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Donald Bobbitt, president of the University of Arkansas, is interested in joining the University of Phoenix, but we have some concerns.

Some of our concerns are shared by current chair of the system’s board of trustees, Cliff Gibson, who stepped down on March 1, and a group of veterans, students, consumers, civil rights, and other advocates who wrote a letter on February 1. 15 Gibson and other trustees detailing their concerns.

It was assumed that the non-profit organization Transformative Education Services Inc. from Arkansas will buy the University of Phoenix, one of the largest for-profit colleges in the country, which will then itself become a non-profit organization. The deal is reportedly valued at hundreds of millions of dollars. However, UA will not use any public funds to purchase or operate the University of Phoenix, a UA spokesperson said, and Phoenix will only be “affiliated” with UA.

Bobbitt said the membership will generate about $20 million a year for the UA system, and Phoenix’s technology and student recruitment and retention strategies will benefit the system’s schools. Also touted is Phoenix’s emphasis on online education for non-traditional students.

Our main concerns are twofold.

The reputation of the University of Phoenix is ​​problematic. In 2019, the school and its then parent company agreed to a record $191 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over allegations that “they used misleading advertising that falsely advertised their relationship and employment opportunities at companies such as AT&T, Yahoo!, Microsoft, Twitter, and the American Red Cross,” the FTC said in a statement.

In addition, as Gibson put it, the new undertaking could be detrimental to the online efforts of the current institutions of the UA system.

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