Berkeley

Patten University Offers Personalized Degree Programs for Working Adults

Published

13 years ago

January 23, 2014

Working students are the fastest growing part of the student population in the country because most people realize they need advanced credentials to create the life they want but cannot afford a traditional undergraduate or schooling experience.

Designing a program that meets the needs of these students is a major goal of Patten University in Oakland, which has become one of the fastest growing online universities, serving students in 38 states across the country, the majority from California, according to Dr. Thomas Stewart, president of the university.

About 37 million Americans start college and do not graduate. Too many of them stumble over the difficulties of going to school while supporting themselves and their families, says Stewart, who explains that Patten was founded to “create a university that addresses the needs of working adults.”

“If I’m a working adult, and I have a family, I can’t go to CAL,” he said, noting that 15 percent of Patten’s online students are over the age of 50. “Patten is designed to give you what you need.”

Dr. Thomas Stewart, President of Patten University

A native of Washington, D.C and raised in an urban community, Stewart understands that urban universities must fit urban realities.

He points to his own experiences. As an undergraduate, Dr. Stewart flunked out of the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), but after serving in the military, he returned to the university to finish his bachelor’s degree and went on to gain his masters and doctorate from Harvard.

While the degrees from Harvard confer status, he said, the name of the institution does not matter at the end of the day. What is important is a person’s work ethic and the skills they are able to offer an employee.

“Assumptions are made from names,” he said. “There are over 4,000 universities. If you eliminate [schools] named after a state or after someone famous, most people can’t tell the name of 3,000 of them,” he said. “…People have to find what’s a good fit for them.”

Expanding rapidly, Patten has grown to a student population over 1,000 in its first 18 months. Stewart says that number will be 10 times as large by the end of the year.

He credits Patten’s success with its application of the “UNOW Model,” which allows students to pay as they go, offers personal coaching, works on a self-paced format and has voluntarily chose not to receive Title IV funding.

The school also uses an interactive teaching approach that monitors a student’s progress and readiness indicators that show a student’s understanding of the subject, identifying the areas they should look over again before taking a final exam.

As one of the most affordable private universities in the nation, Patten’s tuition is $5,000 for an academic year and includes all fees for books and other learning resources. While the university does not offer financial aid, it does offer financial options, strongly discouraging students from saddling themselves with student loans.

“Forfeit a cable bill for a year or two, and it could pay for you to go to college,” Stewart said.

In addition to its online courses, Patten offers campus-based degree programs for students who want a classroom experience,

Patten University is located at 2433 Coolidge Ave. in Oakland. For more information, www.patten.edu or call (510) 485-7820.

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Related Topics:California City of Oakland Oakland online education online university Patten University post secondary education Thomas Stewart

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Activism

Black Repertory Group Needs Volunteers to Help Shape the Next Generation of Artists and Leaders

Legendary performers such as Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover worked with and were inspired by BRG’s founders. More recently, Grammy award-winning artist Kehlani attended the Black Repertory Group Summer Day Camp for several years.

Published

2 months ago

June 26, 2026

Oakland Post

Courtesy image.

By Sean Vaughn Scott, Special to The Post

For more than 60 years, the Black Repertory Group (BRG) has changed lives through the arts.

Founded in 1964 by educators and visionaries Birel L. Vaughn and Nora Vaughn, BRG has become one of America’s oldest continuously operating Black theater institutions. For generations, it has preserved culture, developed talent, and provided opportunities for young people to discover their voices and their potential.

The results speak for themselves.

Long before international recognition, Kehlani performed on the BRG stage. During a summer day camp production of “Princess and da Frog,” she portrayed Ray, the lovable firefly whose light guided others through the darkness. Her journey is proof that today’s camper may become tomorrow’s artist, entrepreneur, educator, or leader.

Located at 3201 Adeline St. in Berkeley, BRG continues that mission through its Youth Summer Day Camp of the Arts.

BRG is currently accepting applications and maintains an open enrollment program. Students may enroll throughout the summer as space permits and immediately become part of the BRG family.

