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El Reg reports
For-profit college chain ITT Technical Institute is facing further sanctions as the US government and the state of California have ordered the school to stop accepting new students.
Citing ongoing financial problems with the school, the US Department of Education (DOE) has barred the school from taking any new students who rely on federal aid money, out of concerns that the school will go under before those funds can be repaid.
"To protect prospective students and taxpayers, we're no longer allowing ITT to enroll new students with federal aid", the DOE said.
"In addition, in case the school's actions cause it to close, we're increasing the amount of cash reserves it must send us and we're ending its installment payment plan for the amount previously required."
This, after the DOE said it has spent the past two years working with ITT to get its financial matters in order and address concerns from creditors that the school may not be able to stay afloat and pay back its debts.
[...] Students who are already enrolled at ITT with financial aid will be allowed to continue courses and will have the option to transfer to another school that accepts ITT course credits.
The DOE added that those who have already graduated from ITT will continue to have their certifications recognized as valid credentials.
[...] The state of California, meanwhile, is taking things a step further by ordering the school [PDF] to stop accepting any new enrollments at its 15 California locations as of September 1.
The decree, issued by the Department of Consumer Affairs, Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, cites the financial issues and says "there is a substantial failure by the Institution to meet institutional minimum operating standards related to financial resources and accreditation standards".
We have previously discussed other for-profits in hot water.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by anubi on Thursday September 01 2016, @09:15AM
Honestly I don't care about what career prospects my degree will get me. I'm here to learn, piece of paper or no.
I had my counselors at the community college quite puzzled at me over this. This was quite a few years ago, but here I come in, want to take every math, computer programming, automobile mechanics, diesel shop, and several art classes, critical thinking, TCPIP/Networking, etc.... and they were puzzled on how I could get several hundred course hours in, but not meet requirements for any degree of any sort.
Including taking data structures ( a pretty intensive weeder course ) twice, despite the fact I aced it the first go-around ( well, the first go-around was taught in Pascal, and the second was taught in C++, and I really wanted to understand everything thoroughly and in C++ ).
I was also having fun in that course, as a complaint at the time was that taking Data Structures was awfully expensive for all the software required. Turns out a magazine called "PC Plus" out of England had just included the Borland C++ ver 4.51 compiler in the CDROM attached to the magazine, and the College was throwing away a bunch of obsolete computers. Just for the fun of it, I was determined to re-do everything to C++, using the throwaway machine and the "free" software on the magazine CD. Just to see if I could do it.
I took all these courses for precisely the same reason as you. I already have a 30 year old engineering degree. I was rusty on a few things, and not all that familiar with some of the newer stuff, and I wanted the company of others who were well versed in this stuff for classroom discussions. Another piece of paper wasn't going to do much for me, but knowing stuff like how to use off-the-shelf common auto sensors for my robotic stuff comes in very handy, as well as knowing how to program any data structure/statistical/mathematical/thermodynamic thingie I can dream up in a microcontroller - now that was more what I had in mind.
I spent over ten years, taking night courses, just for the fun of it, as I felt it sure beat night-time TV ( which bores me to tears ). I simply enjoyed being in an environment where I could learn something and be around someone who knew a helluva lot more about that than I did.
Did it get me employment? Um, no.
It was probably my attitude thing of being subordinate to those who I perceived had no idea whatsoever of what I am capable of. I got the strong idea the hiring managers were looking for someone more subordinate and controllable, or would not threaten the status quo in the workplace. I find it hard to simply follow instructions if I have good reason to believe those instructions are suboptimal, and will question them. They apparently do not like that coming from a subordinate. But I feel at my stage in life, I have to do my best at something, not do mediocre work just to tick a box.
Did it make me happier? Yes. I know I can build whatever I want, and know how it works. Or if I find a broken one, I can fix it.
It also helps me make a lot wiser decisions on how to approach a problem. Often I only need to spend a very small fraction of what others spend to achieve the same thing...
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Thursday September 01 2016, @05:12PM
Since you "already have a 30 year old engineering degree", I can understand why taking classes at a junior college wouldn't help you get a job. I expect if you really wanted one you would have it, or perhaps you already do . (You didn't say.) Or perhaps you're retired. (I retired about 25 years after graduating in statistics...and working as a systems analyst.)
Someone just out of high school is in a rather different situation. (OTOH, I took 6 years to graduate from college, partially because I didn't want to leave, and partially because I wasn't a really good student, and partially because I had a partial subsidy from my parents. I was luckier than most people, even most people at college. But I never did find a good girlfriend. That happened years after I graduated.)
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 2, Informative) by anubi on Friday September 02 2016, @06:32AM
Presently self employed. I guess that's why I have time to pontificate on these forums ( albeit SN is the only social media I have anything to do with. )
I have been offered a couple of jobs, but my heart was not in them. Not near at the level my heart was in my jobs at Chevron or Autonetics.
Its one thing to be building something I felt to be very important --- compared to helping someone else make money for yet someone else, and have it made clear to me that my time was just a commodity to be acquired at the lowest price. After dealing with personnel, I am afraid my attitude was in the toilet.
I am at the level I can "make it" living on savings, but very low on the totem pole. If I can find something meaningful to me, something I can put my heart into, I would love to get involved again. My concept of "meaningful work" is not taking someone's drawings and putting them onto yet someone else's CAD platform.
I have already had to work with "management teams" who kept changing my technical infrastructure around. I thought I had made some headway trying to communicate the difficulty I was having when I found out one of the management guys knew how to play a guitar, and I offered to swap the strings around on his guitar and see if he could still play it, but unfortunately, his management training was so well instilled he could not grasp the concept I was trying to convey.
I fully realize the converse is also true, if I was employed, and I was to interview that guy, he would have not have had a chance either. I would be after someone who could build something, not a "food critic".
I do not have that much longer to live. If I cannot work with dignity, then its welfare.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]