University of Phoenix’s Spokane Valley campus to close Oct. 31

Spokane Valley’s University of Phoenix campus will close its doors on Oct. 31, but the parent company said students taking courses there will not see a disruption in their education.

Apollo Group, which has operated more than 220 locations under the name University of Phoenix, said it’s shutting down 115 campus centers over the next few months.

A spokeswoman said Apollo’s goal is to consolidate operations and focus on “innovations” that provide a stronger focus on the needs of students. After the closures, it will have 112 campuses or student learning centers, said spokeswoman Danica Ross.

The Spokane Valley location, at 8775 E. Mission Ave., opened in 2003.

Ross said Spokane-area students won’t be affected by the closure since “there were no classes offered inside the building. All the classes were online,” Ross said.

The Valley building provided a place for students to gather, use computers or meet with faculty or advisers, she added. Students will still have the option of meeting with advisers online or by phone, she said.

The closures include five of the six University of Phoenix locations in Washington, including one in Richland. The location that will continue operating is in Tukwila, Ross said.

Ross said the five closures will eliminate 29 jobs. She couldn’t say how many students are taking courses through the Valley campus, nor how many employees are being cut there.

Apollo Group, which is publicly traded, reported that its fourth-quarter 2012 revenue came to $996.5 million, an 11 percent decrease compared to the same quarter a year earlier.

Company officials said the decrease was due principally to lower University of Phoenix enrollment.