Trident University International is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

for-profit

online university A virtual university (or online university) provides higher education programs through electronic media, typically the Internet. Some are bricks-and-mortar institutions that provide online learning as part of their extended university courses while ...

based in

Cypress, California Cypress is a city in northwestern Orange County within Southern California. Its population was 50,151 at the 2020 census. History The first people living in the area now known as Cypress were the Gabrieleno, a Native American tribe of the Ton ...

. It is a member of the American InterContinental University System, and regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Trident offers five doctoral degrees, eight master's degrees, 8 bachelor's degrees, one associate degree, and six professional certificate and diplomas programs. As of 2014, enrollment included about 75% military personnel.

History

Founded in 1998, it has its headquarters in

. Currently the university has more than 30,000 alumni. Trident at AIU's story starts with the founding of Touro University International, a branch campus of

Touro College Touro University is a private Jewish university system headquartered in New York City, with branches throughout the United States as well as one each in Germany, Israel and Russia. It was founded by Bernard Lander in 1971 and named for Isaac an ...

, in July 1998, by its founders Dr. Yoram Neumann and Edith Neumann. It was the first university in the world to offer a regionally accredited doctorate program online with no residency requirement. Touro University International was initially accredited by the

Middle States Commission on Higher Education The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (abbreviated as MSCHE and legally incorporated as the Mid-Atlantic Region Commission on Higher Education) is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit membership organization that performs peer evalua ...

(MSCHE). Touro College, including the Touro University International branch campus, was subsequently re-accredited by MSCHE in 2004. Because of its location in California, robust growth, fiscal and operational stability, and unique online delivery model, Touro University International was separately accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) ow called the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)in February 2005. In October 2007, Touro University International was sold to

Summit Partners Summit Partners is an American private equity firm based in Boston, Massachusetts. The firm focuses on investing in technology, healthcare, life sciences and other growth industries. Background Summit Partners was founded in 1984 by Roe St ...

for 190 million dollars and a new institution, TUI University (now Trident at AIU) was formed and incorporated as a private for profit. Under the new ownership, the management team continued to lead the institution while the learning model, faculty, and staff maintain their central roles in the quality and vitality of the university. In January 2011, TUI University officially changed its name to Trident University International. On March 29, 2015, Jones International University (JIU) announced it would close in 2016 and that it had entered into a formal transfer agreement with Trident University International that would provide all JIU students with individualized, custom learning plans and the opportunity to transition their studies to Trident. Trident also announced plans to rename its business school The Glenn R. Jones College of Business Administration. In March 2019,

Career Education Corporation Perdoceo Education Corporation (PRDO) is a private company that currently owns four for-profit universities, including American Intercontinental University, Colorado Technical University, California Southern University, and Trident University I ...

entered into an agreement to acquire Trident University International for $35 – 44 million from Summit Partners and merged this acquisition into Career Education Corporation's American InterContinental University as a branch campus. Trident at AIU was officially granted accreditation by the

Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...

on February 19, 2020. Trident withdrew accreditation from the

Western Association of Schools and Colleges The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) was an organization providing School accreditation, accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary school, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, ...

on March 2, 2020.

Investigations and controversies

In June 2011, the WSCUC Commission received information that Trident awarded baccalaureate degrees to students who had not fulfilled the university's general education (GE) requirements. In addition, Trident failed to notify WSCUC of this problem when it was first brought to the institution's attention by the Servicemembers Opportunity College (SOCNAV), an organization that works with the United States Navy to assure that the colleges that Navy personnel attend are appropriately accredited and military friendly. Because of the serious breach of Standards One and Two related to integrity and general education, the Commission issued an Order to Show Cause why Trident's accreditation should not be terminated effective March 30, 2012. The following year, the commission confirmed that Trident had satisfactorily addressed the issues and reaffirmed Trident's accreditation. As of 2015, Trident was under ''

heightened cash monitoring Higher education in the United States is an optional stage of formal learning following secondary education. Higher education is also referred as post-secondary education, third-stage, third-level, or tertiary education. It covers stages 5 to 8 ...

'' by the

United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...

"to provide additional oversight of cash management." In 2017, the Veterans Education Success organization alleged that Trident had used misleading information to recruit "survivors" who had Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits. Survivors are the children of a father or mother who was killed while on active duty and their widows or husbands. On March 9, 2020, the

Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers an ...

(VA) suspended

G.I. Bill The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, bu ...

reimbursement eligibility for American InterContinental University and several other for-profit schools due to what the V.A. said were "erroneous, deceptive, or misleading enrollment and advertising practices", giving the schools 60 days to take "corrective action". Later that year, the VA reversed its action.

Academics

Trident at American InterContinental University is institutionally accredited by the

. Trident offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral level degrees in a 100% online environment in the following colleges: *Glenn R. Jones College of Business *College of Education *College of Health and Human Services *College of Information Systems

Rankings

Trident University International placed #80 in Washington Monthly's 2019 National University Rankings Report and #19 in The Military Times Best: Colleges of 2018 for best online and nontraditional schools.

Student outcomes

According to the

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...

, Trident at AIU has a 6-year graduation rate of 19% and a 3-year default rate of 17 percent.

Notable alumni

* Robyn J. Blader, United States National Guard brigadier general *

William Gainey William Joseph Gainey (born May 27, 1956) is a retired United States Army soldier who served as the first Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Early life Gainey was born in Jacksonville, Florida, on May 27, 1956 ...

, United States Army Command Sergeant Major (R), the first senior enlisted advisor to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (SEAC) *

David O'Donahue David O'Donahue is the Deputy Adjutant General-Civil Support of the Wisconsin National Guard with the rank of Brigadier General. Career O'Donahue received his commission through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps in 1987. Commands he has held w ...

, deputy adjutant general of the

Wisconsin National Guard The Wisconsin National Guard consists of the Wisconsin Army National Guard and the Wisconsin Air National Guard. It is a part of the Government of Wisconsin under the control of the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs. The Wisconsin Natio ...

Kenneth Preston Kenneth O. Preston (born February 18, 1957) is a retired United States Army soldier who served as the Sergeant Major of the Army. He was sworn in as the 13th Sergeant Major of the Army on January 15, 2004. Preston served 7 years and 2 months as ...

, 13th

sergeant major of the Army The Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA) is a unique non-commissioned rank and position of office in the United States Army. The holder of this rank and position is the most senior enlisted soldier in the Army, unless an enlisted soldier is servin ...

* Stephen Templin, bestselling author of "Seal Team Six" *

Tony Tinderholt Tony Dale Tinderholt (born August 13, 1970) is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from Arlington, Texas. On January 13, 2015, Tinderholt succeeded Diane Patrick, a four-term representative whom he unseated in the Republi ...

, member of

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...

John W. Troxell John Wayne Troxell (born 1964) is a retired United States Army senior non-commissioned officer who served as the third Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (SEAC). This position made him the most senior enlisted ...

, United States Army Command sergeant major

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tui University For-profit universities and colleges in the United States Online colleges Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Educational institutions established in 1998 1998 establishments in California Touro University System Distance education institutions based in the United States