Posts Tagged “private sector college”
April 1, 2011
Lawmakers Say No to “Gainful Employment”
In a recent article from the Chronicle of Higher Education, Kelly Field reports that members of the U.S. House of Representatives warned the Education Department on Thursday that the “Gainful Employment” rule would significantly restrict access to education and kill jobs.
“At its heart, this issue is about student choice,” said Rep. John Kline of Minnesota, borrowing a line from the 2008 fight over student lending. “We realize there are some bad actors that should be rooted out. But we should not deny students the opportunity to attend the college of their choice.”
The concerns were raised during a House hearing on the “Gainful Employment” rule. The proposed rule would cut funding to private sector career training programs across the country.
Representative Donald Payne of New Jersey added that the proposed regulation would “limit access to a wide range of private programs, not only the bad ones,” and representative Andrews offered a solution in the form of judging schools based on more relevant metrics such as job-placement and graduation rates.
Read the full article here.
April 1, 2011
Defying the Odds
An Army spouse and mother of three children wanted to work at an Army Hospital, but she was told it would be an uphill struggle. She proved the critics wrong. Raushandah White earned two medical field diplomas from a career college and now works at the hospital as a Certified Medical Assistant. A private sector school gave her a career:
The small classes made learning a lot easier and the instructors were extremely helpful. Originally from Georgia, Raushandah and her husband used to live in Germany. Brown Mackie College – Hopkinsville was a great opportunity for her. I strongly believe that the tools I needed to be successful while shopping for a career were taught to me at the school. Thank you Brown Mackie College – Hopkinsville for forever becoming a part of my life.
Raushandah asseses, plans, implements and evaluates medical care for a wide range of patients. She credits much of her success to her private sector education:
I was sold from day one. The counselors told me everything they had to offer and even gave me a personal tour, she said. Plus, the hours fit in perfectly because I have small children at home.
Her advice to other students:
Work hard, stay focused, and remember the career opportunities that lie ahead. A better tomorrow is only a step away.
Read Raushandah’s full statement here.
November 22, 2010
Chamber of Commerce President: Gainful Employment Hurts Job Creation
U.S. Department of Commerce President Thomas Donohue has openly taken a stance against the Gainful Employment rule, according to a recent article in the North Bay Business Journal.
“This ill-conceived regulation will work against job creation, only resulting in jobs lost and fewer Americans getting the post-secondary education and training they need to secure work in today’s economy,” Donohue reportedly said in a letter to the Department of Education (DoE).
The Chamber President’s comments join over 90,000 others directed at the DoE in response to the proposed regulation, which will have severe ramifications for students trying to attend career colleges.
You can read the full North Bay Business Journal article here.
In its current form, Gainful Employment is anti-job creation and unfair to students seeking to attend career colleges. Help stop its implementation: sign the petition here!
November 17, 2010
Career Colleges for Veterans
With two tours of duty in Iraq, and one in Kuwait, you might wonder how retired marine Master Sergeant Janine Meylan (44) could possibly be worried about a math course. But after 23 years in the Marine Corps, the prospect of heading back into an academic setting was daunting for MSG Meylan.
“I was terrified of math,” she recalls. And having been away from the math books for so long, it’s easy to see why Meylan would be worried about heading to college. Having already finished one distinguished career, Meylan needed a nuanced atmosphere to succeed in her education.
“Professionalism is very important to me . . . [being a Marine] I knew I had to keep a professional setting. There was just no other option,” says Meylan.
Professionalism is exactly what she found at Miller-Motte college in Cary, NC.
The for-profit technical college offers a curriculum geared precisely toward the needs of Meylan, and many military veterans – small class sizes, flexible scheduling, and a disciplined focus on learning. With the individual attention and tutoring she got at Miller-Motte, Meylan finished her dreaded math course with a “B,” and is now on course to graduate in 2011 with a degree in health information technology.
Meylan will use her specialized knowledge to help veterans in military medical facilities. “I want to help veterans,” she says ”to make sure they understand what they are receiving . . . what is paid and what they will have to pay. I will know the answers for them.”
