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Patten University Offers Personalized Degree Programs for Working Adults

Published

11 years ago

January 23, 2014

Working students are the fastest growing part of the student population in the country because most people realize they need advanced credentials to create the life they want but cannot afford a traditional undergraduate or schooling experience.

Designing a program that meets the needs of these students is a major goal of Patten University in Oakland, which has become one of the fastest growing online universities, serving students in 38 states across the country, the majority from California, according to Dr. Thomas Stewart, president of the university.

About 37 million Americans start college and do not graduate. Too many of them stumble over the difficulties of going to school while supporting themselves and their families, says Stewart, who explains that Patten was founded to “create a university that addresses the needs of working adults.”

“If I’m a working adult, and I have a family, I can’t go to CAL,” he said, noting that 15 percent of Patten’s online students are over the age of 50. “Patten is designed to give you what you need.”

Dr. Thomas Stewart, President of Patten University

A native of Washington, D.C and raised in an urban community, Stewart understands that urban universities must fit urban realities.

He points to his own experiences. As an undergraduate, Dr. Stewart flunked out of the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), but after serving in the military, he returned to the university to finish his bachelor’s degree and went on to gain his masters and doctorate from Harvard.

While the degrees from Harvard confer status, he said, the name of the institution does not matter at the end of the day. What is important is a person’s work ethic and the skills they are able to offer an employee.

“Assumptions are made from names,” he said. “There are over 4,000 universities. If you eliminate [schools] named after a state or after someone famous, most people can’t tell the name of 3,000 of them,” he said. “…People have to find what’s a good fit for them.”

Expanding rapidly, Patten has grown to a student population over 1,000 in its first 18 months. Stewart says that number will be 10 times as large by the end of the year.

He credits Patten’s success with its application of the “UNOW Model,” which allows students to pay as they go, offers personal coaching, works on a self-paced format and has voluntarily chose not to receive Title IV funding.

The school also uses an interactive teaching approach that monitors a student’s progress and readiness indicators that show a student’s understanding of the subject, identifying the areas they should look over again before taking a final exam.

As one of the most affordable private universities in the nation, Patten’s tuition is $5,000 for an academic year and includes all fees for books and other learning resources. While the university does not offer financial aid, it does offer financial options, strongly discouraging students from saddling themselves with student loans.

“Forfeit a cable bill for a year or two, and it could pay for you to go to college,” Stewart said.

In addition to its online courses, Patten offers campus-based degree programs for students who want a classroom experience,

Patten University is located at 2433 Coolidge Ave. in Oakland. For more information, www.patten.edu or call (510) 485-7820.

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Related Topics:California City of Oakland Oakland online education online university Patten University post secondary education Thomas Stewart

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Faces Around the Bay: Author Karen Lewis Took the ‘Detour to Straight Street’

“My life has been a roller-coaster with an unlimited ride wristband! I was raised in Berkeley during the time of Ron Dellums, the Black Panthers, and People’s Park. I was a Hippie kid, my Auntie cut off all our hair so we could wear the natural styles like her and Angela Davis.

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Oakland Post

Karen Lewis. Courtesy photo.

By Barbara Fluhrer

I met Karen Lewis on a park bench in Berkeley. She wrote her story on the spot.

I got married young, then ended up getting divorced, raising two boys into men. After my divorce, I had a stroke that left me blind and paralyzed. I was homeless, lost in a fog with blurred vision.

Jesus healed me! I now have two beautiful grandkids. At 61, this age and this stage, I am finally free indeed. Our Lord Jesus Christ saved my soul. I now know how to be still. I lay at his feet. I surrender and just rest. My life and every step on my path have already been ordered. So, I have learned in this life…it’s nice to be nice. No stressing, just blessings. Pray for the best and deal with the rest.

Nobody is perfect, so forgive quickly and love easily!”

Lewis’ book “Detour to Straight Street” is available on Amazon.

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Golden State Warriors Program Is Inspiring Next Generation of Female Engineers

Breaking down barriers and biases that deter young girls from pursuing STEAM subjects is essential for creating a level playing field and ensuring equal opportunities for all. By challenging stereotypes and promoting a culture of inclusivity and diversity in STEAM fields, experts believe young girls can be empowered to pursue their interests and aspirations without limitations confidently. Encouraging mentorship, providing access to resources, and celebrating girls’ achievements in STEAM are all crucial steps in creating a supportive environment that fosters success.

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Oakland Post

Front Row: UC Berkeley Steel Bridge Team Back Row: Girls, Inc. Participants. Photo courtesy of the Golden State Warriors.

By Y’Anad Burrell

The Golden State Warriors and e-commerce giant Rakuten are joining forces to inspire the next generation of female engineers through Building STEAM Futures, part of The City Calls campaign.

Organizers say the initiative is founded on the idea that science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) are crucial fields for innovation and progress, and empowering young girls to pursue careers in these areas is more important than ever. Studies consistently show that girls are underrepresented in STEAM fields, resulting in a gender disparity that limits potential and hinders diversity.

On Saturday, March 8, International Women’s Day, the Warriors and Rakuten hosted 20 middle school girls from Girls Inc. of Alameda County at Chase Center’s Above the Rim for a hands-on bridge-building experience. The young girls from Girls, Inc. of Alameda County had an opportunity to design, build and test their own bridge prototypes and learn the fundamentals of bridge construction from the Engineering Alliance and the UC Berkeley Steel Bridge Team.

This STEAM experience for the girls followed the first session in January, where they took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Golden Gate Bridge, learning about its design and construction from industry experts. The City Calls campaign, tipped off with the unveiling the Warriors’ new bridge-themed City Edition jerseys and court design earlier this year.

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Lawsuit Accuses UC Schools of Giving Preference to Black and Hispanic Students

The lawsuit also alleges UC is violating the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars racial discrimination by federally funded institutions. In response, UC stated that race is not a factor in admissions, as per state law, and that student demographic data is collected only for statistical purposes.

Published

2 months ago

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Oakland Post

iStock.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

A lawsuit filed in federal court accuses the University of California (UC) of racial discrimination in undergraduate admissions, alleging that Black and Latino students are favored over Asian American and white applicants. The lawsuit, filed by the group Students Against Racial Discrimination, claims UC’s admissions policies violate Proposition 209, a state law passed in 1996 that prohibits the consideration of race in public education.

In response, UC stated that race is not a factor in admissions, as per state law, and that student demographic data is collected only for statistical purposes.

Stett Holbrook, a spokesperson for the UC system, said the entity had not been served with the lawsuit.

“If served, we will vigorously defend our admission practices,” said Holbrook.

“We believe this to be a meritless suit that seeks to distract us from our mission to provide California students with a world-class education,” he said.

The complaint criticizes UC’s use of a “holistic” admissions process, arguing it replaces objective academic criteria with subjective considerations that disadvantage certain racial groups. It cites admission rate disparities at UC Berkeley, noting a decrease in Black student admissions from 13% in 2010 to 10% in 2023, compared to an overall drop from 21% to 12%.

The lawsuit follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling banning affirmative action in college admissions, which has prompted challenges to race-conscious policies nationwide. The plaintiffs seek a court order preventing UC from collecting racial data in applications and request a federal monitor to oversee admissions decisions.