We are also proud to be a multicultural opportunity program, welcoming children and families from all backgrounds, cultures, and communities. Through theater, music, dance, public speaking, visual arts, technical theater, and leadership development, students gain confidence, discipline, creativity, and lifelong skills.

As our programs grow, so does our need for volunteers.

We are seeking community members to assist with youth mentoring, registration, costumes, set construction, painting, props, ushering, photography, social media, marketing, technical theater, and fundraising activities. Whether you volunteer for a few hours or throughout the season, your support directly impacts the lives of young people.

BRG also partners with churches, civic organizations, alumni associations, fraternities, sororities, and community groups through theater party fundraisers, group sales, and buy-out performances. These partnerships have helped organizations raise funds while supporting arts and cultural programming.

The theater also serves as the home of the Berkeley NAACP Chapter, which meets every second Saturday of the month from 1 to 3 p.m.

For more than six decades, the Black Repertory Group has remained committed to one belief: every child deserves an opportunity to shine.

The next great artist may already be among us.

The next Kehlani may already be walking through our doors.

We invite you to volunteer, enroll, participate, and become part of the legacy.

For more information please go to www.blackrepertorygroup.com, call (510) 652-2120, or email info@blackrepertorygroup.com

Sean Vaughn Scott is the director of the Black Repertory Group.

Oakland Post

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Bay Area

UC Berkeley Named Top Public University in the U.S. and No. 7 in the World by ‘U.S. News’

Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014. “A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

Published

2 months ago

June 24, 2026

Oakland Post

Photo by Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley.

The 2026 Best Global Universities rankings evaluated 2,250 research institutions from more than 100 countries

By Lila Thulin

U.S. News & World Report has ranked UC Berkeley No. 7 in its 2026 list of the best global universities, which assesses more than 2,250 research institutions worldwide.

Berkeley also claimed the honor of top public university in the U.S.

Released on Monday, the list evaluates universities from more than 100 countries on 13 metrics such as global and research reputation (as reported by academics and peers) and number of highly cited scholarly papers.

Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014.

“A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

The rankings also assess a university’s strength in various subject areas; these assessments are separate from U.S. News’ 2026 Best Graduate Programs rankings released in April.

This year, Berkeley was named in the top three nationally in seven subject areas – environment/ecology, ecology, water resources, physics, computer science, chemistry, and engineering – and in the top five for a total of 17 subjects. Subject rankings are based heavily on scholarly publications and citations as well as reputation.

In September, U.S. News also released its 2026 Best Colleges list, in which Berkeley was also named the No. 1 public institution among American universities.

That honor joins other accolades judging campus to be the best public university in the country, such as those from Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education.

Oakland Post

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Arts and Culture

Farwest Region Deltas Celebrate Centennial With “September Breakfast” Honoring Vivian Osborne Marsh

The region was established in 1925 under the leadership of Vivian Osborne Marsh, who became its first Regional Director. Marsh was a pioneering scholar and civic leader, earning recognition as the first Black woman to receive both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in anthropology from UC Berkeley.

Published

11 months ago

September 14, 2025

Oakland Post

Farwest Regional Director, Kimberly Usher, Mayor Barbara Lee, US Representative Lateefah Simon, and Farwest Regional Representative, Radiya Ajibade. Photo courtesy of Farwest Regional Photographer Vicki P. Love.

By Antoinette Porter

Hundreds of members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and their guests gathered at the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union at the University of California, Berkeley, to mark the 100th anniversary of the sorority’s Farwest Region.

Marsh went on to serve as Delta Sigma Theta’s 7th National President, where she launched the sorority’s National Library Project to expand access to books in underserved Black communities in the South. During her presidency, the organization also became a prominent voice in the civil rights movement, lobbying Congress to pass anti-lynching legislation.

Bak in the Bay Area, Marsh devoted her career to advancing educational opportunities, mentoring young people, and strengthening community life. That commitment continues to shape the region, which supports initiatives in education, social justice, and economic development. Current projects include raising scholarship funds for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, voter education campaigns, and health and wellness programs.

A century after its founding, the Farwest Region of Delta Sigma Theta remains active across California and other western states, carrying forward Marsh’s vision of service and advocacy.