University of Phoenix Receives Second Diversity Award from Minority Access, Inc.
University’s Executive Dean Receives Diversity and Inclusion Leader
Award
PHOENIX–(BUSINESS WIRE)–University of Phoenix today announced that it has received the Colleges
and Universities Committed to Diversity Award from Minority Access,
Inc. This is the second year University of Phoenix has received this
award which recognizes the institution’s commitment to diversity and its
efforts to increase higher education opportunities for minority
scholars, promote diversity and diminish disparities.
Additionally, Constance St. Germain, Ed.D., J.D., executive dean of the
Colleges of Humanities and Sciences, Social Sciences, and Security and
Criminal Justice, was honored by the Diversity Leadership Alliance and
the Arizona Society for Human Resource Management for serving as a
diversity and inclusion role model within the Arizona community and
University of Phoenix. The Arizona-based diversity education
organization recognized Dr. St. Germain with the 2016 Diversity &
Inclusion Leader Award. Dr. St. Germain leads the Office of
Multicultural Affairs & Diversity at University of Phoenix, which she
helped establish.
University of Phoenix has a long tradition of serving the educational
needs of underserved and minority populations – exceeding both national
averages and institutional averages for minority access.1 Additionally,
roughly 46 percent of the institution’s students are ethnic minorities
as are 32 percent of its instructors,2 which is reflective of
the multicultural fabric of American society. The majority of the
University’s students are working adults over 30 years old;
first-generation college students comprised more than half of the
student body in 2014. Additionally, 72 percent of the institution’s
student body have jobs, 66 percent are women and 67 percent have
dependents. These statistics further emphasize the demand by working
students to enhance their career opportunities through flexible academic
programs.3
“Our students and faculty are diverse, and we believe our efforts should
contribute to building a community where each person is valued and
respected,” Dr. St. Germain said. “It’s essential to further the
conversation on how to cultivate an environment of inclusion and
diversity that not only makes us stronger as individuals, but also
strengthens the institution and our community as a whole.”
As part of ongoing diversity efforts, University of Phoenix recently
released results from a survey conducted on their behalf by Morning
Consult. The results shed light on Americans’ lack of awareness of
transgender issues in the workplace and beyond.
Highlights include:
-
Sixty-seven percent of respondents say they do not personally know a
transgender person. -
Only one in 10 respondents indicated that their company has a leave
policy for transitioning employees. -
When asked to consider whether their employers might support adopting
such a policy, half of respondents indicated they did not know how
their company’s leadership would feel. -
Just 19 percent of those polled would support paid leave for
transitioning coworkers. -
An additional 24 percent would support unpaid leave, with no extra
benefits, while 32 percent do not believe transgender employees should
get any time off at all when transitioning.
“There is a large gap in awareness regarding transgender issues,” said
Dr. St. Germain. “As the survey results show, many are still unaware of
even the basic issues facing this community. It is important that
organizations understand these issues to become truly diverse and
inclusive and to adopt policies that address the needs of those who are
transgender.”
For more information about University of Phoenix diversity initiatives,
visit http://www.phoenix.edu/about_us/corporate-social-responsibility/diversity.html.
Survey Methodology
This poll was conducted by Morning Consult from Aug. 23 ? Sept. 3, 2016,
among a national sample of 10,113 registered voters. E-interviews were
conducted online and the data were weighted to approximate a target
sample of registered voters based on age, race/ethnicity, gender,
educational attainment, region, annual household income, home ownership
status and marital status. Results from the full survey have a margin of
error of plus or minus 1 percentage points. To learn more about the
survey results, please contact Angela Heisel at angela.heisel@apollo.edu.
1 U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education
Sciences National Center for Education Statistics (2015).
Characteristics of Postsecondary Faculty: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cuf.asp.
2, 3 University of Phoenix Academic Annual Report: http://www.phoenix.edu/content/dam/altcloud/doc/about_uopx/academic-annual-report-2015.pdf
About University of Phoenix
University of Phoenix is constantly innovating to help working adults
move efficiently from education to careers in a rapidly changing world.
Flexible schedules, relevant and engaging courses, and interactive
learning can help students more effectively pursue career and personal
aspirations while balancing their busy lives. As a subsidiary of Apollo
Education Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:
APOL), University of Phoenix serves a diverse student population,
offering associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs
from campuses and learning centers across the U.S. as well as online
throughout the world. For more information, visit www.phoenix.edu.
Contacts
University of Phoenix
Angela Heisel, 602-557-8650
Angela.Heisel@apollo.edu
