The Unconventional John Sperling

Paper Summary:

The paper attempts to capture the essence of John Sperling's personality by focusing on five major facets of Sperling's life: his philanthropic interests, childhood influences, educational background, professional strategies and philosophy of life. The paper highlights how Sperling reached his current position by defying all established conventions and by finding his own unique way to triumph. The paper clearly illustrates how John Sperling is a fascinating, unique and highly unconventional personality.

Outline:
Introduction
Sperling's Charitable and Philanthropic Interests
Sperling's Childhood Influences
Educational Preparation for the Chosen Career
Inventions/Business Strategies That Played a Role in Sperling's Success
Sperling's Philosophy of Life
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"John Sperling is an 87-year old billionaire and a self-described "meddler" - innovator and entrepreneur who loves to rebel against the establishment of any kind. As the founder of the largest private university system, the University of Phoenix, Sperling defiled the academic tradition by structuring this institution as a for-profit, highly efficient operation. Today, University of Phoenix has more than 140,000 students, and its holding company, Apollo Group, Inc., is valued at more than $7 billion (Breen, 2003). This fortune has allowed the self-made billionaire Sperling pursue his philosophy of "improving the quality of life of my fellow men" (Adamson, 2007). However, he does this in a highly unconventional way by supporting such controversial projects as drug legalization campaigns, pet cloning programs, and saltwater farming projects in Africa."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Adamson, L. Because he stirs the pot, and apparently always will. Inc.com. Retrieved April 29, 2008, from <http://www.inc.com/magazine/20040401/25sperling.html>.
• Alexander, B. (2004). John Sperling wants you to live forever. Wired.com. Retrieved April 29, 2008, from <http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.02/immortal.html?tw=wn_tophead_4>.
• Breen, B. (2003). The hard life and restless mind of America's education billionaire. FastCompany.com. Retrieved April 29, 2008, from <http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/68/sperling.html?page=0%2C1>.
• Drinkard, J. (2004). Independent voices rising in ads. USA Today, 18 August 2004.
• Sperling, J. (2000). Rebel with a cause: the entrepreneur who created the University of Phoenix and the for-profit revolution in higher education. US: John Wiley & Sons.

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