John Glen Sperling was an American billionaire businessman who is credited with having led the contemporary for-profit education movement in the United States The fortune he amassed was based on his founding of the for-profit University of Phoenix in 1976, which became part of the publicly traded Apollo Group. Sperling brought the business model of higher education to the forefront, a model that employed the scientific management of higher education to the forefront: diminishing the power and importance of labor, increasing the importance of technology, marketing and advertising, and as University of Phoenix cofounder John D. Murphy explained, maximizing profit. For ventures ranging from pet cloning to green energy, he has widely been described as an "eccentric" self-made man by The Washington Post and other media.
John Sperling, American businessman, founded the University of Phoenix (born 1921)
On August 22, in the year 2014, John Sperling, American businessman, founded the University of Phoenix (born 1921). This event is recorded as a Notable Deaths event in the history of August 22, a notable event in this corner of history.
1 notable person is associated with this event, including John Sperling. Learn more below.
Key Facts
- This event took place on August 22, 2014 (AD era).
- It is categorised as a Notable Deaths event in recorded history.
- Referenced in 2 Wikipedia articles.
- 1 notable person is recorded as involved in or associated with this event.
- Wikipedia source last updated on 27 July 2026.
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This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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