​Career Education Colleges and Universities applauded the quick work of Congress to protect Veteran Students in the midst of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. CECU welcomed the passage of Senate Bill 3503, which  allows Veterans and their dependents, as well as service members, on the GI Bill® to continue receiving their benefits as universities temporarily move their classes online to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). The bill, authored by Senate Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Jerry Moran (R-KS.) and Ranking Member Jon Tester (D-MT.), ensures that GI Bill® recipients will not lose access to their earned education benefits because of the shift to online education.

With colleges and universities cancelling in-person classes and moving to remote or online courses to limit the spread of COVID-19, Steve Gonzalez, Senior Vice President of Government, Military & Veterans Relations at Career Education Colleges made the following statement:

“CECU’s encourages Congress to ensure student veterans’ existing GI Bill® benefits and housing allowances are not negatively impacted due to the health-related situation outside of the school or student veterans’ control.”

Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU) praised the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Benefits Administration for their recent decision to suspend approval of new enrollments for the education and training of Veterans at five universities following alleged abuses by those institutions.

​IKYMI: CECU News
Letter to the American Council on Education on the National Task Force on Transfer of Credit - Career Education Colleges and Universities
“Although we commend the formation of the task force, we are disappointed in the lack of institutional diversity amongst the task force’s membership,” said CECU President and CEO Steve Gunderson. CECU calls on ACE to add leaders from the proprietary sector whose institutions focus on postsecondary career education

​Education News
Preparing to Poach – Inside Higher Ed
NACAC guidelines changed in September. Now, new research suggests a substantial minority of enrollment officers are considering more aggressively recruiting students from other institutions.
 
ACE Receives ED Funds to Explore Blockchain’s Potential – Campus Technology
The Education Blockchain Initiative seeks to “help identify and evaluate ways that blockchain technology can improve the flow of data among educational institutions and employers while empowering individuals to translate educational outcomes into economic opportunity,” according to a news announcement.
 
Zovio Subsidiary Fullstack Academy Signs Agreement With Louisiana State University to Offer Cybersecurity and Web Development Certificates
Zovio (Nasdaq: ZVO), an education technology services company, announced today that Fullstack Academy, a Zovio subsidiary, has partnered with Louisiana State University to offer two coding programs. 

​Education Politics and Policy
What you (and your wallet) should expect in the State of the Union address
That’s where vocational schools could come in. Trump is expected to announced funding support for vocational schools, which could come in the form of increased government expenditure in the schools or in the form of tax credits to incentivize more individuals to enroll.
 
A liberal arts curriculum doesn’t always provide the necessary knowledge for workers going into infrastructure-related fields, said Steve Gonzalez, Senior Vice President of Government, Military, and Veterans Relations at Career Education Colleges and Universities, a trade organization for career and various technical schools.
 
“As the government issues more [infrastructure] grants to provide updates to everything from airports to roads, plumbers and electricians are critical,” he said.
 
“Not taking anything away from liberal arts degrees, but society has forgotten that trade and technical career schools are just as important,” he added. Gonzalez said he is satisfied with the actions the president has taken to fund more vocational schools. However, he would like to hear how Trump will work with the Dept. of Education and Labor to ensure “underrepresented veterans” have access to an affordable post-secondary education.
 
Key Senators Turn Up Heat on OPMs – Inside Higher Ed
Questions about the legality of colleges sharing tuition dollars with companies that help them recruit students are not new, but until recently, lawmakers weren’t asking them.
 
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos Releases Statement on State of the Union
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos released the following statement on President Donald J. Trump’s 2020 State of the Union Address. 

​Education Politics and Policy
DeVos threatened with subpoena by House oversight panel – Politico
House Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney on Monday threatened Education Secretary Betsy DeVos with a subpoena, saying DeVos’ office “stonewalled and delayed” when the committee tried to confirm a date for her testimony.
 
Warren’s Comments on Choosing Next Secretary Cause Stir – Inside Higher Ed
Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren caused a stir during a campaign event in Iowa last week when she appeared to say that she’d move ahead with her choice for education secretary only if approved by a transgender youth she had met.
 
ICYMI: Judge Upholds Obama-Era Ban on Colleges Using Mandatory Arbitration Agreements – Politico
A federal judge upheld an Obama-era policy that largely bans colleges from using mandatory arbitration agreements — even as DeVos’ repeal of that rule is set to take effect in several months.
 
CFPB, Education Dept. Agree on Regulating Loan – Inside Higher Ed
Two years after Education Secretary Betsy DeVos ended the Education Department’s relationship with one of its main regulators, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the two agencies on Monday announced the signing of a new agreement on how they will work together.
 
U.S. Department of Education, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Better Serve Student Loan Borrowers
Under the newly signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) the agencies will share complaint information from borrowers and meet quarterly to discuss observations about the nature of complaints received, characteristics of borrowers, and available information about resolution of complaints.