The Orlando Sentinel
OPINION PAGE
By: Kathy Mizereck
Scores of young adults in Florida crossed the threshold from high school to the real world this June.
In Orange County, the nation's 10th largest school district, some 10,000 high-school students are taking their education to the next level in some way — to college or the military, or training for health care, business and technology vocations that are the backbone for companies headed to such places as the Medical City at Lake Nona.
Those who provide that education must work together to ensure students' access. Members of the emerging work force need to know education fitting their ambitions and lifestyles will be available even as they read about rising college enrollments and cuts to public funding.
Recognizing this need, the Florida Legislature created the Higher Education Coordinating Council to unite the sectors of higher education to better serve students and meet the state's need to produce a qualified work force.
The demand for skilled workers to fill emerging jobs will far exceed the capacity of taxpayer-subsidized public colleges and universities. The gap already exists, as is evident by the 370,000 students enrolled annually in 900 licensed career colleges in Florida that provide real-world learning.
This progressive collaboration between public universities, state colleges and career colleges couldn't come at a better time. The HECC meets next month to continue working on these issues. Important directives include improving accountability of all institutions and streamlining the transfer of credits between schools in all sectors.
As it stands, methods of calculating performance vary widely, not only by sector but within each sector. It's time for all higher education to be accountable for the outcomes of our institutions, specifically for the success of our students. This includes consistent measurement of graduation and job-placement rates across all sectors. Performance calculations also must allow for comparison with other states, as Florida ranks 42nd in the nation in the production of baccalaureate degrees.
Needing immediate attention are the many issues surrounding transfer of credit between institutions. Any time a student repeats a course at a public institution, it costs the student and the taxpayer. We urge HECC to recommend student-focused improvements to our current system.
The Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools and Colleges encourages all sectors to solve the problems facing Florida's students. The ultimate goal is for students to choose the programs they want, graduate in a timely manner, and get to work for Florida.
Kathy Mizereck is executive director of the Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools and Colleges.
The Washington Times, Richmond Times Democrat: Obama regulation would restrict flexible learning for nontraditional students
The Washington Times, Richmond Times Democrat
Commentary
KEISER: Low blow to higher education
By Arthur Keiser
The Department of Education’s “gainful employment” rule has moved from threat to reality. And that reality will be a giant step backward for nontraditional students seeking to improve their employment prospects through higher education. So what does this new regulation really mean?
By conditioning federal loans on a student’s debt-to-income ratio and the repayment rate of his for-profit institution, the department will deny Americans across the country access to postsecondary education programs. As a result, those Americans will lose opportunities for better jobs and better lives for themselves and their families.
It means the Obama administration has established special rules to single out those pursuing career-focused education. As such, it means that the real challenges of limiting debt among college graduates will continue unabated.
It also means the administration is pulling back from its goal of increasing access to higher education for more Americans. In fact, even calling this regulation “gainful employment” is an attempt to frame it as a positive move when, in practice, it will be hurtful to millions of students and limit their employment opportunities. A more accurate description would be to call it the “gambling with education” rule.
The Department of Education clearly made some changes to the earlier version of this rule - thanks in large part to the impressive efforts of private-sector college and university students, who held their first-ever rally on Capitol Hill last year. But the department is still exceeding its statutory authority by issuing the rule, and we still don’t know how many of the 3.2 million students attending private-sector colleges and universities it will impact. We do know that the rule contradicts the president’s 2020 challenge for U.S. leadership in postsecondary education, the need to build a more globally competitive work force to protect jobs and the American middle class, the intent of Congress to provide the opportunity for all Americans to gain upward mobility through higher-education access, and the determination by the Obama administration to eliminate unnecessary and burdensome regulation.
Private-sector colleges and universities (PSCUs) offer career-focused, flexible learning opportunities that often are unavailable elsewhere because of multiyear waiting lists for popular community college programs in high-demand fields such as nursing or inaccessible because nontraditional students balancing jobs, families and education need scheduling options rarely available at traditional institutions. PSCUs also offer online learning opportunities critical for working adults, veterans and parents, as well as small classes to ensure the personal attention often difficult to obtain in large state institutions.
