Dept Of Justice suing a major For-Profit college company.

You are correct. When it was announced that Lambuth University was losing its SACS accreditation, I did not notice any calls to scrutinize Liberty University or any other SACS accredited faith-based school. I also recall that when Compton College lost its WASC accreditation, that Senator Harkin was not calling for a widespread witch hunt on community colleges. There are over 3,000 private sector (for-profit) colleges and universities, ranging from cosmetology schools offering diplomas in less than a year, to regionally accredited doctoral granting universities. It is remarkable to me that otherwise intelligent people would paint them all with a single brush stroke.

 

I can see that. I work for an institution with salaried admissions officers who are not paid on a sliding scale, based on the number of students recruiting, and all students in our online division must sign a form stating that they understand the technology requirements and must have access to the technology. We have never been under pressure to grow like a Kaplan, EDMC or Phoenix (our Chancellor likes to brag that we are the slowest growing private sector university by design).

 

I have to say I went NON for profit undergraduate and graduate school ,most of the members of the staff except for a very few acted professional. Especially the financial aid department, it was almost a chore for most of the university’s I attended to help find funding to attend.

Now the opposite , this is my first time attending a FOR profit University but one with a brick and mortar campus base. They are much friendly and much more eager to assist me in my future goals. I would also say the academics are very difficult. The professors all hold an advanced degree and are eager to assist with any questions. My decision was not based on NON for profit or FOR profit University, it was how I was treated as a student. It was further based if they were regionally accredited or not. Regionally accredited University either it be NON for profit or FOR profit have to meet the same standards.

Every six months, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges publishes an online report on its accreditation actions, including reaffirmations of accreditation and public sanctions of institutions of higher learning. The reports include specific sanctions of schools and quality reports of schools failing to meet SACS standards. (Commission on Colleges)
Why is accreditation important?
Accreditation is meant to protect students, schools, and employers. It ensures that a school is educating its students and meeting quality standards. (Littlefield)

When a student receives a diploma from a school accredited by the right agency, he can be assured that it will be accepted by employers. Likewise, when an employer is looking to hire, she can be assured that a graduate from an accredited school has received the training necessary and didn’t pay for a degree from a diploma mill school. ( Littlefield)
If you want your online degree to be widely accepted, select a school that is accredited by one of the six regional accreditation agencies recognized by both the USDE and CHEA. (Littlefield)
These are the same agencies that accredit reputable brick-and-mortar schools. (Littlefield)

 

I completed my MS in Leadership at South University (an EDMC school) in 2010. I really enjoyed the program and the teachers involved. I have been able to apply much of what I learned at work, developed a leadership academy, and a have done a little consulting. I hope EDMC will straighten up their act so their actions will not devalue the quality of education or perception of their degrees.

 

Although I am a big believer in personal responsibility (I work for a large airline, and you cannot believe how many people blame me for their issues and being late), I do agree with the suit against Argosy University, and the other schools.

I walked into Argosy in 2006, already technically "licensed" for my chosen profession in my state (meaning I passed all tests given and had a BA Degree awarded that same year).

What I needed was practical experience in my chosen field, and Argosy (which does not offer "Licensing," did offer this experience I needed, or so I was told, over and over).

I enrolled, and began on my four year odyssey to try to get this experience I needed. Each time, I visited the school, I went to the Department Heads and the registrar to ask about my "internship." (I lived quite close, which is not the norm of an Argosy student, usually it is distance with weekend classes once per semester). I was told to "...keep holding on....we are working on it."

Meanwhile, I finished Argosy in 2008 with a 3.79 GPA, and was then approached to take another program, that would give me "..the internship you are bugging us about..." I enrolled. After the weekend, which was supposed to take place a majority of the time at the site of the internship, was filled with lunches, dinners, and "how do you feel about this class" hand-outs.

Upon contacting the person in charge of the internship (not employed by Argosy, but surely obtaining payment for their involvement), they said: "Where did you get the idea that there was an internship? I did not promise any internship at my ______!" Since I already had student loans for two classes, I left that program and headed toward another program that might add to my first Master's Degree, and still "..hanging on..." as the two department heads told me to do. "We are working on it."

BTW: I got the "idea" of the internship from the flyer they sent out and still have on the internet to this day.

I then completed 4 classes in another major, and Argosy then hit me with "Our classes are now $3,000 dollars each, and your loans are almost maxed out. How will you pay us?"

I am now left with a degree that isn't worth the paper it's printed on; over one hundred thousand in student loan debt; and...you guessed it....NO internship.

Don't get me wrong, I am still trying to get a job in my field. There are jobs out there for this. But each time, I get through the interview well....I am confident, in control, have my details (from the internet of course, not these classes); and am able to show my ability to "..do the job."

The last question of each interview (including the one I just went on yesterday)? "You have no internship. Why? I'm sorry we need someone with more experience and an internship."

Especially in this particular day....competition for jobs is very fierce. My internship needed to come during my degree program, as promised. It didn't and I am left with a part-time position, which I have had for many years, and unable to try for another career (nursing, Sonography tech...and so on).

This lawsuit just isn't about the ones who were allowed in the school with no computers, or those whose command of the English language is poor (I saw many students improve during the course of these classes, which was terrific; but it was still a question in my mind of how they got into a Master's Degree program.

The lawsuit is about those of us who were promised many things and these things were never delivered. These items that were necessary for us to get positions in chosen fields. I am not a deadbeat. I keep trying everyday. I am unable to pay other bills, just to keep up with student loan payments. I eat cereal and crackers just to then pay the other bills I need to pay. ALL I asked for was for Argosy to follow through with their promises. They did not.

So do not be so quick to jump to conclusions. I want this money to go back to the government, and hopefully, I can redo my loans to maybe attend another, reputable state university (which I am kicking myself for not staying with after my BA), and maybe I can then hope to offer something in return to the country for my loans to help people....which is what I was trying to do.

It wasn't the "Education" per se, but the fact that they do not follow through with the requirements necessary for all these people to get decent jobs. That is the reason many of us continued, or returned, to school.

Thanks for letting me vent. Enjoy the day all.

 

It's a regionally accredited school. The degree has to be worth something. I could see an Ellis University student complaining that their soon-to-be DETC only school degree is worthless, or a Trident University alumni pacing the floor over the destiny of their diploma, but Argosy's degrees should still be valid in most professions unless they lose their regional accreditation.

What were you majoring in? Somehow I missed that detail.

 

That reminds me a lot of the story kicked around here about the gal who went $200,000 into debt for what, a sociology degree?

Just not worth it anymore. . .

 

Agreed!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Abner