State of Illinois to sue Westwood College

From the Chronicle:

Illinois Plans Lawsuit Against Westwood College - The Ticker - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Shawn

 

Illinois Plans Lawsuit Against Westwood College
January 18, 2012, 12:02 pm

The Illinois attorney general’s office plans to sue Westwood College on Wednesday, alleging that the for-profit institution’s criminal-justice program leaves students in debt for degrees that are unlikely to help them get jobs because its national accreditation is not recognized in the region. According to the Chicago Tribune, which obtained a draft copy of the suit, it charges that Westwood “made a variety of misrepresentations and false promises” to students in the program, in which a degree costs $71,610. A criminal-justice degree from the nearby College of DuPage, which is accredited regionally, costs $12,672, the draft notes. Westwood, which has four campuses in the Chicago area, said in a statement that it was cooperating with the attorney general’s office to resolve outstanding issues.>>


Here we go! Hang on!

 

I am getting ready to run out the door. But I find this statement curious:

"that are unlikely to help them get jobs because its national accreditation is not recognized in the region."

I wonder what they mean spefically by the "region". Do they mean the State of Illinois does not recognize NA (like the THECB issue), or the employers do not recognize NA?

Gotta run,

Abner

 

And did not students have a choice as to which program they so chose to opt for or not? :scratchchin:

 

According to the Chicago Tribune article, "A draft of the suit, obtained by the Tribune, claims students who want to be police officers in Illinois need a degree from a school that is "regionally" accredited. Westwood is not, although it is nationally accredited."

"Many Illinois students who tried to better themselves through a criminal justice education at Westwood now find themselves saddled with more than $50,000 in student loans, and no way to pursue a law enforcement job because their Westwood education was not regionally accredited and therefore was not recognized by other regionally accredited colleges or law enforcement employers, such as the Chicago Police Department, the Illinois State Police and many suburban police departments," the attorney general's office said in the draft of the lawsuit.

A counter argument could be that police departments should recognize all legitimate degrees from schools accredited by CHEA-recognized accreditors. I wonder if Westwood, which is owned by Alta College of Denver, will use this argument in their defense or counter suit. It's a different perspective on the same problem for these job applicants.

 

Yeah, this one will be interesting. Thanks for clearing that up.

Abner

 

Two points by me:
1) This is one of the not-so-rare instances where an NA school is SUBSTANTIALLY more expensive than equivalent (or better) RA schools. Can we put to rest the myth that NA schools are universally cheaper than RA schools?
2) While I think that the school bears some responsibility for pointing out to prospective students that their degree will not qualify them for joining local Police forces, I also agree with Major who correctly points out that the student bears some responsibility in this matter as well. Shame on you for spending tens of thousands of dollars just to discover that the degree will not take you where you want to go. Now, if it can be shown that the school engaged in deceptive practices then it's another matter.

 

I agree. While it could be recognized as "almost fraudulent" it is not simply because there are other employment options such as security officer. It does point to a non profit school that has a product that is overpriced . I do not see the state winning this case if it goes to trial. But I bet a comprise of some sorts will be worked out. I am leery of this type of government action. Sure if it is fraud or illegal action but I just do not believe Westwood is doing anything illegal... perhaps it is an ethical issue.

 

The actual complaint is interesting. The AG alleges school officials, including a campus president, told students that Westwood would be regionally accredited within one year back when they were under HLC candidacy. The campus president is also alleged to have addressed a student assembly and told the students the school would be RA by the time they graduated.

 

Well now that is not good. This case is a very interesting one for sure.

 

If resourceful, they could wind up here. So, if that happens- here's what you should do. Enroll at the dual accredited AMU and take 30 new credits --> RA bachelor degree. It's going to cost about $7500, but it will erase the $75,000 headache you have now.
American Public University System - Official Site - 877-755-2787

 

DETC schools tend to be a lot less expensive than RA schools, but ACICS schools and ACCSCT schools tend to be a lot more expensive than RA schools.

