had better believe it. As a profession are we really going to undercut ourselves by saying OK to this? I am going to say no. If I am on a search committee and a "graduate" of the Yale Fellowship program applies, the applicant will be sorted right into the rejected "does not have an MLS" pile with the other librarian wannabees who think an advanced degree and a "love of reading" will get them in.

Perhaps Yale should pursue ALA certification and start offering an approved MLS? How unfair to these Ph.D. holders who really believe the Yale program will get them library jobs. Most libraries just are not going to hire these folks in roles as librarians.