University of Phoenix, Phoenix Campus

Mission Statement: The mission of the Phoenix Campus is to provide a superior academic experience for business, management, education, counseling and nursing working adult degree-seeking students and superior training for adults in the state of Arizona. We always treat our students with dignity, maintain the highest educational and ethical standards and provide excellent service.

How it all Began...
Recognizing the need for adult-centered education programs, Dr. John Sperling founded the University of Phoenix (UoP) in Phoenix, Ariz., in 1976. The University of Phoenix was designed to provide adults with the opportunity to complete their bachelor’s and master’s degrees while continuing to work full time. The innovative adult-learning model implemented by Dr. Sperling includes the use of practitioner faculty, cooperative learning, concentrated curricula, convenient class times and locations, and a dynamic classroom experience focusing on facilitated learning rather than a lecture format. This model has proven to be successful. Since 1976, the University of Phoenix has grown to 48 campuses in 14 states, Puerto Rico, and Canada. More than 57,000 students nationwide are enrolled in a wide variety of degree and certificate programs in various disciplines of business, education, counseling, nursing, and information technology.

Carrying out the Mission Statement
To complement the University of Phoenix’s corporate mission statement, the Phoenix Campus developed its own (see above). From the mission statement comes the campus core beliefs and values which are evident as strategic focal points and action steps throughout the strategic plan.

Strategic goals are set annually and revised semi-annually, along with the strategic plan itself. Using a cascading approach, goals are transferred from the highest levels of management through to all staff. Individuals and departments then create corresponding goals and action plans which are then sent back to the management staff for inclusion in the final strategic plan. The successful implementation of the action plans created by each department works to ensure the achievement of Phoenix Campus goals and ultimately of the mission, beliefs and values.

Communication is the Key to Success
Experiencing an average annual growth of 20 percent in students, staff and faculty during the past 10 years has led the Phoenix Campus management to a very important realization: communication is the key to success for a service-oriented, and quickly changing institution. Ensuring that all staff, especially front-line staff, have access to the most accurate and timely information will ultimately result in customers receiving the right answers to their questions the first time.

To support this need, the Phoenix Campus has developed several internal communication tools to optimize the effectiveness of each department and its employees. On a daily basis all employees receive the "Early Bird," an electronic newsletter sent via e-mail, which conveys new or revised policies, announces important company information, lists daily meetings and events, and recognizes employees who do extraordinary things inside and outside of work. All staff meet in weekly one-on-one meetings with their managers; and all departments hold regular staff meetings. Monthly all-staff meetings provide opportunities for staff to meet each other in person, ask questions, learn new things, and have fun.

To warehouse all this ever-changing information, the Campus instituted the "CyBird," an Internet site accessible only to University of Phoenix employees. The CyBird contains a wealth of easily searchable information about policies, campus locations, job responsibilities, commonly asked questions, and much more. Information in the CyBird is created and updated by staff throughout the Campus and new information is instantaneously available to all users.

All of the above information-sharing vehicles lend to the Campus’s ability to keep employees current and to rapidly communicate changing information to effectively and quickly meet customer needs.

Recognizing Customer Requirements
The University of Phoenix established itself by identifying and serving a market that was often ignored by traditional educational institutions: the working adult. By applying traditional marketing strategies, tools and techniques in a non-traditional industry, the University of Phoenix quickly and effectively communicated its message to its target and began its phenomenal growth.

With growth comes competition, and within the past five years an increasing number of traditional educational institutions have begun to offer programs targeted to the same working adult market as the University of Phoenix. As competition increased, the Phoenix Campus began applying more tools to attract new customers and increase the satisfaction of current customers. By segmenting its student and corporate customers, the Campus provides programs tailored to their needs through customized or new curricula and

convenient scheduling (corporate on-site programs, for example). By understanding the differences between its various customer groups, the Campus develops targeted advertising campaigns and develops specific customer support strategies for each group.

A wide variety of measurement tools are used to gather information from all customer groups. All new students complete registration surveys that provide extensive demographic and psychographic data; students who choose not to attend the University of Phoenix are then periodically surveyed to determine the reasons behind their decision. Students and faculty fill out an end-of-course survey at the completion of each course rating the quality of support services and the academic experience. Quarterly internal and external customer service surveys provide more specific feedback to each department within the Campus. Focus groups are used to gather in-depth information about a specific process. Competition is closely monitored through an analysis of publicly available information, marketing brochures, and reports from students who explore other schools and share their experience with the Campus staff.

Finally, informal information gathering through personal visits with community and business leaders helps Campus management to gain a broad perspective of our markets’ wants and needs. Valuable information gained through these many tools and techniques are translated into opportunities for improvement and innovation.

Working Toward a Common Goal
Since a student will eventually be a customer of every department in the Campus, the Phoenix Campus relies heavily on cross-functional collaboration between all of its departments to ensure that all viewpoints and internal requirements are addressed. Three formal process improvement teams are formed each quarter to revamp processes which cross departmental boundaries and require in-depth analysis and review. These teams have three months in which to complete their assignment. Mini process improvement teams will form as needed to address smaller processes or processes that need a quicker solution than the regular three-month deadline. All cross-functional teams receive 1-1/2 days of fast-paced training introducing team members to continuous improvement tools and to each other. Ongoing support is then provided through a team facilitator and a structured continuous improvement process for each team to follow.

In addition to the formal teams, interdepartmental committees are formed to complete special projects such as opening a new campus or introducing a new program. All campus staff are aware of the importance of including all appropriate players to the success of a process or project.

Commitment to Lifelong Learning
A commitment to lifelong learning is among the core values of the Phoenix Campus. This value is apparent not only in our classrooms but also in our offices. Employees are offered a generous tuition benefit and approximately 40 percent of current staff have completed or are enrolled in a University of Phoenix program. The company benefits from these educational pursuits as new ideas are brought from the classroom and applied directly at work.

Other ongoing training courses are available to all employees. A mandatory one-week new employee orientation introduces new staff to the culture, structure, and regulations of the Campus and the University. Monthly supervisor meetings and semi-annual retreats focus on developing our supervisors’ management and leadership skills. A wide variety of optional courses in time management, stress management, interpersonal communication, customer service, technical skills development, and other topics are offered to all staff. We believe that participation in educational and training programs leads to improvements in on-the-job performance and in self-confidence, which strengthens our campus internally.

Striving for Excellence
The Campus takes a proactive stance in managing its relationships with its students, faculty, and employees to ensure that positive outcomes are achieved. The University believes that if all adult learners are treated like customers, and superior academic programs are delivered within the classroom, then growth will naturally occur.

Our continual focus on the student as the customer has helped the University of Phoenix, Phoenix Campus, become the leading provider of higher education in the Phoenix metropolitan market.

University of Phoenix, Phoenix Campus
4605 East Elwood Street
P.O. Box 52076
Phoenix, AZ 85072-2076
(480) 966-7400

Other Phoenix-area campuses include: Gilbert Campus, Mesa Campus, Phoenix Northwest Campus, Scottsdale Campus, Phoenix Southbank Campus and Tempe Campus