Patricia,
Thank you for sharing the positive impact that the regulations have had on your career college.
Cindy Bryant
I think that changes are good it creats good energy, for the past few years we have experience high increas in organization and custumer services
Danielle,
You are right about the regulations becoming more inflexible. What do you think the overall outcome will be if the regulatory agencies become more uniform in their regulations and standards?
Cindy Bryant
The regualatory environment has changed over the years by becoming more stict in overseeing what schools are doing and how they are doing it. The regulatory environment is trying to become more uniform in the way schools across the country operate. I am not sure of the changes that this has had on my school as I am fairly new to the position of Financial Aid.
Accreditors, along with State and Federal Regulators are moving towards metric driven accreditation and compliance standards. New formulas for measuring success are consistently being presented and modified to set standards for career colleges. Our corporation and each of the campuses need to be aware of the standards and keep regular track of the outcomes.
Rob,
Based on your statement that in the past the schools disclosures where not so transparent and accessible, how will this change the educational landscape in the future?
Cindy Bryant
julian,
Welcome! It is no secret that regulatory agencies have increased their oversight because they have fallen under the same scrutiny as the career college sector. As an educational institution there is the responsibility to self-regulate the activities of our admissions, staff and faculty members. One way to accomplish this is through monitoring and evaluating data more closely but what about monitoring people to ensure they are doing the right thing? How can this be accomplished without undermining the trust of the individual?
Cindy Bryant
In the past the schools disclosures where not so transparent and accessable.
I feel like the regulatory agencies are monitoring much closer cause of all the false promises prospective students were getting from admission reps who come and go. Working as admission counselors they don't fully understand the ramifications of informing students fully. Schools now scrutinize all data being in put much closer so it is accurate to reflect the good standing of the school.
Candace,
You mention that the regulatory changes were minor for your school. Bravo! The majority of the career sector were already practicing many of the regulations prior to Program Integrity coming into play. Unfortunately there were a few schools that failed the sector and just like student complaints the bad news spread.
Cindy Bryant
I think it has become very tight on for profit schools since I have started. They have plugged up some loopholes and are trying to make things right for the student. I think they are good changes, considering some of the things some of the schools had been doing. The changes were very minor to our school but some of the changes did need to be made for the benefit of the student.
We've had a lot of changes regarding almost every aspect of our daily operations. Overall I believe the additional documentation requirements will benefit far more than it may hinder progress. We are being held more accountable and that is always a good thing.
Edwin,
Thank you for sharing your experience and pathway to compliance. Have you had an opportunity to assess your outcomes since the regulations were released? It sounds as if the impact has had an overall positive effect at your campuses.
Cindy Bryant
Brian,
Welcome! I really like what you shared about enhancing the the overall objective of the Educational industry. First if we can agree that transparency is critical to every consumer decision regardless of the product they are seeking then we can view the regulatory changes as an enhancement. Too many times regulation is seen as a necessary evil instead of a positive means to an end. It the next year or two we will be able to evaluate the effect of the regulations on graduation rates. Schools offering short programs already be able to asses the differences.
Cindy Bryant
I totally agree. At the beginning of all the changes our Admissions people did have some trouble changing their thinking but i believe they are now seeing the benefits of having more committed enrollments who will graduate a make a better life for themselves.
Because of the increase in negative press we are under a bigger microscope by all regulatory agencies. The biggest impact that we have had has been in the area adding additional personnel in the areas of compliance. We have also seen an increase in faculty and staff training.
The changes in the regulatory environment have helped to enhance the overall objective of the Education Industry as a whole. The idea is to inform the students properly and allow them to make the decision that is appropriate to them. In finding the right students for your institution and in turn allowing them to find the right fit for their lives, full transparency should always be our number one priority. If informed properly about what lies ahead for a student, they will be better prepared to handle any adversity.
Jim,
This to shall pass. In the past few years the career school and college sector has ramped up their compliance initiatives which have been costly indeed. Everyone has scrambled to create new disclosures, new policies and new procedures. This has created a need for intense training with a goal to change an organizational mindset and the way we have operated on daily basis. In my opinion once the mindset has evolved we will start to level out and resume focus daily operations once our institutions understand the reason behind the madness.
Cindy Bryant
Richard,
You raise valid points regarding GE. As a sector we will continue to live with the ramifications of Program Integrity rules regardless of whether or not GE disappears or manifests itself in a new form. I believe that all of us have learned that we must maintain a stronger line of compliance at all times.
Cindy Bryant
Angela,
Thank you for your response. The Department of Education's mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access. I believe that the the USDE has taken this to a new dimension with the Program Integrity rules. While they have the right to address educational issues have they gone too far?
You truly challenged me to think about the true meaning of education. I see education and educators goal to inspire learners. To influence directly and immediately impact the mind of the learner through the quality of the writings or lectures. Once a person is inspired they will go to great lengths to understand the subject matter which leads to the elements of your response.
Cindy Bryant