Most important, PSCUs get results. Approximately 70 percent of graduates of nationally accredited private-sector schools go on to find work in their chosen field. And though PSCUs serve a higher-risk, nontraditional student population, their two-year-institution graduation rate is 60 percent - much higher than that at community colleges. The combined rate of two- and four-year institutions is 44 percent - comparable with that at traditional colleges and universities. On a percentage basis, PSCUs award twice as many bachelor’s degrees to minority students as do traditional four-year colleges and are more successful than their traditional higher-education counterparts at graduating at-risk students.
Higher education needs a level playing field, but the gainful-employment metric applies only to private-sector colleges and universities and the certificate programs of non-degree-granting nonprofit institutions, in which relatively few students enroll. In an environment where good jobs are very difficult to come by and global competition increases the need for skills and education, it makes little sense to limit postsecondary access and shrink opportunity.
Arthur Keiser is chairman of the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities.
Commentary
KEISER: Low blow to higher education
By Arthur Keiser
The Department of Education’s “gainful employment” rule has moved from threat to reality. And that reality will be a giant step backward for nontraditional students seeking to improve their employment prospects through higher education. So what does this new regulation really mean?
By conditioning federal loans on a student’s debt-to-income ratio and the repayment rate of his for-profit institution, the department will deny Americans across the country access to postsecondary education programs. As a result, those Americans will lose opportunities for better jobs and better lives for themselves and their families.
It means the Obama administration has established special rules to single out those pursuing career-focused education. As such, it means that the real challenges of limiting debt among college graduates will continue unabated.
It also means the administration is pulling back from its goal of increasing access to higher education for more Americans. In fact, even calling this regulation “gainful employment” is an attempt to frame it as a positive move when, in practice, it will be hurtful to millions of students and limit their employment opportunities. A more accurate description would be to call it the “gambling with education” rule.
The Department of Education clearly made some changes to the earlier version of this rule - thanks in large part to the impressive efforts of private-sector college and university students, who held their first-ever rally on Capitol Hill last year. But the department is still exceeding its statutory authority by issuing the rule, and we still don’t know how many of the 3.2 million students attending private-sector colleges and universities it will impact. We do know that the rule contradicts the president’s 2020 challenge for U.S. leadership in postsecondary education, the need to build a more globally competitive work force to protect jobs and the American middle class, the intent of Congress to provide the opportunity for all Americans to gain upward mobility through higher-education access, and the determination by the Obama administration to eliminate unnecessary and burdensome regulation.
Private-sector colleges and universities (PSCUs) offer career-focused, flexible learning opportunities that often are unavailable elsewhere because of multiyear waiting lists for popular community college programs in high-demand fields such as nursing or inaccessible because nontraditional students balancing jobs, families and education need scheduling options rarely available at traditional institutions. PSCUs also offer online learning opportunities critical for working adults, veterans and parents, as well as small classes to ensure the personal attention often difficult to obtain in large state institutions.
Most important, PSCUs get results. Approximately 70 percent of graduates of nationally accredited private-sector schools go on to find work in their chosen field. And though PSCUs serve a higher-risk, nontraditional student population, their two-year-institution graduation rate is 60 percent - much higher than that at community colleges. The combined rate of two- and four-year institutions is 44 percent - comparable with that at traditional colleges and universities. On a percentage basis, PSCUs award twice as many bachelor’s degrees to minority students as do traditional four-year colleges and are more successful than their traditional higher-education counterparts at graduating at-risk students.
Higher education needs a level playing field, but the gainful-employment metric applies only to private-sector colleges and universities and the certificate programs of non-degree-granting nonprofit institutions, in which relatively few students enroll. In an environment where good jobs are very difficult to come by and global competition increases the need for skills and education, it makes little sense to limit postsecondary access and shrink opportunity.
Arthur Keiser is chairman of the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities.
The Bradenton Herald: For-profit career colleges play key role in workforce
The Bradenton Herald
June 25, 2011
Letter to Editor
For-profit career colleges play key role in workforce
The June 16 Herald story “Students, lawmakers question value of for-profit colleges” begs for a balanced example of the tens of thousands of Florida career college graduates who are moving ahead in full-time occupations, whether in the booming health care and technology fields or the entertainment, media and arts industry.
