Report from the bloggers' conference call on Dept of Ed's gainful employment rule for career colleges

After he left the presidency, Gerald Ford, who was an Eagle Scout in his youth, appeared in a television public service announcement, where listed a plethora of challenges facing youths, and ended the spot with, "Boy, do we need scouting."

And with unemployment creeping up again, I have to add, "Boy, do we need career colleges."

Yesterday I participated in a bloggers' conference call organized by the Student Access Student Choice Coalition. The topic was the Department of Education's proposed "gainful-employment" rule, which will tie student loan access to repayment rates. But the rule will only apply to for-profit career colleges, such as the University of Phoenix and DeVry Institute of Technology. But these schools are popular with first-time college and minority students--and because of their nimbleness, are better positioned to offer courses in emerging professions. They are also popular with career-changers.

On Thursday the DofE published its gainful-employment guidelines. They do not apply to not-for-profit colleges.

Henry G. Herzing, chancellor and founder of Herzing University, spoke first, and told us that a two-to-one majority voted to defund the rule, one that he called "extremely complex." Herzing introduced Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL), who has been a leader in opposing the gainful-employment regulation.

The Floridian, who speaks with a deep but pleasing sonorous voice, told us about another way to block gainful employment, "employing the Congressional Review Act in order to overturn the regulation."

But what about learning?

"Student debt is not an effective indication of educational quality," Hastings said. He added, "There is no correlation between gainful-employment and student debt." Hastings chided the DofE, stating, "The department is proposing drastic changes without, in the final analysis, direct or congressional involvement." As for the career colleges, Hastings pointed out that they are already "highly regulated."

Mario H. Lopez, president of the Hispanic Leadership Fund, told us that "people from all across the ideological spectrum testified against this gainful employment regulation." As for the attendees at for-profit colleges, Lopez described them as "students who are in large numbers are minority, students who are single parents, students who are returning veterans." Lopez continued, "They are pursuing these educational opportunities because they are trying to make a better life for themselves." He called the process of drafting the gainful-employment rule "unconscionable"

Boy, we do need career colleges.

Related posts:

McHenry County College's gainful disaster of a scholarship program
Minority business leaders speak up in favor of for-profit colleges
Soros, liberal groups aiding Obama's war on career colleges
Dept. of Ed. arranging one-sided "conversation" about for-profit colleges
Issa investigating allegations that GAO destroyed evidence from sloppy for-profit college investigation
Short-seller talked to Education Department about "gainful employment" rule
Washington Post Co. CEO: Proposed Dept of Ed rules on for-profit schools will harm low income students
Vet and student speaks up for career colleges
Campus Progress reports on career college issue--while fighting for-profit schools
War on for-profit colleges' Jayson Blair exposed by Gawker
Sun-Times: Feds shouldn't punish career colleges
Don't punish career colleges
Issa's oversight committee to look at GAO report on career colleges
Tom Harkin attacks career colleges
GAO revises its negative report about for-profit schools
The Department of Education's war on career colleges
Idiotic edu-crats attacking for-profit colleges

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