DeVry University

"Devry" redirects here. For other uses, see Devry (disambiguation).
DeVry University
Type For-Profit
Established 1931
President Robert Paul
Students 42,000+
Location Downers Grove, Illinois, United States
Coordinates: 41°51′30″N 87°57′15″W / 41.858301°N 87.954059°W / 41.858301; -87.954059
Campus Multiple: 55+ United States, Canada, Brazil
Website www.devry.edu

DeVry University (/dəˈvr/) is a for-profit college. The school was founded in 1931 as DeForest Training School, and officially became DeVry University in 2002.[1]

The university is a division of DeVry Education Group,[2] a company that is also the parent organization for Keller Graduate School of Management, Ross University School of Medicine, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, American University of the Caribbean, Carrington College, Chamberlain College of Nursing, Becker Professional Review, and DeVry Brasil.[3] DeVry Education Group is headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois, and Lisa Wardell is the company's CEO.[4] DeVry University is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.[5]

As a for-profit institution, Devry has faced increasing scrutiny and criticism from the US government, state Attorneys General in Illinois and Massachusetts, the Pew Foundation, and the Mississippi Center for Justice (representing former students).[6][7][8][9][10]

As of 2015, DeVry had more than 42,000 students at more than 55 campuses throughout North America.[11]

History

Early history

DeVry was founded in 1931 as DeForest Training School in Chicago, Illinois.[1] School founder Herman A. DeVry, who had previously invented a motion picture projector and produced educational and training films, named the school after his friend Lee de Forest.[1] De Forest Training School originally taught projector and radio repair, but later expanded to include other electronic equipment such as televisions.[1] The school was renamed DeVry Technical Institute in 1953 and gained accreditation to confer associate degrees in electronics in 1957.[1]

Bell & Howell completed its acquisition of DeVry Technical Institute in 1967. A year later, the company acquired the Ohio Institute of Technology and DeVry was renamed DeVry Institute of Technology,[1][12] which was accredited to confer bachelor's degrees in electronics in 1969.[1]

Keller Graduate School of Management

Dennis Keller and Ronald Taylor met one another in the early 1970s when the two were teachers at DeVry.[1] Keller and Taylor learned the economics of for-profit education while at DeVry and, in 1973, the two founded the Keller Graduate School of Management with $150,000 in loans from friends and family.[13] The school was originally conceived as a day school that granted certificates.[13] The Keller School later became an evening program offering MBAs, focused on working adults by 1976.[13] The school was fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools in 1977, the first for-profit school to be accredited by the body.[13]

DeVry first received full accreditation in 1981.[13] The Keller Graduate School of Management acquired DeVry from Bell & Howell in 1987.[14] The leveraged buyout was worth $147.4 million.[13][14] The two schools were combined as DeVry Inc. with Keller acting as chairman and CEO and Taylor president and COO.[1]

DeVry Education Group

DeVry Inc. successfully completed its initial public offering in June 1991.[15] In 1995, its stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange.[16]

The university acquired Becker CPA Review, a firm that prepared students for the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination, in 1996.[17] DeVry acquired Ross University, a medical and veterinary school based in the Caribbean, for $310 million in 2003.[18] The university moved into the nursing field in 2005 with the acquisition of Deaconess College of Nursing, a St. Louis, Missouri-based nursing college that conferred both associate's and bachelor's degrees in nursing.[1][19] Deaconess College of Nursing was later renamed Chamberlain College of Nursing.[1]

DeVry Inc. entered Brazil with its 2009 acquisition of Faculdades Nordeste, Ruy Barbosa and ÁREA1, which are universities located in Northeast Brazil.[3] In 2012, the university acquired Faculdade Boa Viagem and Faculdade do Vale do Ipojuca.[3] DeVry acquired a sixth Brazilian university, Faculdade Differencial Integral, in 2013.[3] DeVry Inc. was renamed DeVry Education Group later that year.[20]

