Traci Lee

About me

I currently serve as the Vice President of Business Solutions for Bridgepoint Education. In my present role, I provide guidance to the company's ground based and online colleges to optimize their operations while staying within regulatory guidelines.

I have over 22 years of experience in the education industry. My experience encompasses virtually all aspects of the education business, including admissions, financial aid, academics, career services, and management of multi-campus operations. I’ve held senior level management positions at Career Education Corporation, MedVance Institute and the University of Phoenix (Apollo Group) as well as providing consulting services to a multitude of colleges and universities during my tenure with Campus Management Corporation.

My focus has been on campus start ups, regulatory compliance, process improvement, and operational oversight of multiple campus colleges, including international campuses. I recognize the challenges of working in a highly regulated environment that has grown more complex as companies have expanded operations, either organically or through acquisition, to include multiple regulatory bodies and governing oversight entities.

I hold a B.S. degree in Business from Arizona State University and an M.A. degree in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix. I have completed the Apollo Group's Executive Development Program and the Career College Association's (now APSCU) Leadership Institute.

Activity

Traci Lee

Discussion Comment

Preparing for an Audit

DeMario - I like your comment about a "pattern of compliance". It's that consistency that can make a difference - even if there were problems before a certain time, a pattern of compliance since that point can be helpful and convincing to auditors. Staff availability is also critical - having done audits, nothing is worse than not being able to get questions answered if the "person who knows" is unavailable.

Traci Lee

Discussion Comment

Compliance in Business Areas

Jane - as you indicate, marketing must meet with standards as part of a compliance culture. In some instances I have seen, the breach is unintentional as the marketing department is not always trained or aware of the various regulatory restrictions. Marketing needs to be part of the entire team that is involved with efforts that ensure compliance.

Traci Lee

Discussion Comment

Compliance in Business Areas

Kristina - Excellent point. One of my internal "audit tests", as simple as this sounds, was to evaluate the accessibility to shredders at campuses. If the institution used a shredding service, it was necessary to ensure that such information was gathered in a secure bin. In some cases, because the "common bin" was not convenient, employees would tend to either keep a running pile and make only occasional trips to the shredding bin or, fail to use it as indicated. In many schools I reviewed, the simplest solution was individual shredders at each work area which made it convenient for… >>>

Traci Lee

Discussion Comment

Preparing for an Audit

Kristina - I completely agree that the key to compliance is making sure your daily operations support compliance. I also think that it's important to prepare for the actual audit (when they are known in advance) by ensuring materials needed by the visiting team are easily accessible and organized and that individuals responsible for information during the audit are informed and block their time accordingly.

Traci Lee

Discussion Comment

Compliance in Business Areas

Faith - I could not agree more - employees understanding the "why's" up front helps them have complete buy in versus just thinking that it's a company policy that has no purpose. Education is truly a "people business" and building the human resources right is critical to success - both in achieving results and in operating within compliant boundaries.

Traci Lee

Discussion Comment

Corrective Action Plans

You bring up an interesting topic that I don't think has come up on this discussion thread - inaccurate findings. Ideally, if the item is raised during the audit, the school can provide proof that the finding is not valid so it never makes the report. But, if it is in the report, the response indicating the inaccuracy should also provide evidence of the invalidity of the finding. And, as you point out, it's also ideal to demonstrate that resolution is already in place for valid findings and well as the guidelines you noted for prevention from repeat problems. Good… >>>

Traci Lee

Discussion Comment

Preparing for an Audit

Jane - One of the things to consider with the sample files is how the auditor(s) select the records for the sample. Depending on the purpose and scope of the audit, there may be a "targeted" sample whereby the auditor has already identified a potential problem and wants to dig deeper. Or, it can be a random sample for a general type of audit.

Traci Lee

Discussion Comment

Effect of Media

Good point, Kristina - the regulatory entities are constantly changing and it is critical that institutions have a plan to continually update their policies and procedures to be compliant with any changes.

Traci Lee

Discussion Comment

Compliance in Business Areas

This seems to keep coming up as a major topic. Kathleen (earlier on these postings) also indicated an interest in further training on FERPA as the regulations can be challenging, particularly when parents and spouses are sometimes involved in financing the student's education.

Traci Lee

Discussion Comment

Corrective Action Plans

Good checklist, Daniel. I think number 7 is the key to ensure that the plan is "working".

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