Emails Show DeVos Aides Pulled Strings for Failing For-Profit Colleges

[SummerMadness]

Emails Show DeVos Aides Pulled Strings for Failing For-Profit Colleges

Dream Center Education Holdings, a subsidiary of a Los Angeles-based megachurch, had no experience in higher education when it petitioned the federal Education Department to let it take over a troubled chain of for-profit trade schools.

But the organization’s chairman, Randall K. Barton, told the education secretary, Betsy DeVos, that the foundation wanted to "help people live better lives."

 

[Silverback]

Emails Show DeVos Aides Pulled Strings for Failing For-Profit Colleges

There really is no such thing as a "non profit" college, they all have to earn revenue to stay open, and they do not spend it all. Many colleges have endowments in the $100's of millions.

For profit vs non profit is largely a matter of semantics.

How about public universities vs private universities...a bit more accurate.

 

[Tanj]

There really is no such thing as a "non profit" college, they all have to earn revenue to stay open, and they do not spend it all. Many colleges have endowments in the $100's of millions.

For profit vs non profit is largely a matter of semantics.

How about public universities vs private universities...a bit more accurate.

That is not true. Revenue streams and assets are not relevant in the distinction. What is relevant is what is done with the money. For profit organisations funnel money to owners and shareholders. non profits do not.

The issue I have with any kind of for profit education is that you are actually paying for a product, and one could argue you should receive it, regardless of things like test scores or how you did on the exam.

 

[iluvatar5150]

That is not true. Revenue streams and assets are not relevant in the distinction. What is relevant is what is done with the money. For profit organisations funnel money to owners and shareholders. non profits do not.

Well... They're not supposed to.

There's a lot of wiggle room in what's allowed and not a ton of oversight of the things that aren't.

There are a few for-profit schools that do a great job and a bunch of non-profits that are garbage. I don't know that I'd use the tax filing status as an indicator of much of anything at this point.

 

[Tanj]

Well... They're not supposed to.

Well, yes, I was talking about the legal definition, not crap people try to get away with.

There's a lot of wiggle room in what's allowed and not a ton of oversight of the things that aren't.

Again, I don't really see the point of talking about criminal and immoral activity people might get up to. Silverback made an erroneous statement about what "not for profit" means, I was correcting it.

There are a few for-profit schools that do a great job and a bunch of non-profits that are garbage.

Seriously mate, I am not sure what argument you are trying to have with me, perhaps you could back up and explain it better?

I don't know that I'd use the tax filing status as an indicator of much of anything at this point.

That's just means your dystopian society is dystopian, it doesn't detract from what "not for profit" means.

 

[Radagast]

The issue I have with any kind of for profit education is that you are actually paying for a product, and one could argue you should receive it, regardless of things like test scores or how you did on the exam.

How is this relevant, since the OP is about a 2017 proposal to transition a number of failing for-profit colleges to non-profit status?

Of the colleges, South University seems to still exist. Argosy University has failed. I don't know about the others.