Regulators seek clarity from Woz U organizers

Woz U, an online techeducation institute named after Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak, was unveiled last week at an event in Paradise Valley attended by the “Woz” himself, U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake and state tech elite.

But key paperwork for the for-profit institute required by Arizona regulators appears to be uncompleted.

Woz U is not licensed to operate in Arizona, according to the Arizona State Board for Private

Postsecondary Education, the state agency that regulates for-profit schools.

Still in question is whether it needs to be.

A news release describes Woz U as “Arizona based” with “corporate headquarters in Scottsdale” and offering “current programs,” descriptions that would indicate a physical presence in Arizona and require a state license, said Keith Blanchard, the board’s deputy director.

Blanchard said board officials have reached out to company officials for clarification and are planning to meet with them today.

Shelly Murphy, a spokeswoman for Woz U, said on Tuesday that the company doesn’t believe it has any compliance or regulatory issues because it has no campuses in the state. She said the company “will follow all the regulatory and compliance guidelines.”

Brent Richardson, an Arizona resident and the chairman of the board of Woz U, told The Arizona Republic and azcentral

.com last week that Woz U is routing its students online through its partner, Southern Careers Institute, a private, for-profit technical and trade school in Texas.

It is not unusual for new institutes to affiliate with established schools that are accredited. SCI, based in Austin, is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education.

SCI also is not licensed in Arizona, according to the state board.

Richardson, who is the former chairman of Grand Canyon University, said that because Woz U isn’t physically operating in Arizona or accepting students for “on-ground” classes here, the institute is not violating licensing regulations.

Richardson said Woz U has its corporate headquarters in Scottsdale and is “starting to work with (Arizona) for licensing Woz U.” He said the tech event at Camelback Inn last week was just the announcement for the institute.

Arizona law requires that private vocational or degree programs get a state license, and it’s a Class 3 misdemeanor to advertise, recruit students or operate without the proper license.

Murphy said there was a miscommunication with the news release and that neither Woz U nor SCI has headquarters in Scottsdale. What is operating out of Scottsdale, she said, is Coder Camps.

Coder Camps is a coding boot camp, based out of north Scottsdale near Via de Ventura and Pima Road, that is managed by the Exeter Education network. Richardson is also the CEO of Exeter Education

Calls made by The Republic to Coder Camp — with an Arizona area code — are answered by an admission representative for Woz U.

SCI has a live job posting on its site for a technical recruiter in Scottsdale for Woz U and Coder Camps, further indicating SCI’s presence and Woz U’s physical operation in the state.

Richardson said Woz U doesn’t have a relationship with Exeter Education, but that Woz U was operating out of the same building as the network and Coder Camps. Woz U soon plans to move to its own location in Arizona, he said.

Woz U students can enroll in diploma-type programs that are under 12 months in length, Richardson said. Woz U also will have certificate-type programs and is looking to partner with more traditional schools that can offer up to an associate’s degree.

Woz U, though, will be “standing alone,” eventually, once it is established, Richardson said.

Initially, students will have “24/7 live access” to teachers with SCI that Woz U has hand-selected. The company is working to interview and set up a full faculty, he said.

The 33-week online curriculum initially will offer training for computer-support specialists and software developers. In time, Woz U hopes to provide programs for data-science, mobile-application and cybersecurity, according to its website.

Tuition varies, depending on the program, according to Richardson, who gave a price range from $11,900 to $14,900 for programs under a year.

Woz U isn’t currently part of the federal student-loan program.

Richardson said there isn’t a typical student he had in mind when coming up with the concept for Woz U. He is interested in helping students, though, who are coming out of high school and aren’t going onto four-year degrees.

“We want to be a place that offers an opportunity to everyone, (unlike) some of the coding schools that, you know, have high criteria for selection and they turn down a lot of applicants,” he said. “We want to kind of be open to people who think they can do it and want a chance to do it.”

“We want to be a place that offers an opportunity to everyone, (unlike) some of the coding schools that, you know, have high criteria for selection and they turn down a lot of applicants.” BRENT RICHARDSON CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, WOZ U