Reports that the U.S. Department of Education is quietly shutting down investigations into possible fraud committed by for-profit colleges caught the attention of New Jersey’s new Democratic attorney general, who offered to finish the probes himself if the agency won’t. Gurbir Grewal, confirmed in January as the state’s top law-enforcement officer, said in a May 17 letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos that he’d be willing to take over investigations the agency “shuts down prematurely” and asked for access to the department’s files. The letter, a copy of which was posted online, cites recent reports that the department has “effectively killed” investigations into possible fraud at several large for-profit colleges and restricted communications about the probes between the agency’s staff and state attorneys general. Grewal was appointed by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, who took office in January after eight years of … [Read more...] about New Jersey to probe fraud at for-profit colleges if U.S. doesn’t
Devry college of new york
NYT: For-profit college fraud investigations scaled back under Betsy DeVos
A Department of Education team that had looked into fraud and abuse by for-profit colleges has been dismantled to the point that it has "effectively killed investigations" into institutions where top hires of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos once worked, The New York Times reported Sunday, citing current and former employees.The team has gone from about a dozen lawyers and investigators looking into advertising, recruitment, and graduate employment claims of several institutions at the end of the Obama administration to just three team members today, the Times reported. Current and former employees, including former team members, said the team's mission has been reduced to processing student loan forgiveness applications and examining smaller compliance cases, the newspaper said.An investigation into DeVry University, now known as Adtalem Global Education, "ground to a halt early last year," and later, over the summer, DeVos picked Julian Schmoke, a former dean at the school, to be the … [Read more...] about NYT: For-profit college fraud investigations scaled back under Betsy DeVos
Education Department curtails investigation of fraud at for-profit colleges
Visit The Boston Globe Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Comment on this Scroll to top of page By Danielle Ivory and Erica L. Green New York Times May 13, 2018 WASHINGTON — Members of a special team at the Education Department that had been investigating widespread abuses by for-profit colleges have been marginalized, reassigned, or instructed to focus on other matters, according to current and former employees.The unwinding of the team has effectively killed investigations into possibly fraudulent activities at several large for-profit colleges where top hires of Betsy DeVos, the education secretary, had previously worked.During the final months of the Obama administration, the team had expanded to include a dozen or so lawyers and investigators who were looking into advertising, recruitment practices, and job placement claims at several institutions, including DeVry Education Group. Advertisement The investigation into DeVry ground to a halt … [Read more...] about Education Department curtails investigation of fraud at for-profit colleges
Education Dept. dismantles team focused on fraud at for-profit colleges: report
The Education Department has in recent months largely dismantled a team charged with investigating abuses by for-profit colleges, The New York Times reported Sunday. The investigative team was created in 2016 to look into widespread fraud claims against for-profit colleges. Roughly a dozen investigators and lawyers were later added to the unit. The Times reported that the team now consists of three employees, who focus mainly on student loan forgiveness applications. The investigations into for-profit colleges have largely come to a stop, according to the report. Multiple former Education Department employees told The New York Times that members of the investigative unit had pushed as recently as this year for its work to continue. However, the probes were a point of dispute between Obama-era employees and officials who joined the department in the Trump administration. The newspaper reported that Education Secretary Betsy DeVosElizabeth (Betsy) Dee DeVosLiberal … [Read more...] about Education Dept. dismantles team focused on fraud at for-profit colleges: report
College basketball notes: Brunson is player of year; Bennett is voted top coach
A long list of goals has taken up permanent space on Jalen Brunson’s wall, including becoming a conference player of the year, an all-American and helping Villanova win a second national championship in three seasons.The junior point guard just reached another one by becoming The Associated Press men’s college basketball player of the year.Brunson was being presented with the award Thursday at the Final Four, where the Wildcats will face Kansas Saturday in the national semifinals. He earned 36 of 65 votes from the same panel that selects the AP Top 25, with ballots submitted before the start of the NCAA Tournament.The award comes two days after Brunson was the leading vote-getter on the AP All-America first team. He’s the first Villanova player to win the AP award.“It’s written on my wall,” Brunson said of being an All-American and player of the year in an interview with the AP. “It’s something that I strived for but never really focused … [Read more...] about College basketball notes: Brunson is player of year; Bennett is voted top coach