Maryland Cracks Down on DL Providers

New law requires online providers to "register" with the state.

Armed with federal data, Maryland goes after out-of-state distance education providers | Inside Higher Ed

 

1. Raise more cash for the state.

2. Chase away competition on behalf of UMUC (a real cash cow).

3. Look like you're doing something.

If they were serious about quality or consumer protection, they'd accept reciprocity arrangements.

I'm no attorney (Nosborne, are you listening?), but I wonder if they can even do this with schools not domicile in Maryland. I know they can't enforce it.

 

Long-arm statute Md. Courts Jud. Pro. Code Ann. § 6-103

 

It is much worse than you know. Take a look at Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Wisconsin, Wyoming, to name a few. I can't comment on what or why because of my position, however a smart person could figure the trend out. It has nothing to do with state revenues.

 

Unless school is RA all the NA schools registering will not even be recognized for membership with ACE or ACBSP. Not talking about professional accreditation by many of the agencies unless they move operation to Islands were they can get local MOE registration.

 

I saw that. Pretty weird.

 

Texas does not allow any out-of-state distance education programs with internship requirements. That sounds more like an attempt at consumer protection whether or not it's warranted.

What Maryland is essentially doing, probably unintentionally, is making for-profit colleges the most prevalent distance education option for Maryland students. Most of the large for-profits already have authorization in all 50 states; they have the money to spend on that. The SREB (SACS) is trying to put together a reciprocity agreement, and Maryland is in the Southern Association.

 

I read Maryland's response in the comments section. States participating in SREB are already exempt from state authorization. That means Maryland students can still choose from the many distance education options in the Southern Association. To be honest, I think the exemption for SREB passed while SARA didn't because the SREB has very little, if any, for-profit colleges. I believe all of the colleges are also regionally accredited.

 

The regional accreditor for Maryland is the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), not the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). MSCHE's territory includes New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and DC.

Maryland borders SACS territory in Virginia, and borders NCA territory in West Virginia.

 

My mistake. The SREB mostly covers the Southern Association, but includes some states outside of SACS. All of these schools will not have to seek authorization in Maryland.
https://secure.electroniccampus.org/student/scripts/institutions/institutions.asp

When you take a look at all of the options available outside of Maryland in the SREB, it starts to look less like protectionism.