CECU Daily Update Email

​Veterans for Career Education (VCE)
VCE wrapped up this week's tour stops at IntelliTec in Colorado Springs. They'll hit the road again September 30th with stops at Asher College and the Advanced Training Institute in Las Vegas.
 
Be sure to follow along on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on the Lets VETS Choose Tour.
 
Thank you to everyone who has supported VCE, if you are interested in getting involved or have questions email vets4careered@gmail.com. 

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​CECU News
CECU Sets the Record Straight on Misleading Inquiry Against Private Equity Funds in Postsecondary Education
Steve Gunderson, President and CEO of Career Education Colleges and Universities, challenged the research used in assembling the latest attack on private equity funding of colleges in our sector. “Senator Warren and Representative Pocan’s research is so bad, one cannot even comment on the basic premise of their proposal!” said Gunderson. “We know there exist a lot of voices who oppose the sector’s very existence. But at least start with accurate data to make your proposals.” 

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CECU Webinars
 
7 Characteristics of a High-Performing Admissions Rep
Wednesday, September 25th
2:00PM EDT
Register Here
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​Education News
Spotlight swings to for-profit middlemen that may be driving up the cost of online higher education – The Hechinger Report
Known as online program managers, these companies have been hired largely to connect universities with customers who want graduate degrees. Such students are seen as a source of much-needed revenue at a time when drops in state funding and declining undergraduate enrollment have squeezed higher education budgets.
 
New Mexico Announces Plan for Free College for State Residents – The New York Times
In one of the boldest state-led efforts to expand access to higher education, New Mexico is unveiling a plan on Wednesday to make tuition at its public colleges and universities free for all state residents, regardless of family income.
 
OER Embraced – Inside Higher Ed
An ambitious, Legislature-funded effort by nearly two dozen California community colleges to create degree and certificate pathways with no textbook costs is scaling up this year, and early — if imperfect — data suggest that the program is saving students money and improving their educational outcomes.
 
Libertarian Think Tank Hosts Panel on Higher Education Act Renewal – Diverse
A panel – hosted by the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, on Capitol Hill – gave a glimpse into one side of that equation, featuring conservative authors on higher education. 

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​Education Politics and Policy
Elizabeth Warren questions Apollo and KKR on backing for-profit colleges – Private Equity News
The letters marked the second probe of private equity firms launched in Congress this week. On Monday, the Democratic and Republican leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee asked KKR, Blackstone Group and Welsh Carson Anderson & Stowe for an array of documents concerning medical services companies they own and their role in surprise billing practices.
 
Senate FY 2020 Education Spending Bill Includes Increase to Maximum Pell Grant Award – NASFAA
The bill — which Committee Chairman Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) hinted could bypass a committee vote and make it to the Senate floor for a vote as early as this week — includes an increase to the maximum Pell Grant award and level funding for federal student financial aid programs. 

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Financial Aid and Student Loan Issues
College student loans: Debt hits a new high, though growth slows, as free tuition plans spread – USA Today
About 2 in 3 graduates from the class of 2018 graduated a little deeper in debt than the classes before them. The average bachelor’s degree holder owes about $29,200 in student loan debt — a record high in the U.S.

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​Misc.
The head of the CFPB now believes that the financial regulator is unconstitutionally structured – CNBC
CFPB Director Kathleen Kraninger notified senior lawmakers on Tuesday that the bureau had determined that the law that established the agency in the wake of the financial crisis gave her too much independence.