Walden University

This article is about the Minnesota-based university. For the defunct university in Tennessee, see Walden University (Tennessee). For the fictional Walden College, see Doonesbury.

Walden University is a private for-profit online university headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It offers bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and specialist degrees. The university is owned by Adtalem Global Education, which purchased the university in August 2021. The institution is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Walden University

Seal of Walden University
Motto	Education for Good
Type	Private for-profit online university
Established	1970
President	Michael Betz^[1]
Academic staff	235 Full-time and 2,723 Part-time (Fall 2023)^[2]
Students	42,312 (6,298 undergraduate) Fall 2022^[3]
Location	Minneapolis , Minnesota^[4] , United States
Campus	Primarily online^[4]
Website	www.waldenu.edu

The Carnegie Classification lists Walden among “Doctoral Universities: Doctoral/Professional Universities”^[5] Walden is a high-volume granter of healthcare administration master's degrees, Master of Science in Nursing degrees, and public health doctoral degrees in the U.S., according to the National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS database.^[6]

History

 

Walden University's former headquarters in the Mill District of Minneapolis

Walden was established in 1970 by two New York teachers, Bernie and Rita Turner, who created a program for working adults/teachers to pursue doctoral degrees. In the summer of 1971, the first classes took place in Naples, Florida, focusing primarily on school administrators. The initial classes allowed students to form dissertation topics with their faculty partners before returning to work at their respective schools while completing their dissertations. In 1972, Walden conferred its first degrees: 46 PhDs and 24 EdDs at its first commencement in Naples.

In 1979, the Minnesota Higher Education Coordinating Board licensed Walden to grant PhDs and EdDs in the state and in 1982 the school moved its headquarters to Minneapolis. In 1990, the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools accredited the university.

Sylvan Learning Systems, Inc., purchased 41 percent of Walden University in 2001,^[7] gaining a controlling interest in 2002.^[8] In 2004, Sylvan Learning Systems became Laureate Education, Inc.

Jonathan Kaplan served as CEO from 2007 to 2018. Kaplan previously served three years as economic policy adviser to President Bill Clinton.^[9] Clinton was named an Honorary Chancellor of Laureate International Universities from 2010 to 2015 for which he made more than $17 million.^[10][11] Clinton was the keynote speaker at Walden University's commencement on July 30, 2011.

In 2016, Adam Looney and Constantine Yannelis estimated that that Walden University student loan debt was the second highest in the US, with 120,275 students owing an estimated $9.8 billion. While the 5-year student default rate was low (7 percent), the percentage of balance repaid on the loans was 0 percent.^[12]

On April 8, 2016, the Minnesota Office of Higher Education (MOHE) notified Walden University that its renewal application to participate in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA) was rejected because Walden University did not have an institutional federal financial composite score computed by the US Department of Education (DOE). In the absence of an institution-level financial composite score calculated by DOE, MOHE viewed Walden's parent company Laureate's financial composite score, calculated based on its global operations, which did not exceed 1.5.^[13]

In October 2016, NBC News reported that the Minnesota Office of Higher Education was investigating a spike in student complaints.^[14] NBC News further reported that former students had filed a class action suit against the school for prolonging their enrollments for years, "until they were left hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and still short of a degree."^[15]

In September 2020, Adtalem Global Education began the process of purchasing Walden University.^[16] According to Higher Education Dive "Two investment firms, Engine Capital and Hawk Ridge Partners, wrote in an open letter...that they were "severely disappointed" with the board's decision to purchase Walden, calling the college a 'substantially inferior asset.'"^[17]

Announced in a press release by Walden in 2020, Walden University’s College of Management and Technology (CMT) and School of Management earned a Silver Achievement Award from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). ^[18]

In August 2021, Adtalem Global Education Inc bought Walden University.^{[citation needed]}

In May 2022, Michael Betz was appointed as the president of Walden University. Betz previously served as a partner at McKinsey & Co. and was a leader in McKinsey's higher education and growth transformation practices.^[19]

African American student population

Walden University graduates a high number of Black/African American students. According to the NCSES's 2020 Survey of Earned Doctorates, Walden University granted doctorates to 1,383 Black or African American students between 2016 and 2020.^[20] This was the highest number of Black doctoral recipients granted by a U.S. university during that period and represented about 37% of the 3,726^[21] total doctoral students that graduated from Walden during that same period.