Locations

As of 2015, DeVry University has approximately 55 locations across 18 states in the United States.[21] The university's collective size is over 3 million square feet.[3]

In April 2015, DeVry University announced the closing of 14 campuses around the United States by 2016 as part of a larger restructuring strategy. Students affected by the campus closings are eligible for discounted tuition to attend online or other campus locations for the remainder of their degree program.[22]

Academics

DeVry University's academic offerings are organized into five colleges: The College of Business & Management, which includes Keller Graduate School of Management; The College of Engineering & Information Sciences; The College of Health Sciences; The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, which includes the School of Education; and The College of Media Arts & Technology.[3] The colleges offer a range of associate's, bachelor's and master's degree programs.[23] DeVry University also offers graduate certificates.[24]

DeVry operates on a uniform academic calendar for both undergraduate and graduate degree programs.[3] The university's academic calendar consists of six eight-week sessions.[3] Most degree programs are offered at both the associate's and bachelor's level. In addition, the institution offers various certificate programs in specific subfields such as information technology.

The Keller Graduate School of Management offers the following master's degree programs:[25]

Courses and programs are also offered online.[26] DeVry has offered graduate classes online since 1998 and undergraduate classes since 2001.[3]

DeVry is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.[27] Engineering technology programs are accredited on campus-by-campus.

Investigations, law suits, and settlements

In 1995, DeVry was suspended from Ontario's student loan program after a large number of its students misreported their income. DeVry was reinstated after paying fines of C$1.7 million and putting up a bond of C$2 million.[28]

In 1996, students of DeVry's Toronto campus filed a class-action suit claiming poor educational quality and job preparation; the suit was dismissed on technical grounds.[29][30][31]

In November 2000, Afshin Zarinebaf, Ali Mousavi, and another graduate of one of DeVry University's Chicago-area campuses filed a class-action lawsuit accusing DeVry of widespread deception, unlawful business practices, and false advertising and alleging that students were not being prepared for high-tech jobs.[32] The lawsuit contributed to a 20 percent slide in the company's stock.[33] The suit was not certified and the case was resolved for less than $25,000 in June 2006.[34]

In 2001, DeVry became the first for-profit school to obtain permission from the Alberta government to grant degrees, on recommendation by the Private Colleges Accreditation Board.[35] This decision was opposed by the Alberta New Democratic Party (sitting in opposition), the Canadian Federation of Students, and the Canadian Association of University Teachers.[36] The NDP claimed conflict of interest as an executive at DeVry served as both the president of DeVry's Calgary campus and as a member of the Premier of Alberta's special advisory council on postsecondary education.

In January 2002, Royal Gardner, a graduate of one of DeVry University's Los Angeles-area campuses, filed a class-action complaint against DeVry Inc. and DeVry University, Inc. on behalf of students in the post-baccalaureate degree program in Information Technology. The suit alleged that the nature of the program was misrepresented by the advertising. The lawsuit was dismissed and refiled. During the first quarter of 2004, a new complaint was filed in the same court by Gavino Teanio with the same general allegations. This action was stayed pending the outcome of the Gardner lawsuit. The lawsuits were being settled in late 2006.[34]

In April 2007, the State of New York settled with three schools that were participating in questionable student-loan practices. DeVry, Career Education Corporation, and Washington University in St. Louis were involved with the settlement. DeVry agreed to refund $88,122 to students.[37]

In 2008, DeVry was accused of filing false claims and statements about recruitment pay and performance to the government.[38]

In January 2013, a lawsuit was filed by a former manager at DeVry which alleged that the college bribed students for positive performance reviews and worked around federal regulations on for-profit colleges.[39] In April 2013, the attorneys general of Illinois and Massachusetts issued subpoenas to DeVry to investigate for violations of federal law and filing false information about loans, grants, and guarantees.[40][41] In July 2014, DeVry stated that the New York state attorney general's office was investigating if the company's marketing violated laws against false advertising.[42]

Two state attorneys general, Illinois and Massachusetts, are investigating DeVry.[43][44]

