Editorial “College standards” starts “For-profit colleges, the fastest-growing segment of higher education, will have to comply with new federal rules if a proposal announced by the Department o Education is enacted. The rules – technically they apply to all colleges, but are clearly aimed at the for-profit world – set some common-sense standards. But, unfortunately, the government backed away from establishing a new level of accountability for the institutions.”
WATCHDOG: Since the time that John Sperling , a tenured professor at San Jose University, lost patience with the unwillingness of the university to pursue Sperling’s ideas and he left to found the respectable University of Phoenix which utilizes the Internet for most of its teaching, charlatans and profiteers have entered the industry to exploit students and consume government funding. It is the same with trade schools, which are often publicized on match covers.
A wag of the tail to the editors for raising this important subject.
Post script: The Watchdog became acquainted with Sperling through their mutual efforts on behalf of drug policy reform and harm reduction. Nevertheless, the old dog hadn’t been aware of Sperling’s remarkable background and career until reading up on Sperling at Wikipedia for this commentary.
The current trend for ‘For-profit’ colleges certainly explains the media’s recent promotions of John Fry’s prowess of treating a non-profit college, such as F&M, like a business. Phrases like ‘profiteering’ and ‘consume government funding’ certainly do now have a place in any conversation concerning Franklin and Marshall.
Since Mr. Fry’s tenure, F&M college has developed a ‘healthy’ appetite for the Public’s money. One such instance, conceiving and spearheading a plan to move a rail yard to make space for new athletic fields, and in the process turning $2million of Norfolk Southern’s costs into $32 Million of taxpayer costs, certainly qualifies as ‘profiteering’. F&M, Inc. alumni should be proud!