The University of Phoenix has had a shaky start getting organized in Greater Des Moines, and gained more attention Wednesday when the Associated Press reported that the U.S. Department of Education had fined the school $9.8 million for questionable admissions and recruiting processes. The fine is reportedly the largest ever imposed by the department.

Chris Mason, the associate campus director for the university in West Des Moines, said the news of the fine will not “have an impact on what we are intending to do in Des Moines.”

“Our focus is not to bring in as many students as we possibly can,” he said. “We’re going to be very selective and make sure as we go through the enrollment process that the students that we enroll are a good fit. It’s not just about putting students in the classroom, but helping them to achieve their educational goals.”

According to the Arizona Republic, which obtained the recent report from the Department of Education, investigators cited several examples of compensation and sales practices deemed illegal or unethical. The issue of recruiting practices did not come up in June, when the University of Phoenix’s registration application was presented to state officials, although other concerns were expressed voiced by John Hartung, who is the president of the Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

“This information, in regard to the U.S. Department of Education charging the university with inappropriate registration tactics isn’t necessarily germane to them doing business in Iowa,” said Hartung, who also serves on the Iowa College Student Aid Commission and is a member of the State Advisory Committee for Postsecondary School Registration, which reviewed the university’s registration application.

In June, the Iowa secretary of state’s office granted a one-year registration to the University of Phoenix, which is the nation’s largest private university and has an enrollment of more than 200,000. Iowa Deputy Secretary of State Charles Krogmeier said he was aware of some local concerns when the application for registration arrived at the secretary of state’s office, but said at that point, it was past the time where anything could be done.

“There were some concerns raised, mostly by John Hartung,” Krogmeier said. “He had voiced concerns at a couple of different levels, but all those bodies had approved it on its way to our office. The application was in order when it arrived, so we signed it. That’s all we could do at that point.”

Debra Baldwin, senior vice president of the university, said the school, which has campuses in 30 U.S. states, Puerto Rico and Canada, attributed its early reception in the state to the importance Iowans place on education.

“I think that Iowa has the right to be very proud of their academic institutions, and I think concerned Iowans were doing their due diligence, and I respect that and hold it in high regard,” Baldwin said. “I think that the University of Phoenix showed that measured against any standard, we will always show a high degree of excellence.”

Since its application was approved, the university has been going about its business of setting up its newest home at 6600 Westown Parkway in West Des Moines, assessing potential instructors, starting the enrollment process and dispensing information. Hartung said he was not aware of that the university had chosen its new headquarters, but said he commends its staff’s hard work to move forward.

“They want to do business in Iowa, and they have worked hard to demonstrate that they are capable of doing business in Iowa,” Hartung said. “My concern is that there are still other issues that concern me, including misrepresentation.

“There are some questions that linger in my mind, such as how it obtained its graduation rates, the quality of its student services, whether its programs differ from those already offered here and why we were told that they were going to target the adult student 23 years old and above, and the same day, a university spokesperson was quoted in the Chronicle of Higher Education as saying they were going to be putting more attention on attracting 18-year-olds as students.”

Despite Hartung’s concerns, none of these issues were viewed by state regulators as cause for disrupting the university’s registration process, he said.

“The concerns that were raised were not judged to be sufficient criteria for not allowing them to have at least a one-year registration,” he said. “Based on the statutory requirements, I believe the process was followed and the registration requirements were met. Of course, there may be a recommendation coming from the advisory committee that there might be some legislative changes needed in the next session to address the state’s registration process.”

A closer look at the university

Baldwin said that although the University of Phoenix is known as an educational behemoth, it intends to enter the Des Moines market on a small scale.

“We want to move slowly. We want to make sure that the students are a good match for the University of Phoenix. We want to make sure that we do what is necessary to fulfill their dream.”

Courses at West Des Moines center will be geared toward business-oriented working adults, with degrees offered being a bachelor of science in business management and a masters of business administration, Mason said. Students must be highly motivated, as courses are rigorous, he said.

“We are a non-term school, which means that we have classes year-round,” he said. “Our students only take one course at a time, at the end of a year, they will have completed about the same number of courses as students enrolled at traditional institution.”

An typical five-week undergraduate course goes something like this, according to Baldwin: students would attend class on campus for four hours the first week, giving them a chance to meet the instructor and to be introduced to their learning groups and coursework. Weeks two through four are completed over the Internet, with homework assignments and participation requirements to be fulfilled. Students return to campus in week five for presentations.

“Our students work very hard,” Baldwin said. “The outcome our students achieve attending class through our delivery model are exactly the same as the outcomes achieved when they drive to the campus and are in the classroom. Seat time doesn’t determine the value, the quality or the rigor of the learning experience.”

Mason, who has two degrees from the University of Phoenix, said the accelerated structure was exactly what he was looking for. Having very few college credits when he started as a student, he was able to earn his bachelor’s degree while working full time and being a husband and a father.

“There’s always that situation where you’re looking at that light at the end of the tunnel,” Mason said. “I wanted to have something that would get me through school as quickly as possible, still have the quality to take me forward in my career and allow me flexibility to study during the week when it worked best for me.”

Mason said he is enrolling students right now whose goals are similar to his own when he started taking courses from the university.

“Our focus in Iowa is going to be to be another option for the working adult population, focusing on academic quality, continuing to build relationships in the business community and providing great student support from our administrative staff,” he said.

The school’s one-year registration will be up for review next summer, when state officials will decide whether the University of Phoenix will have a long-term presence in the Des Moines area. Until then, Baldwin said, the university fully intends to show that it is “completely committed to being a part of the Des Moines community.”

“We are excited to have the opportunity to provide access to working professionals who are eager either to complete their bachelor’s degree or an advanced degree,” she said. “Des Moines is our newest home, and we will make it our home. That’s very important to us.”