On January 27, 2016, the Federal Trade Commission filed suit against DeVry, alleging that DeVry’s advertisements deceived consumers about the likelihood that students would find jobs in their fields of study, and would earn more than those graduating with bachelor's degrees from other colleges or universities.[45]

In 2016, Devry was also reprimanded by the Veterans Administration over allegations about deceptive marketing.[46]

Enrollment

As of 2014, DeVry had a total undergraduate enrollment of about 32,000 students. DeVry also had more than 10,000 students enrolled in its master's programs and Keller MBA programs, bringing its total enrollment to more than 42,000.[47][48]

Alumni

Notable DeVry University alumni include:

Notable Keller Graduate School of Management alumni include:

Partnerships and political interests

In 2011, DeVry University partnered with the United States Olympic Committee to become an official education provider for the United States' Olympic teams.[14] In April 2016, the USOC announced an extension of its partnership with DeVry through 2020. According to the USOC, more than 125 Team USA student athletes are enrolled in DeVry programs.[51]

In April 2014, DeVry University was named the "official education provider" for NFL Pro Legends, a group supporting players, coaches and other professionals who worked for NFL teams.[52]

As of January 2015, DeVry University is the official education and career development partner of Minor League Baseball. DeVry University and its Keller Graduate School of Management will provide higher education opportunities at the undergraduate and graduate levels for players, their spouses, umpires and National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (NAPBL) employees and alumni through 2017.[53]

