The first institution I worked for in the field of higher ed was the University of Phoenix and I admit that, at the time, I never really paid much attention to the debate between for-profit / non-profit (and / or not-for-profit). I was in my mid-20’s, was happy to have a job and loved helping students. After working there just a few months and receiving a promotion from Student Services Support to Academic Advisor though, I started to learn more about the campus operations and the organization as a whole, and that’s when my education about higher education really started.
Part of my training as an Advisor, was to spend time sitting in on some of the recruiting appointments so I could gain an understanding of how the entire enrollment process worked. While there were a couple of recruiters who were very upfront and clear about exactly what prospective students could expect, the vast majority of the recruiters that I watched were really just there to tell the student what they wanted to hear, and whatever it took to get them to sign the application and sit down to complete the FAFSA:
- Sure, you can always take your classes on Tuesday nights only
- Of course you can complete your degree in just two years
- No, there isn’t any math required for your degree
- I’m sure all of your transfer credits will apply to your program
As an Advisor, I spent a great deal of time doing damage control by trying to get students to be realistic about what it would actually take to complete their degree (basically correcting all of the inaccurate information the Recruiter had told them). One a particularly challenging day, I remember speaking to one of the Recruiters about how it would be so much better for everyone if the Recruiters would just be honest with prospective students up-front, and his response was, “well, we really want you guys to get your bonus each quarter though”. After hearing him say that, I remember the feeling in my gut that told me, this was not the place for me.
While UoP had eliminated paying the Recruiters bonuses for the number of students they enrolled, they still had incentives in place to keep the recruiting department performing at their peak…a large part of the employee’s evaluation was based on how many students they enrolled (and evaluation performance was tied to raises) and if the Recruiters for a particular campus met a particular enrollment target, all of the full-time staff at that campus (except the recruiters) received a bonus. It was a tactic to keep all of us tolerating the inaccurate information the Recruiters gave out.
Fast-forward almost 15 years (and a transition from for-profit, to private not-for-profit, to public), and I have learned a great deal, but so many of the lessons I learned while at UoP stick with me; the biggest one is…just be honest with students about what their situation is, and what they are facing. As I read the article A New Leaf at Phoenix? in Inside Higher Education about some proposed changes that the University of Phoenix announced it was going to make starting last year, I had a flashback and was somewhat surprised that many of the practices I experienced at UoP were still going on.
The article discussed changing the title from Recruiter to Counselor (really though…what’s in a name??), removing the recruiting productivity piece from the performance evaluation of the Recruiter (oh, I mean Counselor), focusing on maintaining a longer-term relationship with the student instead of primarily being focused on just getting them in the door (and not really caring if they stuck around after that), and being less aggressive in their follow-up with prospective students.
While the overall tone of the article seemed to be that UoP was embarking on these changes because it was the right thing to do, my cynical-former-employee self simply said, “yeah, right”. They’re doing these things because they saw tighter regulation and scrutiny on the horizon and did what any smart business (that wants to stay in business) would do…turn pending legislative mandates into a public relations opportunity. It may be a new leaf, but it’s the same old tree.
Thank you, Darcy, I appreciate hearing from someone who has “been there, done that” in regard to the for-profit sector. It is one thing to view the University of Phoenix from an outsider’s position and be judgment about their practices and unwritten policies but to have it be firsthand experience has a greater influence on opinion. The toughest part of all the discussion surrounding transparency at for-profits is still the students. If the advisors/counselors are telling students what they want to hear, maybe we need to be changing what the students want to hear. Even if we’re at other institutions of higher education, I would hope we’re not just feeding into student expectations, we’re guiding them to widen their focus and interest. Yes, we understand getting the most bang for the buck is important but what is that “bang” about? I believe part of our job is to get students beyond the basics needs questions of “will my credits transfer” and “will I have to take a math class” and help them transform their goals into “how will I grow from this experience.” Because after they reach that level, we can ask the bigger questions, such as how can they give back?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Janella, perhaps we need to be changing what students want so that the non-profits are not so easily invited into the lives of the general public. But, how? How do we get that message out? I think a lot of the people drawn to the "amenities" of for-profits are often non-traditionally aged and balancing multiple responsibilities of work, family, and school. Do they have time to research their options? This is the prime market for schools like University of Phoenix because of what they can offer in terms of convenience in scheduling.
ReplyDeleteI know of a for-profit, Grand Canyon University that is currently preying on high school students, however. Within the last year, certain for profit institutions were permitted to join in on the traditional college fair circuit that most high school student attend. In this setting, I have heard some of the recruitment tactics. The one I find the most shocking is that they offer to fly students down to their campus to visit. Most public schools could not make that kind of offer.
Darcy!
ReplyDeleteI love your closing line about new leaf/same old tree! good closer! :)
Seriously though, your blog was very interesting. I have had a few friends who have worked for the for-profit schools and ultimately have come out of there with deep cynicism and a sense of relief to be back in non-profit higher education. I feel like a naive idealist, but I can't believe the for profit world is so manipulative in their sales of their programs. But then I think, a lot of the non-profit schools have done that too.
Commenting on these blogs has made me realize how cynical I really have become when it comes to the highest levels of leadership at colleges and universities (for profit and non profit). Even at non-profits, it is often about the money.
Darcy - this whole topic is fascinating. If I were a student, particularly an adult student, I might be really interested in what a for-profit school could do for me. One of the things I'm seeing right now is a number of for-profit institutions offering tuition discounts and other incentives for community college students to complete their associates degree and then transfer to their institution. Additionally, the for-profits are much more willing to take associates degrees as a block of credits or to take credit for prior learning. So, for many of our community college students it's just simply easier to finish their degree from places like the University of Phoenix. My personal experiencce at a community college is that the four-year schools who spend the most time on our campus happen to be for-profits. We have some four-year public institutions that our students only see once or twice a semester.
ReplyDeleteI put this out there because I would love to see our public institutions consider the ways in which they can "compete" - especially with respect to a population of older adults who are transferring to finish their bachelors degree. I do think it's worth taking a critical look at these institutions to understand what the attraction is for students. As non-profit institutions we can always find ways to improve our processes and rather than point the finger at for-profits I think we have to learn from them and get ahead of the curve a little if we want to find and develop new pipelines of students.
Darcy,
ReplyDeleteGreat Post! It was nice to hear about these issues from someone who has been in the thick of it. I have heard stories from students who have transferred in about their experiences at for-profits institutions, but I think your viewpoint is particularly interesting.
I've often wondered the motivation for staff working at for-profit institutions, aside from bonuses. Are they working there because they want to help students or make a buck? While I am sure there are some staff who put students first, you allude to a culture of getting students in the door to make a dollar. This type of culture is difficult to change, especially if the staff who disagree with it are forced to leave because they are not happy. I wonder if there were any staff that felt comfortable being vocal about their opposition to the recruiting practices, or have they all been weeded out?