Meylan’s story of success is wonderful, but it is not unique. Private-sector colleges like Miller-Motte around the country are helping veterans and other professionals to smoothly transition into new professions. They form an integral part of our higher education system, and they are essential to a successful second career for people like MSG Meylan.
November 11, 2010
Veterans Day Salute From APSCU
Today, in honor of Veterans Day, APSCU issued a strong salute to America’s military men and women. APSCU President Harris Miller thanked members of our armed forces for their service and also praised them for their investment in America’s future through the pursuit of higher education.
“In addition to the invaluable contribution these men and women make in keeping our nation safe, they also make an important investment in America’s economic security and in the future growth and prosperity of themselves, their families and their communities by pursuing postsecondary education,” said Harris.
The statement pointed out that private sector colleges and universities serve the largest proportion of people with military experience:
Nineteen percent of those receiving GI benefits attend private sector colleges and universities (PSCUs), while among all sectors of higher education PSCUs educate the largest percentage of those with military experience (6.1 percent).
It is clear that for-profit schools represent a smart, realistic way for military personnel to pursue post-secondary education.
APSCU also announced an upcoming “roundtable” event in Washington, D.C. on November 17, 2010. The details of the event are below.
On November 17, APSCU will host a special Roundtable on service members in higher education in Washington, D.C. With a keynote presentation from Vice Admiral David L. Brewer III (Ret.), former Vice Chief of Naval Education and Training, the session, “Higher Education: Serving the Servicemember and Veteran Student” will take place at the U.S. Capitol Visitors’ Center, 8 – 10 am, with a panel of experts from the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, military serving organizations, and academic institutions. The event is sponsored by Grantham University. Media interested in attending the event can register here.
You can read the full Veterans Day press release here.
October 29, 2010
Revised Private Sector College Regulation Released Today
Today the Obama administration released the revised version of federal rules set to regulate the for-profit college industry. In a recent Washington Post article by Nick Anderson, Private sector college representatives acknowledged that the changes are a move in the right direction, but remained skeptical of several key provisions:
“It sounds like they’re moving toward a more pragmatic approach.” –Harris Miller President of the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities. However, Miller said that the new incentive compensation rule “is going to create a lot of uncertainty and potential litigation.”
Terry W. Hartle, senior vice president of the American Council on Education, weighed in on the new credit-hour definition:
“It sounds like they are going ahead with their plan to federalize the definition of a credit hour.”
The revisions also received some skepticism from Representative John Kline of Minnesota:
Mr. Kline wanted to make sure that the regulation is not “inhibiting to schools that want to be nimble and provide the kind of education and training we need.”
While there are clearly areas of concern in the revised regulation, it appears that Congress took notice of the over 90,000 comments they received from concerned citizens, students, and educators. It is also important to note that the highly scrutinized “gainful employment” rule is still under consideration, and not schedule for release until early 2011.
Read full article here.
October 28, 2010
APSCU Commends Department of Education on More Pragmatic Approach to Gainful Employment Regulations
The Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU) issued the following statement in response to new regulations released by the US Department of Education:
“We commend the Department of Education for taking a pragmatic approach to the issue of the Department’s preapproval of new programs in the final rule compared to the unworkable approach in the proposed rule. Concerns that have been raised by our sector and others in higher education have been heard and addressed in a manner that puts students first. The net effect of the original language would have significantly delayed or denied the introduction of new programs, costing students opportunities and institutions the ability to move quickly to meet employer demands for skills. We look forward to working with the Department as it moves to the critical next stage of considering whether or not it makes sense to use a specific gainful employment metric to judge institutional quality and, if so, the appropriate metric.”
Read full article here.
About APSCU: The Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities is a voluntary membership organization of accredited, private postsecondary schools, institutes, colleges and universities that provide career-specific educational programs. APSCU has more than 1,800 members that educate and support over one million students each year for employment in over 200 occupational fields. APSCU member institutions provide the full range of higher education programs: masters and doctoral degree programs, two- and four-year associate and baccalaureate degree programs, and short-term certificate and diploma programs. Visit APSCU at www.apscu.org or follow us on Twitter: apscunow. On September 22, 2010, APSCU changed its name from the Career College Association.
