Traci Lee

Richard- I think what has kept me intrigued by this industry for my 20 years in the business is the passion of the people, like you, that this business attracts. Your suggestions are great - we need to encourage everyone to share their passionate stories and the successes of their graduates to get some positive press. Given the topic of this thread, I thought you may be interested in this article. I prefer seeking positive press on the career schools and do not intend to push negative info about the traditional sector but, this article hit home. In the for-profit… >>>

You are so right, Kathleen, about the graduations bringing the point home. No matter how tough things seem, graduation ceremonies give me that boost and reminder of why we all choose to stand firm on our convictions. This industry in the ultimate in the "win-win" concept. When it works right, all parties benefit - students by getting jobs, employers by having a pool of trained candidates to fill positions, schools themselves by being successful (i.e. profitable - which should not be considered a bad thing when achieved the right way) and employees of the schools are happily employed by a… >>>

Kathleen - You bring up a good point on the fact that accreditation is voluntary. Unfortunately, the link to Title IV funding can paint a picture of motives tied to financial gain versus purely for the sake of creating a compliant campus. A colleague once made a good point regarding the perception of career colleges versus traditional universities. He asked if I would trust someone with a bachelors degree in business more than someone with a credential from a cosmetology school to cut my hair. My answer was obvious - and I have always respected career colleges for delivering on… >>>

I think this is a great list. Very thorough. Although there are diverse types and impacts from findings, I think a standard format/list ensures that items are completely addressed. I particularly like the reference to a monitoring system for continued compliance and the possibility of reporting required to demonstrate continued compliance. Too many times, schools focus on the restitution and not preventing the problem from happening again. The other thing that is often overlooked is the root cause. I think it's good that you have a section about what contributed to the finding. Digging for the real cause versus just… >>>

The concept of "audit" does create apprehension for most people. Part of my interest in the process of internal audits is to demonstrate that an auditor can have the same goals as the campus/department reviewed and that by identifying issues internally,t here is even more opportunity to meet the challenge of improvement before the matter becomes a serious issue. Unfortunately, some auditors, internally and externally, take a "gotcha" approach to the process which further instills the fear you mention. Part of audit preparation may need to include coaching those who will be involved to do some deep breathing to reduce… >>>

I agree that the best way to "prepare" is to always operate in compliance with internal policies and procedures which should already be compliant with any external regulators. Most regulators initially approve a school based on their documented policies and procedures. If those are actively in force, an audit should not require a last minute scramble to have things in order. However, I often see schools doing that last minute fire drill to obtain and organize items including documents for student files, proof of credentials for faculty files, etc. In addition to diligent monitoring, solid management control mechanisms which either… >>>

I agree that the career colleges and traditional colleges have migrated toward one another. Ironically, the regulations that some traditional educators pushed for put the career colleges in more direct competition with traditional institutions. That put the traditionals in a situation whereby they had to modify practices to be more competitive - including adding shorter programs (i.e. executive MBAs, etc.) and being more agressive in their student recruitment activies - which makes them act more like the career college sector. Media is a powerful force and the attention it has drawn certainly can influence the regulators. Others argue that even… >>>