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Arlington, VA – Today, during the U.S. Department of Education’s Institutional and Programmatic Eligibility Committee negotiated rulemaking meeting, the committee began discussing reimposing gainful employment (GE) regulations. As part of the negotiated rulemaking process, the committee takes regular “consensus checks” to see if negotiators are generally supportive of various ideas that the Department has put forth for consideration. The Department took a consensus check at the request of Anne Kress, the negotiator representing community colleges, on the idea of resurrecting the 2014 GE rules. All negotiators, except for Brad Adams, the negotiator representing for-profit colleges, voted in favor of using the 2014 GE rules as a baseline for new regulations that would apply only to for-profit colleges and non-degree programs offered by nonprofit and public colleges. All other programs at nonprofit and public colleges would be exempt from the accountability rules. Mr. Adams made a motion to take a consensus check on applying the 2014 GE regulations to all institutions of higher education (IHEs), including degree granting programs at nonprofit and public institutions, using an existing statutory authority under Section 454(a)(4) of the Higher Education Act. That authority was identified in a report published by the left-leaning National Student Legal Defense Network as a basis for the Department of Education to create a student-outcome based “quality assurance system” for all institutions. The Department declined to grant Mr. Adams’ request and did not comment on the fact that Section 454(a)(4) could be used to apply 2014 GE debt-to-earnings accountability requirements to all institutions. In explaining the Department’s decision to deny a vote on accountability for all IHEs, the Department’s federal negotiator, Gregory Martin, said the following, “the earlier request for a temperature check on using [the] 2014 [GE rule] as a baseline was in the context of regulations that were promulgated at the time and did specifically refer to GE …The question was asked what metrics should we impose for GE. I think we’re talking more about a philosophical statement at this point, should the former GE rules from 2014 apply across the board.” (Emphasis added). Mr. Martin concluded his statement by saying that the Department is not open to any consensus checks on this issue. “We applaud Mr. Adams for pressing the Department to use existing authority within the Higher Education Act to apply gainful employment regulations to all schools in all sectors,” said Dr. Jason Altmire, President and CEO of CECU. “We strongly believe all students deserve the same protections, but the 2014 gainful employment regulations exempted institutions serving more than 75 percent of students enrolled in higher education. As negotiations continue, we hope the Department will give serious consideration to equity across higher education. Despite having the statutory authority to do so, the Department does not appear to have the political will to apply an accountability system to all schools, even though there is overwhelming evidence that some nonprofit and public institutions are not serving students well.” ### About Career Education Colleges and Universities
Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU) is the national association serving the proprietary higher education sector. Please direct media inquiries to Devin Miller, Director of Communications at Devin.Miller@career.org. Arlington, VA – A coalition of 19 trade and professional organizations sent a letter to Senate Democratic leadership, including Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and the Chair of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), today supporting inclusion of all low-income students in the Build Back Better proposal to increase the Pell Grant. The current version of the bill prohibits approximately 900,000 students who attend for-profit colleges from accessing the expanded Pell Grant. As written, this provision would disproportionately hurt low-income, minority, veterans, and single parent students, and will adversely impact workforce development for essential workers in high-demand fields. “We urge Senate Democratic leadership to remove the distinction created in the Pell Grant expansion to ensure all students, and especially minority and nontraditional students, can benefit from the increased award," said CECU’s President and CEO, Dr. Jason Altmire. “We stand ready to work with leadership to improve these provisions so they support and provide equity to all students.” What these organizations are saying: “Attracting the next generation of talent to meet future demand is critical to trucking,” said American Trucking Associations President & CEO Chris Spear. “Our industry is 80,000 drivers short today, and that gap will grow to over 160,000 by 2030. To meet demand we will need to hire nearly a million new drivers over the next decade. Expanding Pell Grant eligibility and access to driver schools and training programs for Americans beginning their working careers, transitioning to trucking from other industries, or reentering the workforce is an important step in ensuring the long-term resilience of the American economy.” “The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the important roles nurses play in ensuring access to quality care and keeping communities safe,” said Dr. Deborah Trautman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. “The healthcare sector will need nearly 200,000 new nurses per year to meet the increasing demand for care and replace retiring nurses. For-profit colleges are essential to addressing the nursing shortage and meeting the nation’s healthcare needs.” “Veterans seeking to retrain and reskill at a for-profit institution will be at a disadvantage because of the House-passed bill prohibiting those veterans from being eligible to receive the $550 Pell Grant increase,” said the Association of the United States Navy Executive Director, Jason Beardsley. “This would be a travesty for these veterans who have sacrificed so much, only to leave them in the lurch because of the type of school they choose to attend from their educational pursuits.” “For-profit career schools play an important role in training students to succeed as essential workers,” said American Medical Technologists Executive Director Kathy Cilia. “Over 40 percent of for-profit college associate degree graduates work in health professions. At a time of such high demand for these workers, why would Congress pursue a policy that limits opportunities for students who want to pursue careers in these high-demand fields?” Signatories of the letter include: American Association of Colleges of Nursing American Medical Technologists American Traffic Safety Services Association American Trucking Associations Associated Skin, Nail, Hair, Bodywork and Massage Professionals Association of the United States Navy Aviation Technician Education Council Beauty Changes Lives Career Education Colleges and Universities Choose Aerospace, Inc. Commercial Vehicle Training Association Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States International SPA Association National Black Nurses Association National League of Nursing Non-Commissioned Officers Association Professional Beauty Association Special Operations Association of America Veterans Education Project You can read the full letter here. ### About Career Education Colleges and Universities
Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU) is the national association serving the proprietary higher education sector. Please direct media inquiries to Devin Miller, Director of Communications at Devin.Miller@career.org. Arlington, VA – We agree with the purported goals described in the Opportunity America report that “all institutions of higher education should be held accountable for student outcomes,” and that an institution’s “tax status alone is a poor proxy for student outcomes.” The report also appropriately highlights how for-profit colleges have pioneered efforts in “innovation, capacity building, and serving the needs of nontraditional students.” Unfortunately, the report calls for penalizing for-profit colleges more harshly than other institutions based upon debt-to-earnings ratios and completion rates. The authors claim that “[a]ll students are entitled to the same protection afforded to students in proprietary schools,” yet their proposal contradicts this statement and would leave 24 million students at nonprofit and public institutions without the consumer protections they seek to impose on for-profit colleges. ### About Career Education Colleges and Universities
Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU) is the national association serving the proprietary higher education sector. Please direct media inquiries to Devin Miller, Director of Communications at Devin.Miller@career.org. In recent years, the media has brought to light a variety of allegations of sexual and leadership misconduct in higher education. Although the increase in visibility is a positive indicator of the long-overdue reckoning that is necessary at some schools, it is also a stark reminder of the pervasiveness of this type of misconduct across our society. CECU has zero tolerance for this type of behavior and condemns sexual harassment in all its forms.