In January, 2022, the civil rights law firm Relman Colfax and the National Student Legal Defense Network filed a class-action lawsuit against Walden University that alleges that Walden engages in “reverse redlining” by targeting its advertisements to Black and female students while misrepresenting the costs and credit hours required for its doctoral degrees.^[22][23]

Institutional finances

Walden University is a certified Benefit Corporation.

As of 2016, it received more than 75% of its funds from the US government, including more than $750 million a year for graduate student loans, the largest amount for any US college.^[24] Walden University has been under "heightened cash monitoring" from the US Department of Education since 2016.^[25]

Faculty

According to the College Navigator, in 2023 Walden's faculty consisted of 235 full-time instructors, 2,723 part-time instructors, and 39 graduate assistants.^[26]

Academics

Walden University consists of seven colleges and one school:^[27]

• Richard W. Riley College of Education and Human Sciences
• College of Management and Human Potential
• College of Health Sciences and Public Policy
• College of Nursing
• College of Social and Behavioral Health
• College of Allied Health
• College of Psychology and Community Services
• School of Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Studies

Accreditation

Walden University is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.^[28]* The Richard W. Riley School of Education and Leadership is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).^[29]

Professionally accredited programs include:

• The PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision; MS in Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling; MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling; MS in School Counseling; and MS in Addiction Counseling programs are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).^[30][31]
• The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), and Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs are all accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), a national accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
• The BS in Business Administration, BS in accounting, Master of Business Administration (MBA), MS in accounting, Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), and PhD in Management programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).
• The MS in Project Management program is accredited by the PMI Global Accreditation Center (GAC) for Project Management Education Programs.
• The Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work is Council of Social Workers Education (CSWE) accredited, an accreditation needed to get licensed as a social worker in most states.^[32]
• The BS in Information Technology is accredited by ABET, the internationally recognized accreditor for college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology.^[33]
• The Master of Public Health and Doctor of Public Health are accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).^[34]
• Walden University is designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.^[35]

Unaccredited professional programs

• Walden University's PhD specializations in Clinical Psychology and Counseling Psychology are not accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) and have not received designation by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards/National Register (ASPPB/NR), which are requirements for licensure in some states. The MS and six other PhD in psychology specializations offered by Walden are not governed by APA.^[36]

Student outcomes

According to the US Department of Education's College Scorecard, Walden University has a 29 percent graduation rate and a median earnings range of $26,200 (lowest) and $75,700 (highest) in the first year after graduation.^[37]

Rankings

Walden University is ranked 436th out of 442 schools in the Washington Monthly list of national universities.

Publications

Walden University sponsors several peer-reviewed and refereed academic journals.

• International Journal of Applied Management and Technology^[38][39] (ISSN 1544-4740)
• Journal of Social Change^[40][39] ( ISSN 1931-1540)
• Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences^[41][39] ( ISSN 1948-3260)
• Journal of Educational Research and Practice^[42][39]
• Journal of Social Work in the Global Community^[43][39]
• Journal of Excellence in Nursing and Healthcare Practice^[44][39]

Alumni and faculty

According to College Navigator, in 2023 Walden University had 235 full-time instructors and 2,723 part-time instructors for 42,312 students.^[45]

Notable alumni and faculty include:

• John Antonakis
• Chandra Dillard
• Thomas A. Drake
• Monique Holsey-Hyman
• Thet Thet Khine
• Jacob Lozada
• Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein

References

1. "About Our Accredited Online University". WaldenU.edu. Walden University. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
2. 235 2,723
3. https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=walden+university&s=all&id=125231
4. Kaplan, Jonathan A. (May 4, 2010). (PDF). House.gov. Education and Labor Committee, US House of Representatives. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 10, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
5. "Walden University". CARNEGIE CLASSIFICATION OF INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
6. "IPEDS Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
7. "Sylvan Ventures invest $32.8 million in school". bizjournals.com. February 5, 2001.
8. . Highbeam.com. Archived from the original on 2017-08-11. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
9. "Jonathan Kaplan, J.D." WaldenU.edu. Walden University. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
10. Helderman, Rosalind; Ye Hee Lee, Michelle. "Inside Bill Clinton's nearly $18 million job as 'honorary chancellor' of a for-profit college". www.washingtonpost.com. Washington Post. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
11. "President Bill Clinton Accepts Role As Honorary Chancellor Of World's Largest University Network". thestreet.com (Press release). PRWeb. 2010-04-26. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
12. Looney, Adam; Yannelis, Constantine. "A Crisis in Student Loans? How Changes in the Characteristics of Borrowers and the Institutions they Attended Contributed to Rising Loan Defaults" (PDF). brookings.edu. Brookings Institution. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
13. "FORM S-1 Registration Statement for Laureate Education, Inc". sec.gov. US Security and Exchange Commission. May 20, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
14. "Minnesota puts for-profit college once tied to Bill Clinton under review". NBC News. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
15. Schecter, Anna (December 2, 2016). "Student Sues Walden University: 'I Wasted Six Years of My Life'". NBC News. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
16. "Adtalem to Acquire Walden University From Laureate Education, Creating a National Leader in Healthcare Education". Business Wire. September 11, 2020. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
17. Schwartz, Natalie. "Activist investors urge Adtalem to pull plug on Walden U purchase". www.highereddive.com. Higher Ed Dive. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
18. "Walden University Earns ACBSP's Silver Achievement Award | Walden University". www.waldenu.edu. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
19. . www.waldenu.edu. Archived from the original on 2019-03-25.
20. "Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities: 2020 | NSF - National Science Foundation". ncses.nsf.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
21. "NCSES | NSF". ncsesdata.nsf.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
22. "Carroll et al. v. Walden University, LLC et al". www.relmanlaw.com. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
23. Green, Erica L. (2022-04-08). "Lawsuit Charges For-Profit University Preyed on Black and Female Students". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
24. Baylor, Elizabeth (8 July 2015). "As Graduate-Student Debt Booms, Just a Few Colleges Are Largely Responsible". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
25. "The surprising list of colleges whose financial management has the government worried". The Washington Post. March 18, 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
26. "Walden University". nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator. US Department of Education. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
27. "Walden University - Acalog ACMS™". catalog.waldenu.edu. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
28. "About Our Accredited Online University". WaldenU.edu. Walden University. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
29. "Accredited Provider Details Walden University". Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
30. "CACREP Accreditation – M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling". WaldenU.edu. Walden University. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
31. "Directory". CACREP.org. The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
32. "Directory of Accredited Programs". Council on Social Work Education. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
33. "Accreditation". WaldenU.edu. Walden University. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
34. "List of Accredited Schools and Programs". Council on Education for Public Health. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
35. "National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense". nsa.gov. National Security Agency, US Dept. of Defense. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
36. "PhD In Psychology". WaldenU.edu. Walden University. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
37. "School | College Scorecard".
38. "International Journal of Applied Management and Technology". WaldenU.edu. Walden University. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
39. "Publications and Journals". WaldenU.edu. Walden University. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
40. "Journal of Social Change". WaldenU.edu. Walden University. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
41. "Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences". WaldenU.edu. Walden University. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
42. "Journal of Educational Research and Practice". WaldenU.edu. Walden University. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
43. "Journal of Social Work in the Global Community". WaldenU.edu. Walden University. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
44. "Journal of Excellence in Nursing and Healthcare Practice". WaldenU.edu. Walden University. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
45. "Walden University". College Navigator. Retrieved 23 December 2023.

External links

• Official website

44°58′52″N 93°15′56″W / 44.98111°N 93.26556°W / 44.98111; -93.26556