The founder of the University of Phoenix, Dr. John G. Sperling, has died, according to a statement posted on the Apollo Education Group’s website. He was 93.
The statement said Sperling passed away Friday at a hospital in the San Francisco Bay area. No cause was given.
Sperling founded the Institute for Professional Development in 1972, followed by the University of Phoenix, a degree program aimed at working adults, in 1978. The for-profit university was one of the first to develop online degree programs.
The University of Phoenix is one of the largest private universities in the United States with more than a million students, alumni, faculty and employees, according to the Apollo Group, its parent company.
He was one of the first to advocate for medical marijuana.