October 25, 2010
Mark Kantrowitz Offers Gainful Employment Recommendations
Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org and Fastweb.com, recommended significant changes to the proposed “gainful employment” regulation in a recently released summary of his policy analysis papers. Heather Kerrigan of the National association of Student Financial Aid Administrators highlighted Mr. Kantrowitz’s key findings and suggestions:
- Include all programs at all colleges in the gainful employment affordable debt restrictions.
- Exclude minority students and Pell Grant recipients from the CDR to avoid penalizing schools that have higher proportions of at-risk students.
- For-profit institutions attract a larger number of minority students and Pell Grant recipients. On average, colleges with a higher percentage of minority students have a lower loan repayment rate. Because of this, Kantrowitz argues that gainful employment regulations may shift more minority students to community colleges, thus decreasing the loan repayment rate at those schools. The same can be said for Pell Grant recipients.
- Kantrowitz argues that the Missouri Data set may not be indicative of national statistics because Missouri has a lower minority enrollment and does not account for all types of postsecondary institutions.
- Clarification from the Department is necessary on a number of items including how average earnings will be calculated and how an institution can move from ineligible back to eligible status.
This analysis of “gainful employment” raises many critical questions that must be considered before the regulation is implemented. Most importantly, Mr. Kantrowitz emphasized the high percentage of at-risk students attending for-profit schools, and the likely unrepresentative data the regulation is based on.
Read the full summary here.
October 18, 2010
Former William and Mary President Defends Private Sector Colleges
In a Richmond Times Dispatch article published today, former William and Mary President Tim Sullivan defended the value of private sector colleges and universities. Mr. Sullivan discussed the benefits of competition in higher education, the unfounded criticism for-profit colleges have received from Washington policy makers, and the importance of providing educational opportunities to “high risk” students:
“Competition raises the quality bar and compels creative thinking. The truth is that creativity and organizational innovation are concepts that find few comfortable homes in the traditional higher-education sector.”
“From stacked witness lists and selectively leaked data to statistical sleight of hand, we see the usual symptoms of the usual Washington march to folly. The verdict on for-profit higher education (most definitely guilty) has been rendered before the relevant evidence is weighed.”
“What the Washington charade overlooks is the profile of the private sector’s students — who tend to be older, poorer, more diverse, and less academically prepared than their more traditional contemporaries. It should be no surprise that a larger portion of these students may take longer to find good jobs or struggle with repayment of student loans, especially in a recession.”
“Washington policymakers would do well to read carefully a study by the independent Parthenon Group. The study found that more than half of private-sector students fall into the “high risk” category as defined by the U.S. Department of Education. Not only do private-sector schools serve a higher percentage of nontraditional students, they also achieve almost double the graduation rate of public two-year colleges for minority students. The average career college graduate sees an annual increase in earnings of 54 percent, or $250,000 over a 30-year career.”
“We cannot fail yet another generation of at-risk young people because we lack the intellectual integrity and moral courage to do the right thing.”
Read full article here.
September 29, 2010
Students Rally for Education Choice
Over 2,000 students from private sector colleges and universities gathered in front of the Capitol Wednesday to show support for their education choice and oppose the recently delayed Gainful Employment regulation. Students traveled from far and wide to tell Congress, “My Education. My Job. My Choice.”
“With 26 states represented, private sector college and university students and graduates made their voice heard today,” said Harris N. Miller, President of the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU). “Their message to Washington is clear: jobs, education and choice. In these tough economic times, let’s not adopt public policies that get in the way.”
“Whether the issue is gainful employment or anything else, Washington should not make policy by anecdote or laws that will make it harder for working people to get the skills they need, the jobs they seek, and the economic opportunities that build careers, families and communities,” Miller added.
Read the full press release here.
Watch the APSCU Career Day 2010 recap here.
Watch Rep. Rob Andrews of New Jersey speak to students here.
