The president of the University of Arizona informed the campus in email last week that the public university would acquire and operate the global campus of the University of Arizona, the nonprofit online university it helped form in 2020 by purchasing the former for-profit Ashford University .
The plan announced by President Robert C. Robbins comes at a time when the University of Arizona’s global campus is under intense scrutiny from its accreditors and enrollment issues, and its business partner in operating the online institution, Zovio, is settling a lawsuit in California.
Moreover, the Arizona Daily Star reported on Saturday (subscription required) that the U.S. Department of Education advised the University of Arizona Global Campus in November “that due to a change in ownership, it and the [University of Arizona] The Foundation should either immediately provide the Department of Education with a financial audit or a 25% letter of credit worth $103 million to continue to be eligible to receive “federal financial aid funds.”
Robbins’ email to campus mentioned no scrutiny from Global Campus, saying acquiring the online institution “would ensure comprehensive, quality educational experiences and affordable opportunities for current and future students of the campus.” ‘UAGC, many of which are non-traditional.
“In the coming months,” Robbins added, “planning teams — including faculty and staff members as well as students — will be created at UArizona to explore the many questions that need to be addressed within the framework. of this process, respectful of our commitment to shared governance. The UAGC will launch a similar process with its constituents in parallel.
