UA System Board Votes Against University of Phoenix Deal
Mark Friedman & Scott Carroll
April 24,2023
The University of Arkansas System board of trustees voted Monday against moving forward with a license agreement with the University of Phoenix, but that doesn’t mean the deal is dead.
At a special meeting, trustees voted 5-4 against a resolution supporting the deal, with one trustee, Kelly Eichler, abstaining.
Little Rock attorney Kevin Crass was among the trustees who voted against the resolution, raising concerns that the proposed affiliation, as currently written, would limit the UA System’s right to leave the agreement until the final year of the 10-year deal.
Crass, the newest member of the 10-member board, was also skeptical about the system’s ability to take action on disagreements with the University of Phoenix, as the system would hold a minority role on an 11-person board controlling the school.
