Person in history
John Sperling
John Sperling, American businessman, founded the University of Phoenix (born 1921)
Life at a glance
- Died
- 2014 · August 22
Their story
Who they were
John Glen Sperling was an American billionaire businessman who is credited with having led the contemporary for-profit education movement in the United States The fortune he amassed was based on his founding of the for-profit University of Phoenix in 1976, which became part of the publicly traded Apollo Group. Sperling brought the business model of higher education to the forefront, a model that employed the scientific management of higher education to the forefront: diminishing the power and importance of labor,
Why this date
John Sperling appears on our August 22 calendar for 2014 as a death entry.
Sources
Cite this page
“John Sperling”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/people/john-sperling, accessed October 24, 2026.
Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.
Questions about John Sperling
When did John Sperling die?
August 22 2014.
Who else was born on this day?
The date page lists everyone we hold for that calendar day.
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