The peak year for Devry's lobbying in Congress was 2011, when it spent more than $720,000.[54] The largest amount has gone to Thompson Coburn LLP. Democratic lobbyist Heather Podesta was a major lobbyist for Devry University from 2010 to 2015.[55][56][57]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Rachel Martin; Suzanne Clark York. "DeVry Inc.". 82. International Directory of Company Histories.
  2. "DeVry Education Group Inc.". United States Securities and Exchange Commission. 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "DeVry Inc. Form 10-K". United States Securities and Exchange Commission. 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  4. "DeVry Education Group Names Lisa Wardell President and Chief Executive Officer". Business Wire. 24 May 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  5. "Higher Learning Commission". Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  6. Lorin, Janet (10 September 2013). "DeVry Lures Medical School Rejects as Taxpayers Fund Debt". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  7. "Durbin, DeVry Spar on Senator's Letter to High Schools". Inside Higher Ed. 30 April 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  8. DeSantis, Nick (15 April 2013). "DeVry Faces Investigations From Attorneys General in 2 States". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  9. Lu, Adrienne (14 April 2014). "States, Federal Agencies Have Filed Suit Against For-profit Colleges". The Pew Charitable Trusts. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  10. Barkley, Whitney (2014). "For-profit Colleges: 2014 State of the Union guest highlights expensive for-profit college problem". Mississippi Center for Justice. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  11. "DeVry (DV) Lags Q2 Earnings & Revenues; Q3 Costs to Rise - Analyst Blog". Yahoo Finance. 6 February 2015.
  12. John F. Ohles; Shirley M. Ohles (29 December 1982). Private colleges and universities. Greenwood Press. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ronald Taylor; Dennis Keller (27 May 1991). "Good school story: how a couple of Ivy League entrepreneurs successfully compete with state colleges - and make money". Forbes. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  14. 1 2 3 Jesse McKinley (28 January 2014). "DeVry Becomes an Unlikely Olympic Powerhouse". New York Times. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  15. Janet Neiman (16 December 1991). "DeVry Inc. Racks Up High Marks Following Initial Public Offering". Crains Chicago Business.
  16. http://www.devry.edu/community-network/our-heritage.html
  17. Stanley Ziemba (20 June 1996). "Devry Acquires Cpa Training Firm". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  18. Wamiq Chowdhury (9 August 2005). "The Biggest Med School You've Never Heard Of". NJBIZ. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  19. H. Lee Murphy (14 November 2005). "New degrees, sites back on the books at DeVry". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  20. Lorene Yue (6 November 2013). "DeVry Inc. unveils new company name". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  21. "DeVry Education Group Inc.". Hoovers. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  22. Greenwood, Giselle (24 April 2015). "Houston university to close campuses permanently". Houston Business Journal. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  23. "The Five Colleges of DeVry University". DeVry University. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  24. "Graduate Certificates". Keller. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  25. "Graduate Programs". Keller Graduate School of Management.
  26. "Online options". Retrieved 2007-05-22.
  27. "Accredited University - DeVry is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission". Retrieved 2007-05-22.
  28. Kuitenbrouwer, Peter (1997-04-03). "A harsh lesson in student loans". Eye Weekly.
  29. Mouhteros v. DeVry Canada Inc., 41 Ontario Reports 63, 73 [Mouhteros] (Ontario General Division 1998).
  30. Kuitenbrouwer, Peter. "DeVry Update". Eye Weekly.
  31. DeVry Inc. (1996-09-24). "Annual Report". SEC Form 10-K: p. 33–34.
  32. "Class Action Suit Filed Against DeVry Institute of Technology". Consumeraffairs.com. 2001-11-30. Retrieved 2007-07-15.
  33. Almer, Ellen. "DeVry hit with lawsuit". Chicago Business News. Retrieved 2007-07-15.
  34. 1 2 DeVry Inc. (2006-09-13). "Annual Report". SEC Form 10-K: p. 35–36.
  35. "Pannu wants DeVry's degree status revoked". CBC News. 2001-02-09.
  36. "Legislative Assembly of Alberta" (PDF). 2001-04-12.
  37. Ellis, David (2007-04-23). "Devry's Settlement of Loans in 2007". CNN.
  38. "U.S. probes allegations of DeVry false statements". Chicago Tribune. Bloomberg News. 20 May 2008.
  39. Tyler Kingkade (29 January 2013). "DeVry University Hit With Lawsuit Alleging Officials Would 'Bribe' Students, Violate Federal Regulations". Huffington Post.
  40. Nick DeSantis (15 April 2013). "DeVry Faces Investigations From Attorneys General in 2 States". The Chronicle of Higher Education.
  41. "Illinois, Massachusetts issue subpoenas to DeVry". Chicago Tribune. 16 April 2013.
  42. Michael Calia (20 July 2014). "DeVry Says New York Is Investigating Marketing Practices". Wall Street Journal.
  43. United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. "DeVry, Inc." (PDF). For Profit Higher Education: The Failure to Safeguard the Federal Investment and Ensure Student Success.
  44. Halperin, David (2014-01-30). "For-Profit DeVry University's Deals with Sochi Olympians". The Huffington Post.
  45. "FTC Brings Enforcement Action Against DeVry University".
  46. http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/benefits/education/2016/03/14/va-reprimands-devry-university-based-federal-lawsuit-gi-bill-complaints/81775148/
  47. "DeVry Education Group Inc.". US Securities and Exchange Commission. June 30, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  48. "DeVry University Annual Report" (PDF). Devry University, Inc. April 30, 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  49. 1 2 Neil Gonzales (29 March 2009). "San Mateo County community college students named to state academic teams". San Mateo County Times. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  50. Max Pizarro (5 March 2012). "Mosquera takes the oath of office". PolitickerNJ. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  51. "United States Olympic Committee And DeVry Education Group Extend Partnership". TeamUSA.org. United States Olympic Committee. April 14, 2016. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  52. Patrick Clark (28 April 2014). "DeVry Has a Plan to Educate Former Football Players". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  53. Ecker, Danny (8 December 2014). "DeVry looks to score with new Minor League Baseball deal". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  54. https://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?id=D000025485&year=2016
  55. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/davidhalperin/for-profit-colleges-spend_b_5221407.html
  56. http://coburn229.rssing.com/browser.php?indx=33904736&last=1&item=8
  57. http://reporting.sunlightfoundation.com/lobbying/firm/heather-podesta-partners?order=-received&page=2
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