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Rebel with a Cause: The Entrepreneur Who Created the University of Phoenix and the For-Profit Revolution in Higher Education
A little over 20 years ago, professor John Sperling designed a program that would allow working adults to earn a college degree in the same time it took full-time students on campus. This venture not only challenged many of the sacred tenets of academe, it also provoked a hostile opposition that bordered on rage. Realizing that a new, independent structure was necessary for his revolutionary ideas to survive, Sperling abandoned his academic career to found what would become the nation's largest and fastest growing private university- making him, at age 53, a very late-blooming entrepreneur and at age 73, an IPO megamillionaire
265 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 26, 2019
"The three behaviors that have served me best in my career as union organizer and entrepreneur are implacable opportunism, joy in conflict, and getting a thrill from taking risks - none of them a safe ride." (John Sperling, Rebel with a Cause, Page 3)
Written by the late billionaire John Sperling. For those who do not know who is, he is credited with being the founder of the for-profit University of Phoenix. Universities were non-profit in his days; however, he devised a plan to make one "for-profit" and his plan succeeded with an IPO (Initial Public Offering), which made him a fortune.
This book begins with the history of his educational achievements, family life (he cheated on his wives many times and his wives cheated on him), then gets into his role in the union and then creating a university for adult learners.
Much of the book is him striving to get his university accredited. All the litigation, lobbying and work he had to do to make this a reality. It really was an uphill battle. He finally succeeded, despite people labelling his university a diploma mill...the key to most of his success was hiring some good lawyers and experts who could bend anything to make it look right.
The last part of his book he labelled "Giving Back." His way of giving back, along with his cohort George Soros, was to make drugs legal and reform what was labelled "The War on Drugs." His other ways of giving back were businesses that he formed for his own profit. I wouldn't have labelled it "giving back", as many of these businesses were for his own profit and I think he was a drug addict; however, he doesn't mention this in his book, but I don't know why someone would put so much effort in getting drugs legalized?
2 Stars in my opinion, unless you are a lawyer, who is interested in the back and forth of litigation, lobbying efforts and legalizing drugs.
Written by the late billionaire John Sperling. For those who do not know who is, he is credited with being the founder of the for-profit University of Phoenix. Universities were non-profit in his days; however, he devised a plan to make one "for-profit" and his plan succeeded with an IPO (Initial Public Offering), which made him a fortune.
This book begins with the history of his educational achievements, family life (he cheated on his wives many times and his wives cheated on him), then gets into his role in the union and then creating a university for adult learners.
Much of the book is him striving to get his university accredited. All the litigation, lobbying and work he had to do to make this a reality. It really was an uphill battle. He finally succeeded, despite people labelling his university a diploma mill...the key to most of his success was hiring some good lawyers and experts who could bend anything to make it look right.
The last part of his book he labelled "Giving Back." His way of giving back, along with his cohort George Soros, was to make drugs legal and reform what was labelled "The War on Drugs." His other ways of giving back were businesses that he formed for his own profit. I wouldn't have labelled it "giving back", as many of these businesses were for his own profit and I think he was a drug addict; however, he doesn't mention this in his book, but I don't know why someone would put so much effort in getting drugs legalized?
2 Stars in my opinion, unless you are a lawyer, who is interested in the back and forth of litigation, lobbying efforts and legalizing drugs.
January 19, 2016
As a current employee of Apollo Group, I read this because I wanted to get to the primary source and understand what the founder believed and if it seemed like we were still on course, 15 years later. Sperling had an interesting life... the stubborness and hardships are well documented in these pages. You have to admire the visions he had for Apollo, UOPX, and his other companies.
Alas, here we are in 2015, and it's been a rough year (or two, or three) for Apollo. The YOY growth he brags about is gone. He mentions never missing an earnings quarter; we've now missed 20 in a row. The stock is below the IPO price, and the bad press rains on us daily. Really, I just wanted to see why he thought having an IPO was ever a good idea; after the amount of struggle it took just to get the company off the ground, why open yourself up to that much more by being publicly traded? The answer isn't in here, unless it really was just for wealth attainment. I was hoping for the rationale to be a more clearly laid out, but it's not. And the other companies he invested in/launched have long since shuttered.
If you are interested in AZ politics, Apollo Group, or University of Phoenix, especially if you ever worked there, than this book is worth a read. If you want a good B-school book or something about the company that's fresh and current, move along...
Alas, here we are in 2015, and it's been a rough year (or two, or three) for Apollo. The YOY growth he brags about is gone. He mentions never missing an earnings quarter; we've now missed 20 in a row. The stock is below the IPO price, and the bad press rains on us daily. Really, I just wanted to see why he thought having an IPO was ever a good idea; after the amount of struggle it took just to get the company off the ground, why open yourself up to that much more by being publicly traded? The answer isn't in here, unless it really was just for wealth attainment. I was hoping for the rationale to be a more clearly laid out, but it's not. And the other companies he invested in/launched have long since shuttered.
If you are interested in AZ politics, Apollo Group, or University of Phoenix, especially if you ever worked there, than this book is worth a read. If you want a good B-school book or something about the company that's fresh and current, move along...
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews