February 11, 2024

The Business of America is Debt

In the shoe department at Belk’s department store yesterday, a familiar thing: The sales guy was trying to convince us to get a Belk’s credit card, saying we would get a big discount on the shoes. We got to talking, and he mentioned that he was taking his first airplane flight ever in a couple
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February 9, 2024

Questioned by Education Dept., Accreditor ACCSC Attacked Its Critics

Faced with a directive from the U.S. Department of Education to defend its oversight of collapsed predatory college operation Center For Excellence in Higher Education (CEHE), the head of the accrediting agency ACCSC sharply attacked critics, saying their arguments were made “negligently” and were “unsupported by even a scintilla of the evidence.” The fiery response,
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February 8, 2024

Education Dept. Deal Ousts CEO Who Ran Florida Career College

The U.S. Department of Education has reached a deal with California-based International Education Corp. (IEC) that requires the “separation” from the company of its CEO, as well as its chief financial officer. The agreement, posted this morning on the Department’s website, also finalizes the termination of federal aid to IEC’s troubled for-profit Florida Career College
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February 1, 2024

Investor Report Highlights Abuses At Adtalem and Walden

A report released Tuesday by investment firm Safkhet Capital details predatory abuses at — and financial and regulatory perils now faced by — the for-profit college company Adtalem Global Education. Safkhet is headed by Fahmi Quadir, who has been nicknamed “The Assassin” for her record of aggressively targeting companies, notably Valeant Pharmaceuticals, whose stock she
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January 29, 2024

For-Profit College Operation Perdoceo Fails to Halt Fraud Lawsuit

Seeking dismissal of a lawsuit alleging that it abused students and defrauded taxpayers, the for-profit college company Perdoceo Education Corp. argued that a whistleblower’s allegations were stale because the same assertions were already made public — including in two articles published here on Republic Report. Unfortunately for Perdoceo, the federal judge hearing the case concluded
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January 26, 2024

Annals of State University Presidents Getting Suckered Into Buying Scam For-Profit Colleges

Email from Andrew Clark, the CEO of predatory for-profit Ashford University, to Robert Robbins, the president of actual University of Arizona, prior to merger: “Bobby… I’d like to begin developing a personal relationship with you and understand your vision for online learning at UofA.” C. Scott Green, president of actual University of Idaho, explaining in
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January 25, 2024

Florida Career College Says It’s Closing

Florida Career College, a chain of schools that offered programs in health care, business, and other fields but faced a cutoff of federal aid following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education, announced this morning that it is shutting down for good. Addressing a meeting of the Florida state Commission on Independent Education this
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January 2, 2024

Cosmetology Schools Sue to Void Rule Aimed at Protecting Students From Heavy Debt

On December 22, the trade association American Association of Cosmetology Schools, along with Texas-based DuVall’s School of Cosmetology, sued the U.S. Department of Education, seeking to void the federal “gainful employment” rule, which aims to hold accountable those for-profit and career college programs that consistently leave graduates with debts they cannot afford to repay. After
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