Career colleges have an important role in education and continue to be appealing choices for many students. In Florida, more than 370,000 students attend 900 licensed schools because they offer flexible schedules and real-world applied learning.
In the health care field alone, more than 60 percent of the state’s credentialed graduates in 2009 -- nurses, technicians, medical assistants -- came from career colleges.
Career college two-year degree programs successfully graduate 59 percent of their students compared to the 23 percent graduation rate at community college degree programs.
Higher education is costly, and when student debt is analyzed based on income level, default rates are substantially the same across all institutions -- whether public or private, nonprofit or for-profit.
The higher percentage of defaults at career colleges is due to the population of students served: working adults with minimal family support seeking to improve their lives. It may cost less to attend taxpayer-supported public schools, but career colleges do not receive taxpayer subsidies.
Students who choose to enroll in career colleges do so because they want to be trained and job-ready when they graduate.
Our career-focused programs play a vital role in Florida’s postsecondary education system and are the chosen path to independence and advancement for hundreds of thousands of Floridians every day.
Kathy Mizereck, President, Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools, Colleges Tallahassee
Direct Link to letter: http://www.bradenton.com/2011/06/25/3300798/letters-625.html
June 25, 2011
Letter to Editor
For-profit career colleges play key role in workforce
The June 16 Herald story “Students, lawmakers question value of for-profit colleges” begs for a balanced example of the tens of thousands of Florida career college graduates who are moving ahead in full-time occupations, whether in the booming health care and technology fields or the entertainment, media and arts industry.
Career colleges have an important role in education and continue to be appealing choices for many students. In Florida, more than 370,000 students attend 900 licensed schools because they offer flexible schedules and real-world applied learning.
In the health care field alone, more than 60 percent of the state’s credentialed graduates in 2009 -- nurses, technicians, medical assistants -- came from career colleges.
Career college two-year degree programs successfully graduate 59 percent of their students compared to the 23 percent graduation rate at community college degree programs.
Higher education is costly, and when student debt is analyzed based on income level, default rates are substantially the same across all institutions -- whether public or private, nonprofit or for-profit.
The higher percentage of defaults at career colleges is due to the population of students served: working adults with minimal family support seeking to improve their lives. It may cost less to attend taxpayer-supported public schools, but career colleges do not receive taxpayer subsidies.
Students who choose to enroll in career colleges do so because they want to be trained and job-ready when they graduate.
Our career-focused programs play a vital role in Florida’s postsecondary education system and are the chosen path to independence and advancement for hundreds of thousands of Floridians every day.
Kathy Mizereck, President, Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools, Colleges Tallahassee
Direct Link to letter: http://www.bradenton.com/2011/06/25/3300798/letters-625.html
The Miami Herald: Don’t dismiss value of career colleges
The Miami Herald
Letters to the Editor:
Don’t dismiss value of career colleges
By: Kathy Mizereck
Re the June 16 story Students, lawmakers question value of for-profit colleges: Career colleges have an important role in education and continue to be appealing choices for many students. In Florida, more than 370,000 students attend 900 licensed schools because they offer flexible schedules and real-world applied learning. In the healthcare field alone, more than 60 percent of the state’s credentialed graduates in 2009 — nurses, technicians, medical assistants — came from career colleges. Career college two-year degree programs successfully graduate 59 percent of their students compared to the 23-percent graduate rate in community-college degree programs.
Higher education is costly, and when student debt is analyzed based on income level, default rates are substantially the same across all institutions — whether public or private, nonprofit or for-profit. The higher percentage of defaults at career colleges is because of the population of students served: working adults with minimal family support seeking to improve their lives.
It may cost less to attend taxpayer-supported public schools, but career colleges do not receive taxpayer subsidies.
Students who choose to enroll in career colleges do so because they want to be trained and job-ready when they graduate. Our career-focused programs play a vital role in Florida’s postsecondary education system and are the chosen path to independence and advancement for hundreds of thousands of Floridians every day.
