By Exec Edge Editorial Staff
Real-World Faculty for Real-World Market
Keeping up with industry demands can sometimes feel impossible: One moment, STEM skills are the most sought-after quality in a job candidate, but in the next moment, employers are clamoring for employees with soft skills. Meanwhile, with fast-growing innovations like generative AI and asynchronous work continuing to evolve, learners are left struggling to figure out just what to do—and perhaps most importantly, who can help them do it.
That’s why workers and students alike turn to experts in higher education, where institutions like University of Phoenix are working just as hard to deliver the skills and education learners need to pursue success. That’s what motivates so many new solutions, including the University of Phoenix Career Navigator—as well as digging even deeper to align programs and courses to skills. But no programs or strategies work without the right people to enact them—and that’s where University of Phoenix instructors shine.
“The University of Phoenix faculty is a powerhouse of leaders and innovators dedicated to student success,” says C. Tahnja Wilson, MBA, Director of Faculty Training and Development at University of Phoenix. “With more than 2,300 faculty members—67% in leadership roles and 58% women—our instructors bring varying expertise from corporate boardrooms, military service, and academic scholarship.”
University of Phoenix takes pride in its instructors, and not just because of their impressive resumes: University of Phoenix faculty embodies how education can help learners understand the industries they aspire to work in, because those instructors know those jobs inside and out—and have real-world passion to back up their real-word insights.
Case Study: How University of Phoenix Faculty Delivers Real-World Insight
In a world where industry demands shift faster and faster, University of Phoenix instructors deliver more than just skills-aligned curriculum. They provide insights from the industries they work in because—well—they actually work in them.
“At University of Phoenix, our faculty bring an average of 29 years of professional expertise to the classroom,” says Wilson. “With 344 presidents, 109 chief executive officers, and 1,240 faculty engaged in ongoing scholarship, our instructors bridge the gap between theory and practice.”
University of Phoenix faculty even have deep resumes within the university: The 2024 Annual Academic Annual Report reflects that our instructors have an average of more than 15 years teaching at University of Phoenix. These two factors—experience in the industries they teach, as well as experience teaching them—represent a level of expertise and industry know-how that supports skills-aligned learning and opportunity for students. Not only are our faculty dedicated instructors: They’re real-world practitioners in the workforce, learning and growing in their own careers, the same way our students are; and they’re keenly aware of the shifting standards and requirements employers have in their industry, in real-time and beyond.
Dr. George Love, Program Chair for the College of Business & Technology at University of Phoenix—who is himself a long-time faculty member—makes this a core tenet of his teaching. “Connecting the dots for students—that’s what faculty do,” he explains. “And we know that with our students, who are so often working in the same fields we are, we should not have to wait four years to put the skills they’re learning at University of Phoenix to work. We want them to take the knowledge they gained today, apply it the next and then come back and share what they learned from the experience.”
Redefining Faculty, Redefining the Industry
University of Phoenix instructors reflect how higher education owes its students deep insights into industry demands not just by offering classes, but by putting the courses in the hands of industry practitioners who can bring their curriculum to life.
“In every course, in every discipline, University of Phoenix faculty bring their years of experience and practical knowledge of the workplace into the classroom to guide and mentor students,” explains Emily Breuker, Vice Provost of Faculty Engagement at University of Phoenix. “For example, our faculty and staff are working to get ahead of the curve in how we address the future of generative AI. In our AI in Everyday Life Course, faculty help our students put AI to work in the classroom so they have the knowledge and tools necessary to thoughtfully use it in their own lives and careers—putting them on the forefront of this and other important business trends.”
This level of engagement is a hallmark at University of Phoenix, in no small part because faculty here recognize that these close connections can offer the skills and insights students need to pursue their career goals—plus the confidence to do so. What’s more, this engagement with faculty complements programs that employers themselves might consider building in the workplace to capitalize on those opportunities, especially in a shifting business landscape.
And perhaps most importantly, University of Phoenix continues to offer career services even after graduation, offering mentorship and commitment to students whenever they need it. This means that, while industries might shift, University of Phoenix will always be there.
Real-world faculty delivering skills-aligned curriculum can help students do more than just keep up: It can give them the tools they need to get ahead—and even make changes of their own.
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