The Sale of Waldorf--not the NY hotel!

In an earlier post, I referred to online education degrees being advertised in the Statesman Journal, and noted there that until then I hadn't heard of the provider--Ashford University. That mystery is solved now...when I read that:

It was novel a few years ago when Bridgepoint Education purchased the Franciscan University of the Prairies, also a small, religious Iowa college. Today the renamed Ashford University has both the former institution's campus (since improved), but also new online programs.

The same report notes that:

Many experts have been predicting -- just like Hanson -- that in the next few years more for-profit universities will buy financially struggling nonprofit colleges. And the model that Waldorf and Columbia Southern are following -- where the nonprofit institution retains some identity and a campus, even as it add programs linked to the larger for-profit interest -- appears to be growing.

I am not sure how much the two examples the story cites become a trend that "appears to be growing." Oh well .... :-)

Ad for online degree

So, I was doing my typical morning ritual--no, not that!!!--of reading the newspapers online, and I was at the Statesman Journal site where I saw an ad for .... yes, online degree programs.

It was from some outfit ARALifestyle.com, and it said "Top universities partner to offer online teaching credentials." Well, it does not take me much to become curious, and clicking that ad took me to this site. Here is an excerpt:

"The partnership between Ashford University and Rio Salado College Online offers aspiring teachers an accelerated opportunity to fulfill their dreams," said Ashford University Chancellor Jane McAuliffe. "By combining a bachelor's degree and a teacher preparation program, Ashford and Rio Salado are providing students with a truly unique opportunity."

I hadn't heard of Ashford until this ad. Even more curiosity. Turns out that it is located in Iowa. So, this university in Iowa is partnering with Rio Salado, which is in Arizona, for an online degree program. Of course, Rio Salado is quite well known in the online world, and the team that went to the conference also got to see that college's president in person, when she was a panelist.

Hmmm .... wait a minute. Isn't the teacher ed program a major part of our business here? I suppose we can always adopt a Alfred E. Neuman philosophy: "What, me worry?" :-)