Kathy Mizereck, executive director, Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools and Colleges, Tallahassee
Direct link to letter:
Letters to the Editor:
Don’t dismiss value of career colleges
By: Kathy Mizereck
Re the June 16 story Students, lawmakers question value of for-profit colleges: Career colleges have an important role in education and continue to be appealing choices for many students. In Florida, more than 370,000 students attend 900 licensed schools because they offer flexible schedules and real-world applied learning. In the healthcare field alone, more than 60 percent of the state’s credentialed graduates in 2009 — nurses, technicians, medical assistants — came from career colleges. Career college two-year degree programs successfully graduate 59 percent of their students compared to the 23-percent graduate rate in community-college degree programs.
Higher education is costly, and when student debt is analyzed based on income level, default rates are substantially the same across all institutions — whether public or private, nonprofit or for-profit. The higher percentage of defaults at career colleges is because of the population of students served: working adults with minimal family support seeking to improve their lives.
It may cost less to attend taxpayer-supported public schools, but career colleges do not receive taxpayer subsidies.
Students who choose to enroll in career colleges do so because they want to be trained and job-ready when they graduate. Our career-focused programs play a vital role in Florida’s postsecondary education system and are the chosen path to independence and advancement for hundreds of thousands of Floridians every day.
Kathy Mizereck, executive director, Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools and Colleges, Tallahassee
Direct link to letter:
The New York Times: Trade Schools in New York
The New York Times
Trade Schools in New York
To the Editor:
Re “Stopping Fraud at Trade Schools” (editorial, June 6):
The licensed trade schools in New York State are heavily regulated and have been for over 20 years. The state Department of Education licenses career schools, approves their curriculums, licenses their teachers, agents and directors, approves their facilities and equipment, and monitors compliance. Enforcement is vigorous when appropriate, but most schools do their best to adhere to the rules.
Contrary to the editorial, New York’s licensed private trade schools are not “increasingly known for deceptive practices and saddling students with debt.” Deceptive practices are counterproductive to long-term school success in a competitive environment, and many schools boast excellent graduation and placement rates. The training courses at New York’s licensed trade schools tend to be short in duration and of only moderate cost, allowing students to receive a great benefit for their investment.
The pending bill on trade schools that your editorial refers to does not address what is perhaps the most significant problem in New York State regarding training: New York City’s refusal to require state licensure for participation in millions of dollars of work force training resources. As a result, unlicensed training providers are allowed to flourish.
The Coalition of New York State Career Schools seeks meaningful legislation that enhances quality education and eliminates loopholes that have allowed unlicensed schools to operate.
TERENCE M. ZALESKI Executive Director/Counsel, Coalition of New York State Career Schools Garrison, N.Y., June 9, 2011
Trade Schools in New York
To the Editor:
Re “Stopping Fraud at Trade Schools” (editorial, June 6):
The licensed trade schools in New York State are heavily regulated and have been for over 20 years. The state Department of Education licenses career schools, approves their curriculums, licenses their teachers, agents and directors, approves their facilities and equipment, and monitors compliance. Enforcement is vigorous when appropriate, but most schools do their best to adhere to the rules.
Contrary to the editorial, New York’s licensed private trade schools are not “increasingly known for deceptive practices and saddling students with debt.” Deceptive practices are counterproductive to long-term school success in a competitive environment, and many schools boast excellent graduation and placement rates. The training courses at New York’s licensed trade schools tend to be short in duration and of only moderate cost, allowing students to receive a great benefit for their investment.
The pending bill on trade schools that your editorial refers to does not address what is perhaps the most significant problem in New York State regarding training: New York City’s refusal to require state licensure for participation in millions of dollars of work force training resources. As a result, unlicensed training providers are allowed to flourish.
The Coalition of New York State Career Schools seeks meaningful legislation that enhances quality education and eliminates loopholes that have allowed unlicensed schools to operate.
