To: The Mississippi State House, The Mississippi State Senate, and Governor Phil Bryant
Mississippi Must Hold For-Profit Colleges Accountable
For-profit schools can take up to 90% of their revenues from taxpayer dollars. They answer to us, and it's time we hold them accountable.
Why is this important?
Over the last decade, enrollment at for-profit colleges has grown exponentially, with up to 10% of post-secondary students enrolled in a for-profit school. While some of these schools provide quality education to their students, many leave graduates with a high amount of debt and no job prospects.
Last year, taxpayers spent $32 billion dollars on for-profit universities, but it’s an investment that doesn’t always pay off. According to the findings of a two-year investigation by U.S. Senator Tom Harkin’s commission on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions (HELP) into the practices of for-profit colleges, the majority of students who enroll in these schools leave without a degree – most within four months. Said Harkin “In this report, you will find overwhelming documentation of exorbitant tuition, aggressive recruiting practices, abysmal student outcomes, taxpayer dollars spent on marketing and pocketed as profit, and regulatory evasion and manipulation. These practices are not the exception — they are the norm. They are systemic throughout the industry, with very few individual exceptions.”
Mississippi is host to dozens of for-profit schools, and even boasts a Commission on Proprietary Schools and College Registration, housed within the Mississippi Community College Board. The commission works hard to ensure that for-profit colleges are playing by the rules, but the rules aren’t good enough. This winter, we are asking that you join with us to fix three major gaps in the regulation of for-profit colleges.
FIRST, THE LEGISLATURE MUST DEFINE THE TERM "IN THE FIELD." While state law requires that proprietary schools report the number of students who are employed “in the field”, that term is not defined in the regulations. That means that there is no standard for the types of jobs for-profit graduates are being placed in. Further, it leaves the employment percentages posted on school websites open to manipulation. We’re calling on the Mississippi Legislature to create a common sense definition for “in the field”, so consumers have employment information they can rely on.
SECONDLY, THE LEGISLATURE MUST INCREASE THE STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS EMPLOYED BY FOR-PROFIT SCHOOLS. Currently, teachers need only possess a high school diploma or GED and three years of relevant experience to teach in a for-profit school. Teaching at the college level should require at least a two-year Associates Degree, and, once again “relevant experience” must be defined.
FINALLY, THE REGULATIONS MUST REQUIRE THAT FOR-PROFIT SCHOOLS HAVE OPEN AND ACCESSIBLE COMPLAINT PROCEDURES. While every school has a complaint procedure, the process is often too cumbersome, dissuading students from pursuing their grievances. The Mississippi Legislature must create a streamlined process for complaints that does not discourage students from advocating on their own behalf.
If you have a story of your own, please put it in the comments. We’ll deliver the petition (and the attached stories) to the legislature this session.
Last year, taxpayers spent $32 billion dollars on for-profit universities, but it’s an investment that doesn’t always pay off. According to the findings of a two-year investigation by U.S. Senator Tom Harkin’s commission on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions (HELP) into the practices of for-profit colleges, the majority of students who enroll in these schools leave without a degree – most within four months. Said Harkin “In this report, you will find overwhelming documentation of exorbitant tuition, aggressive recruiting practices, abysmal student outcomes, taxpayer dollars spent on marketing and pocketed as profit, and regulatory evasion and manipulation. These practices are not the exception — they are the norm. They are systemic throughout the industry, with very few individual exceptions.”
Mississippi is host to dozens of for-profit schools, and even boasts a Commission on Proprietary Schools and College Registration, housed within the Mississippi Community College Board. The commission works hard to ensure that for-profit colleges are playing by the rules, but the rules aren’t good enough. This winter, we are asking that you join with us to fix three major gaps in the regulation of for-profit colleges.
FIRST, THE LEGISLATURE MUST DEFINE THE TERM "IN THE FIELD." While state law requires that proprietary schools report the number of students who are employed “in the field”, that term is not defined in the regulations. That means that there is no standard for the types of jobs for-profit graduates are being placed in. Further, it leaves the employment percentages posted on school websites open to manipulation. We’re calling on the Mississippi Legislature to create a common sense definition for “in the field”, so consumers have employment information they can rely on.
SECONDLY, THE LEGISLATURE MUST INCREASE THE STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS EMPLOYED BY FOR-PROFIT SCHOOLS. Currently, teachers need only possess a high school diploma or GED and three years of relevant experience to teach in a for-profit school. Teaching at the college level should require at least a two-year Associates Degree, and, once again “relevant experience” must be defined.
FINALLY, THE REGULATIONS MUST REQUIRE THAT FOR-PROFIT SCHOOLS HAVE OPEN AND ACCESSIBLE COMPLAINT PROCEDURES. While every school has a complaint procedure, the process is often too cumbersome, dissuading students from pursuing their grievances. The Mississippi Legislature must create a streamlined process for complaints that does not discourage students from advocating on their own behalf.
If you have a story of your own, please put it in the comments. We’ll deliver the petition (and the attached stories) to the legislature this session.