Recently, a leadership change at ASA College has brought these issues to the forefront at that institution. Legitimate and credible concerns have been raised about past misconduct allegations and the process that enabled ASA’s recent leadership transition. After extensive and thorough due diligence, CECU believes the institution to be in violation of the association’s misconduct policy and has revoked the institution’s membership, consistent with the CECU bylaws. We do not take this action lightly but believe it is the appropriate decision given the information available. Student Equity in Pell Grant Expansion is Essential as Build Back Better Moves to the Senate11/19/2021
Arlington, VA – Earlier today, the House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act by a vote of 220 to 213. Among other things, the bill increases the maximum Pell Grant award by $550, except for students attending proprietary institutions, a blatantly discriminatory exclusion that Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU) opposes. In response to this anti-student exclusion, 17 Democratic Representatives sent a letter in support of students at proprietary institutions, urging House Democratic leadership to modify the bill. However, House Democratic leadership refused to make substantive changes to the education provisions in the modified bill and did not change the Pell Grant provision before final passage in the House. “We would like to thank the 17 Democratic Representatives for supporting student equity in the Build Back Better Act,” said CECU’s President and CEO, Dr. Jason Altmire. “We look forward to continuing the discussion in the Senate to ensure that all students in all sectors are eligible for the increased Pell Grant. We hope that the Senate will reject this short-sighted provision that would punish hundreds of thousands of low-income students and runs counter to the education goals of the Build Back Better agenda." ### About Career Education Colleges and Universities
Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU) is the national association serving the proprietary higher education sector. Please direct media inquiries to Devin Miller, Director of Communications at Devin.Miller@career.org. Arlington, VA -- Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU) congratulates President Biden on the enactment of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill will make major investments in improving America’s roads, bridges, and rails, expanding electric vehicle charging stations and broadband, and removing lead pipes. “We congratulate Congress and President Biden on the historic passage of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which is the largest investment in our nation’s infrastructure in decades,” said CECU’s President and CEO, Dr. Jason Altmire. “As infrastructure projects from this legislation move forward, it is critical that Congress and the White House recognize that graduates from proprietary postsecondary schools will be essential to their success.” “Proprietary schools produce significant numbers of graduates in crucial infrastructure fields, such as windmill and solar panel construction, clean energy technicians, HVAC workers, truck drivers, crane and heavy equipment operators, aviation and auto technicians, underwater construction divers, and more. Now is not the time to allow a partisan anti-proprietary school agenda to limit the development of these workforce needs by denying students access to the very institutions that provide the skilled workers America needs to build a stronger and sustainable infrastructure for future generations.” ### About Career Education Colleges and Universities
Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU) is the national association serving the proprietary higher education sector. Please direct media inquiries to Devin Miller, Director of Communications at Devin.Miller@career.org. Arlington, VA -- Earlier today, 13 Democratic Representatives sent a letter to Democratic Congressional leadership expressing opposition to the proposal in the Build Back Better Act that excludes low-income students attending proprietary postsecondary institutions from accessing the $550 increase in Pell Grants, which will be available to students attending all other institutions. “We are incredibly grateful to the Democratic Representatives who have stood up against the discriminatory Pell Grant proposal,” said CECU’s President and CEO, Dr. Jason Altmire. “The letter sends a strong message of support for fair treatment of students attending proprietary institutions. We are hopeful that Congress will revise the bill to allow our students’ voices to be heard during the amendment process and remove this anti-student provision from the Build Back Better Act.” Below is a list of the 13 signatories:
You can read the full letter here. ### About Career Education Colleges and Universities
Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU) is the national association serving the proprietary higher education sector. Please direct media inquiries to Devin Miller, Director of Communications at Devin.Miller@career.org. |
Media contacts: Devin Miller Director of Communications Devin.Miller@career.org Jenny Faubert Vice President of Communications Jenny.Faubert@career.org |