TERENCE M. ZALESKI Executive Director/Counsel, Coalition of New York State Career Schools Garrison, N.Y., June 9, 2011
Chronicle of Higher Education: Nonprofit Colleges Are More ‘Profitable’ Than For-Profits, Report Says
Chronicle of Higher Education
The Ticker
Nonprofit Colleges Are More ‘Profitable’ Than For-Profits, Report Says
Nonprofit colleges have higher “profit” margins than their for-profit peers, according to a report that compares the sectors’ per-pupil spending and revenue. The report, by the libertarian Cato Institute, estimates that the average private college makes $12,800 per undergraduate—double the margin of the for-profit University of Phoenix—while the average public college makes $11,000.
Although that revenue does not go to shareholders, as in the for-profit sector, some of it subsidizes programs that do not directly benefit undergraduates, such as research and graduate education. The report recommends shrinking the federal student-aid system to end the “massive transfer of wealth from the taxpayer to the industry.”
Direct link to article:
The Ticker
Nonprofit Colleges Are More ‘Profitable’ Than For-Profits, Report Says
Nonprofit colleges have higher “profit” margins than their for-profit peers, according to a report that compares the sectors’ per-pupil spending and revenue. The report, by the libertarian Cato Institute, estimates that the average private college makes $12,800 per undergraduate—double the margin of the for-profit University of Phoenix—while the average public college makes $11,000.
Although that revenue does not go to shareholders, as in the for-profit sector, some of it subsidizes programs that do not directly benefit undergraduates, such as research and graduate education. The report recommends shrinking the federal student-aid system to end the “massive transfer of wealth from the taxpayer to the industry.”
Direct link to article:
Associated Press Update: Senate hearing: high debts from for-profit schools
Associated Press Update
By: Jim Abrams
Washington (AP) - Students attending for-profit colleges are subject to subprime mortgage-like loans that saddle them with thousands of dollars in debt and waste millions in taxpayer dollars, Democratic lawmakers and education experts said at a Senate hearing Tuesday.
The hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee came just days after the Education Department issued new rules to deal with the student debt problem at career colleges, rules that those at the hearing said did not go far enough.
"I believe it is going to take more than these rules," committee chairman Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said, to do something about what he described as the "toxic mix" of companies trying to maximize their profits and vulnerable people taking financial risks to improve themselves.
Republicans on the committee, who say Harkin has unfairly singled out the for-profit college industry in a series of hearings, boycotted the event. Industry representatives, who take strong issue with the hearings' findings, said they had not been invited to testify.
"I think this is really the second coming of the subprime crisis," Harkin said, citing figures that nearly a quarter of students at for-profit schools default on loans within three years and that students at such career schools account for 47 percent of all student loan defaults.
Wade Henderson, head of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, also noted similarities to the housing meltdown, saying career schools are offering a panoply of financial support programs to people, often of lower incomes or minorities who are not educated in the consequences of defaulting. "It's the hijacking of the American dream. Offering promises that cannot possibly be met," he said.
Harkin also pointed out that large for-profits receive almost 90 percent of their revenues from federal taxpayer dollars, 23 percent of all federal student aid money. He said that in 2009, for-profit colleges received $18 billion in guaranteed student loans.
Meanwhile, 57 percent of students who enrolled in 2008-2009 departed without a diploma and with a high probability of debt. Students at for-profits make up about 10 percent of all college enrollment but account for almost 50 percent of all loan defaults.
The lawmakers heard from Eric Schmitt, who after obtaining a paralegal bachelor's degree at an Iowa career school found himself $45,000 in debt and without a job despite promises of a 100 percent placement rate in his field.
But Harris Miller, president of the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities, an industry group, told The Associated Press that Harkin "has always exaggerated the size and dimension of the problem" and "only invited witnesses who are ideologically opposed to what we do."
He said the default rate at career colleges is no different from that of other institutions serving low income people and minorities and that graduation rates surpassed those of community colleges. He denied that career colleges were making money by pressuring students to take out high-interest loans. "We don't want to be in the lending business," he said. "We don't make money."
Harkin, addressing Education Department undersecretary Martha Kanter, said the new rules issued last week were "better than nothing," but noted that the stock prices of the companies owning the schools soared after the rules were announced.
