Dear Commons Community,
Just when we thought we were over “The Donald” when he announced his withdrawal from the Republican nomination for President, now we have his “university” being investigated by the New York State attorney general, Eric T. Schneiderman. The NY Times is reporting that:
“the investigation was prompted by about a dozen complaints concerning the Trump school that the attorney general has found to be credible and serious.
The inquiry is part of a broader examination of the for-profit education industry by Mr. Schneiderman’s office, which is opening investigations into at least five education companies that operate or have students in the state, according to the people speaking on the condition of anonymity.
The investigation is the latest problem for a six-year-old company, known until last year as Trump University, that already faces a string of consumer complaints, reprimands from state regulators and a lawsuit from dissatisfied former students.”
The four other companies are the Career Education Corporation, which runs the Sanford-Brown Institute, Briarcliffe College and American InterContintental University; Corinthian Colleges, the parent company of Everest Institute, WyoTech and Heald Colleges; Lincoln Educational Services, the owner of Lincoln Technical and Lincoln Colleges Online; and Bridgepoint Education, the operator of Ashford University.
For-profit schools have become big business in the United States, especially as the unemployed seek a way back into the work force. Some of these schools, however, have been accused of doing more harm than good for their students by saddling them with substantial debt to pay for classes that failed to deliver what they had promised. Trump University was charging as much as $35,000. per course.
Tony
