CECU Daily Update Email

​Education Politics and Policy
Teachers Union Lawsuit Claims DeVos ‘Capriciously’ Repealed Borrower Protections – OPB
On Wednesday, one of the nation’s largest teachers unions, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), is expected to sue U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos for repealing a rule meant to protect student loan borrowers from for-profit and career-focused schools that graduate them with too much debt and limited job prospects.
 
Muddied Picture for Defrauded Borrowers – Inside Higher Ed
Betsy DeVos has sought to make it more difficult for defrauded student loan borrowers to get full debt relief with an approach that is facing political and legal challenges.
 
Secretary DeVos Announces New, Proactive Civil Rights Compliance Center within Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced today that the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Education will launch the Outreach, Prevention, Education and Non-discrimination (OPEN) Center to focus on proactive compliance with federal civil rights laws. 

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​Education Technology
Report: Publicly Traded 2U Explores Going Private – EdSurge
2U, a Lanham, Md-based, publicly traded online program manager, is undergoing a strategic review in light of pressure from activist investor Sachem Head—the same one that pushed another education technology company to explore a sale last year. 

​Spotlight
Independence University donates 30 tablets to Utah’s Ronald McDonald House
Independence University continues to show its commitment to the Salt Lake City community by donating 30 tablets to the Ronald McDonald House.
 
Universal Technical Institute and Pennsylvania Employer Partners Launch the Early Employment Initiative, a Groundbreaking Program That Blends Post-Secondary Technical Education and On-The-Job Skills Training
Working with local transportation industry employers, Universal Technical Institute (UTI) in Exton, Pa., has launched a first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at developing skilled employee pipelines and giving students an inside track on rewarding long-term careers

​Financial Aid/Student Loan Issues
4 steps to effective personalized student loan counseling – University Business
While legislators and presidential candidates debate how to address the burgeoning debt load, some colleges are getting personal by offering one-on-one financial aid conversations from the moment a student enrolls—or even earlier. 

​Opinion
If Students Are Borrowing Less, Why Do They Owe More? – Bloomberg Opinion
The growth in college debt continues unabated because borrowers are not paying down their balances, often intentionally.