 

I have no affiliation or affinity for Westwood College, but, having spent 4 years as a resident of Illinois, I can say that I am not enamored with the state's politics. It appears that Attorney General Lisa Madigan is playing fast and loose with some of the comparisons here, mirroring the less-than-honest tactics of others with a vested interest against for-profit colleges.

First of all, College of DuPage is a fine school, but it is a state run Illinois community college. The latest fiscal allotment of state and local taxes for the state's 32 community colleges is nearly 2.3 BILLION. In addition, College of DuPage alone will receive capital improvement funds of 2.8 million, on top of the other tax allotments. This is not loan money that has to be paid back by the students after they graduate or if they drop out. It is a gift from the taxpayers of Illinois (Title IV federal funds are in addition to these allotments). Private sector colleges receive $0 of these types of funds (and, unlike the state schools, must also pay income taxes on the monies that they do collect). When Tom Harkin, Dick Durbin, etc. talk about tuition differences between for-profit and non-profit schools, they always select the in-state and in-district costs of a local community college, rarely, if ever, with a four-year state university and NEVER with a private non-profit university.

For College of DuPage, a Illinois resident living near the DuPage Campus pays on $132 per credit--not a bad deal. However, an Illinois resident living outside the DuPage "district," pays significantly more ($319 per unit). A student who is not an Illinois resident will pay $389 per unit. Harkin, Durbin, Matigan, etc. will never mention that.

But what makes this particular article cross into the area of dishonestly is comparing the tuition for a FOUR-year bachelors degree in criminal justice administration at Westwood with the tuition of a TWO-year associates degree in criminal justice from the College of DuPage. That is what prompted this post. If they would have compared Westwood's bachelors to, say the state-sponsored Illinois State U's bachelors of criminal justice ($49,310 for in-state and $77,158 for out-of-state), the comparison would not have been nearly as outrageous. Comparing the tuition for bachelors degree program at Illinois private non-profit colleges makes it almost a non-story. Do I think that Westwood's tution is too high? Sure, but, compared to other private schools in the state, it is comparable.

It appears also that the State of Illinois does not take a fond view of out-of state schools operating within its boundaries. The RA-only requirement for Illinois police officers shows the lobbying power that the state colleges and universities have in the state capitol. If the state has an RA-only requirement, then the leadership of Westwood certainly did not exercise much wisdom in offering a criminal justice degree at their Illinois campus.

 

This is from the Higher Learning Commission's website:

Current Status of Westwood College

Westwood College, headquartered in Denver, Colorado with locations throughout the United States, has no status with the Higher Learning Commission. The Commission granted candidacy status to Westwood College in 2007. The Commission conducted an evaluation of Westwood College for initial accreditation beginning with a team visit in May 2009. That evaluation process determined that Westwood did not yet meet the Criteria for Accreditation, but that it did continue to meet the requirements for continued candidacy. Westwood College was granted continued candidacy in February 2010. On November 1, 2010, Westwood College voluntarily withdrew from affiliation with the Commission.

 

Dr. Piña,

Thank you for the information. I do not believe this case will go very far.

 

The complaint I linked to earlier actually has the back-and-forth correspondence between Westwood and HLC. In October 2010, the HLC notified Westwood that it would be reviewing its status because the HLC learned that Texas was contemplating non-renwal of Westwood's approval, Wisconsin had issued a cease-and-desist order against Westwood, and because ACCST had placed a Westwood campus on probation. Less than a month later, Westwood notified HLC that it was withdrawing its candidacy because it did not believe that HLC would be fair and impartial.

 

If Westwood cannot make candidacy with HLC, then it is unlikely that it would have much luck with any of the other regional accrediting agencies.

 

This is true. Thanks for your input Dr. Pina!

Abner :smile:

 

VA pulls GI Bill funding for Westwood College (e.g., misleading advertising and enrollment practices).
VA pulls GI Bill funding for Westwood College - Houston Chronicle

Westwood College Texas Campuses Fined and Placed on Probation (Texas Workforce Press Release)
http://www.twc.state.tx.us/news/press/2010/121610press.pdf