Under the rules, schools will only be able to receive federal money if at least 35 percent of their former students are repaying their loans. Under the original plan, schools could have lost their federal loan eligibility immediately for not meeting criteria, but the final rule was softened to give schools multiple chances over a four-year period to improve their statistics.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
By: Jim Abrams
Washington (AP) - Students attending for-profit colleges are subject to subprime mortgage-like loans that saddle them with thousands of dollars in debt and waste millions in taxpayer dollars, Democratic lawmakers and education experts said at a Senate hearing Tuesday.
The hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee came just days after the Education Department issued new rules to deal with the student debt problem at career colleges, rules that those at the hearing said did not go far enough.
"I believe it is going to take more than these rules," committee chairman Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said, to do something about what he described as the "toxic mix" of companies trying to maximize their profits and vulnerable people taking financial risks to improve themselves.
Republicans on the committee, who say Harkin has unfairly singled out the for-profit college industry in a series of hearings, boycotted the event. Industry representatives, who take strong issue with the hearings' findings, said they had not been invited to testify.
"I think this is really the second coming of the subprime crisis," Harkin said, citing figures that nearly a quarter of students at for-profit schools default on loans within three years and that students at such career schools account for 47 percent of all student loan defaults.
Wade Henderson, head of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, also noted similarities to the housing meltdown, saying career schools are offering a panoply of financial support programs to people, often of lower incomes or minorities who are not educated in the consequences of defaulting. "It's the hijacking of the American dream. Offering promises that cannot possibly be met," he said.
Harkin also pointed out that large for-profits receive almost 90 percent of their revenues from federal taxpayer dollars, 23 percent of all federal student aid money. He said that in 2009, for-profit colleges received $18 billion in guaranteed student loans.
Meanwhile, 57 percent of students who enrolled in 2008-2009 departed without a diploma and with a high probability of debt. Students at for-profits make up about 10 percent of all college enrollment but account for almost 50 percent of all loan defaults.
The lawmakers heard from Eric Schmitt, who after obtaining a paralegal bachelor's degree at an Iowa career school found himself $45,000 in debt and without a job despite promises of a 100 percent placement rate in his field.
But Harris Miller, president of the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities, an industry group, told The Associated Press that Harkin "has always exaggerated the size and dimension of the problem" and "only invited witnesses who are ideologically opposed to what we do."
He said the default rate at career colleges is no different from that of other institutions serving low income people and minorities and that graduation rates surpassed those of community colleges. He denied that career colleges were making money by pressuring students to take out high-interest loans. "We don't want to be in the lending business," he said. "We don't make money."
Harkin, addressing Education Department undersecretary Martha Kanter, said the new rules issued last week were "better than nothing," but noted that the stock prices of the companies owning the schools soared after the rules were announced.
Under the rules, schools will only be able to receive federal money if at least 35 percent of their former students are repaying their loans. Under the original plan, schools could have lost their federal loan eligibility immediately for not meeting criteria, but the final rule was softened to give schools multiple chances over a four-year period to improve their statistics.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Associated Press : Senate hearing: high debts from for-profit schools
Associated Press
By Jim Abrams
Washington (AP) — Senate Democrats say students attending for-profit colleges are subject to subprime mortgage-like lending practices that carry a heavy financial burden both for the students and taxpayers.
The Senate hearing on for-profit schools came just days after the Education Department issued new rules to deal with the student debt problems at such colleges.
Sen. Tom Harkin, who has held several hearings on the low graduation rates and high debt rates of for-profit schools, spoke of a "toxic mix" of companies trying to maximize their profits and vulnerable people taking financial risks to improve themselves.
Republicans on the committee boycotted the event and industry representatives who take strong issue with the hearing's findings said they had not been invited to testify.
Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
By Jim Abrams
Washington (AP) — Senate Democrats say students attending for-profit colleges are subject to subprime mortgage-like lending practices that carry a heavy financial burden both for the students and taxpayers.
The Senate hearing on for-profit schools came just days after the Education Department issued new rules to deal with the student debt problems at such colleges.
Sen. Tom Harkin, who has held several hearings on the low graduation rates and high debt rates of for-profit schools, spoke of a "toxic mix" of companies trying to maximize their profits and vulnerable people taking financial risks to improve themselves.
Republicans on the committee boycotted the event and industry representatives who take strong issue with the hearing's findings said they had not been invited to testify.
Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)