Rebel with a Cause : The Entrepreneur Who Created the University of Phoenix and the for-Profit Revolution in Higher Education

by John Sperling

• ISBN13: 9780471326045
• ISBN10: 0471326046
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-11-01
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

"A great life and a great read . . ."-George Soros "A remarkably cogent story of a most remarkable man. Sperling's openness about problems and failures inspires and informs the entrepreneurial spirit. Sperling describes the extraordinary power and potential of focused human intensity. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in starting or building a business."-Peter Lewis, Chairman and CEO, The Progressive Corporation "The University of Phoenix is the largest private university in the United States. It is fully accredited and traded on NASDAQ. Mere mention of its name produces anger, fear, and envy on the nation's college campuses. In the private sector, it has inspired scores of companies to enter the education market. This is the story of the entrepreneur who launched a revolution in higher education."-Arthur Levine, President, Teacher's College, Columbia University "Education will be one of the key growth sectors of our knowledge-based economy over the next ten years. John Sperling, founder and Chairman of Apollo Group, has been one of the visionary driving forces behind this growth. By developing a unique customer-focused model of higher education, Dr. Sperling has helped to build the largest private university in the United States that continues to be one of the best growth opportunities in education today."-Thomas Weisel, President & CEO, Thomas Weisel Partners, LLC

Author Biography

JOHN SPERLING is Chairman and CEO of Apollo Group, Inc., the parent company of the University of Phoenix. He and his companies are widely covered in the financial and educational press, and have been the subject of feature articles in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Forbes, Business Week, and the New Yorker.

Table of Contents

Lessons	1	(18)
The Education of John Sperling: Part I---1939 to 1954---A Sea Change	19	(16)
The Education of John Sperling: Part II---1954 to 1960---Voyage to Europe	35	(12)
San Jose State and the Transmogrification of John Sperling: Reentering Academe	47	(20)
The Uninterntional Entrepreneur: Summing Up	67	(24)
Exodus from California and Flight to the Valley of the Sun: Seeking a Strategy for Survival	91	(14)
The War in Arizona: Setting the Scene	105	(18)
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch: Part I---1979 to 1981---The FBI Arrives---RICO	123	(20)
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch: Part II---1981 to 1986	143	(20)
Toward an IPO and Beyond: Preparation for and Launch of the IPO---1986 to 2000	163	(26)
Giving Back: Part I	189	(12)
Giving Back: Part II---The War against the War on Drugs	201	(26)
Giving Back: Part III---The Second Battle for Proposition 200	227	(18)
Epilogue	245	(12)
Endnotes	257	(2)
Index	259