Wal-Mart employees get discount at APU

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by warguns, Jun 3, 2010.

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  1. warguns

    warguns Member

    Wal-Mart Employees Get New College Program

    Wal-Mart is the country's largest retailer. And the company is pledging to spend $50-million over three years to help employees cover the cost of tuition and books beyond the discounted rate, according to the Associated Press.

    "What's most significant about this is that, given that APU is very small, this is a deal that has the potential to drive enrollments that are above what investors are already expecting from them," Trace A. Urdan, an analyst with Signal Hill Capital Group, told Wired Campus. "Which is why the stock is up."
     
  2. emmzee

    emmzee New Member

    Good news for APU from a monetary perspective, not necessarily news that will enhance its prestige though ... potential employer: "APU, isn't that the Walmart school?"
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 3, 2010
  3. b4cz28

    b4cz28 Active Member

    And that is why I will not ever go to APU now!
     
  4. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Well, we all know how this will end up. APUS will be bought out and the next generation of DL forums will be discussing the relative merits of Walmart Public University.
     
  5. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    That is grotesque. And actually fairly possible, I'm sorry to say. You have got to appreciate the fact that Wal Mart is at least making a show of attempting to improve the lives of their workers.
     
  6. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    That would raise the status of Walmart and lower the status of APU. I wonder if you will be able to buy text books in their book section? (sarcastic joke)
     
  7. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    In fact, I wasn't making a joke (I know sometimes I make it difficult to discern the difference). Walmart buys out everything or runs it out of business with monopolistic tactics. Why not APUS?
     
  8. Cyber

    Cyber New Member

    I'm sure this is exciting for the institution! Would like to hear how students feel (which is insignificant) about this partnership.
    TUI University recently partnered with McDonald's Hamburger University to accept all "hamburger credits"...guess its the new wave of "locking in potential enrollment/money sources."
     
  9. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    No! I find that hard to swallow. You are not joking? I suppose there is a McDoctorate coming in the future.
     
  10. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    This has turned out to be a depressing thread! I wish you were joking.
     
  11. Cyber

    Cyber New Member

    Hahaha.....yes it is very depressing especially having graduated with a degree from TUI. Unfortunately, I'm not kidding.........here is a a link to the news/announcement from TUI. I think this is the way for-profit DL institutions are heading - "anything they can lock into their system." You can also view other partnerships with unheard of entities and news from TUI here

    I seriously think that for some of us with degrees from these institutions, we may have to exclude such degree/qualification from our resumes depending on our career path in the future.
     
  12. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    MC: "...Walmart Public University..."

    JB: And in 2015, they'll be playing Target University in the Discount Bowl.

    Nominations now open for the WPU team name.
     
  13. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Here's a disgusting thought: Maybe someday Wallmart and Target will be listed in Bear's Guide.
     
  14. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Maybe you don't remember this, but you and I had a good laugh about 2 months ago when I posted an article about McU... yes it exists, and they offer PhD's (not real ones of course) in hamburger preparation.

    If TUI is seriously accepting those as credits, I really really hope that there is a heavy business, agriculture or nutritional focus on the courses.
     
  15. b4cz28

    b4cz28 Active Member

    This is why it’s hard for some people to take DL serious. Yes if TUI is taking the McU classes as credit, they have to have real learning content to them. Well I did work for Wal-Mart as a cart boy back in the day; I guess this will help get me Alumni status.
     
  16. emmzee

    emmzee New Member

  17. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Or Sam's College.
    I know its a post-apocalyptic scenario, but it doesn't strike me as impossible. I have heard, a lot, on this board about an education bubble. Since there are already some monster conglomerates out there that each own several brands of food items, clothing lines and tv channels, it doesn't seem so far-fetched that a retail store could own a college (especially a retail store that already has groceries, pharmacies, optometrists and restaurants inside it). In the wake of the hypothetical bursting of the education bubble, Walmart is probably more likely than most to do this if any store does. It takes hardly any imagination to think that Walmart could one day soon have testing centers in their walls for employees, to be followed by public testing centers... and the rest just may be history :eek:
    The WPU Rollbackers.
     
  18. obecve

    obecve New Member

    How is this any different than local businesses under the workforce investment act contracting with community colleges and vocational technical programs to get specfic training for their business. It has gone on for decades and been specifically supported under the workforce investment act. Would anyone argue that Walmart is an unsuccessful business? So now they choose a school, support it financially and give their employees an opportunity and that is somehow a really bad thing....give me a break!!! Opportutnity in any form that is legal and ethical is worthwhile and will make a difference for people even if it not quite up to the standard of members of this Board. Any of you going to support people to get their degrees....pay for it...assure the university has money....I would guess not!
     
  19. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Ok, send your kid to Walmart university then. I like that idea, it will make NCU look much better comparatively speaking. :) Joking aside, as long as Walmart only endorses the university, there is no problem. I'm sure it will improve the quality of the school. It's just the (imagined) idea of Walmart going into the profit university business that has gotten everyone riled. DL suffers from a poor reputation as it is, adding the Walmart name (cheap, made in China products) only will make it worse.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 4, 2010
  20. jaer57

    jaer57 New Member

    I wholly agree. I also find it ironic that the DL crowd is bashing this. It sounds like a bunch of B&M grads bashing DL; e.g., "You earned your degree (online/through Wal-mart)?! It must be worthless!"
     

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