Buzz words for market funded schools
I recently attended a conference in Phoenix that had all the top CEO’s, and CFO for some of the top market funded schools in the nation. In attendance were some of the biggest as well.
I had a chance to talk with Brian Mueller (former CEO of Apollo), Michael M. Yu (CEO of New Oriental Education), Barbara Dreyer (K-12 Virtual Schools Market & Connections Academy), Ronald J. Packard (CEO and Founder of K12 Inc.), Chas Edelstein (CEO of Apollo) and Zhengdong Zhu (CEO of China Cast). What a great week it was to talk and be inspired by some of the best CEO’s in the education industry. In addition, to being inspired, I learned so much about the current market and the projected market trends over the next 12-18 months. I have to admit this is one of the reasons I chose to leave my former institution and pursue a career with a market funded school. This recent transition in my life will propel my career and my knowledge so much further than had I stayed in my comfort zones. I never would have had the opportunity to learn from the best in the education industry.
The hot topics or buzz words this year seemed to be default rates and retention. There were some conversations about acquisitions and expansion, but mostly about the student experience and retention. I was pleased to hear some of this, as this has been a major focus of mine for the past 3 years in online education. Also, there were many conversations about the new Stimulus package and the increase in Title IV funding and the impact to market funded schools. I won’t get into a bunch of details on all that I learned, but I will have to admit the one-on-one breakout sessions I had with these industry leaders were the most beneficial.
Attendance list:
American Public Education
Apollo Group, Inc. (University of Phoenix)
Blackboard, Inc.
Capella Education Company
Career Education Corporation
ChinaEdu Corporation
ChinaCast Education Corporation
China Distance Education
Corinthian Colleges, Inc.
DeVry Inc.
Grand Canyon University
ITT Educational Services, Inc.
K12 Inc.
Kroton Educacional S/A (Brazil)
Lincoln Educational Services Corp.
New Oriental Education & Technology Group
Scholastic Corporation
School Specialty
Strayer Education, Inc.
We were also treated on Monday night to an improvisational show by comedians Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood, stars of the Emmy nominated ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Also, stay tuned…the big announcement I promised a few weeks ago is coming soon.
Left: Brian Mueller, CEO of Grand Canyon University and former CEO of Apollo (University of Phoenix)
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