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Today, ITT Educational Services, Inc. (ITT) announced that it is closing all of its ITT Technical Institute campuses. For most of the world, that news will be covered as a business story or a political one, but I know that for you it is deeply personal. You are probably wondering what this means for your future; how it is going to affect your finances and your ability to continue your education.
In recent years, ITT has increasingly been the subject of numerous state and federal investigations. In August, ITT's accreditor, the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) determined that ITT "is not in compliance, and is unlikely to become in compliance with [ACICS] Accreditation Criteria." This came amid increasingly heightened financial oversight measures put in place by the Department over the past two years due to significant concerns about ITT's administrative capacity, organizational integrity, financial viability, and ability to serve students.
[...] Whatever you choose to do, do not give up on your education. Higher education remains the clearest path to economic opportunity and security. Restarting or continuing your education at a high-quality, reputable institution may feel like a setback today, but odds are it will pay off in the long run. There are people and tools – like our College Scorecard – out there to help you pick a program that gives you a real shot at success.
I am proud of your hard work and dedication, and we will do all we can to continue to provide information to you on your options.
Sincerely,
John B. King Jr., U.S. Secretary of Education
Source: Department of Education
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 07 2016, @04:41AM
You know, an education is more than just one thing.
But that's the issue. Too many colleges and universities focus primarily on job training and rote memorization over actual understanding of the subject.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 07 2016, @05:06AM
Haven't really seen that.
As a point of pride no accredited university would want to get a rep as a "lowly" vocational school.
Actual vocational colleges, sure. But nobody is getting fooled into expecting a liberal education when they attend a vocational school.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Kell on Wednesday September 07 2016, @06:31AM
As an engineering professor, I consider it my imperative to give my students what they really need to know as practical professionals in the field. Sometimes that's critical thinking skills, sometimes it's technical skills and sometimes it's obvious stupid life skill stuff like "How to dress for presentations and attend meetings without being a boor". We've found that if we don't tackle both sides of the problem, either we produce engineers who are great at technical stuff but useless in the work place, or else we produce excellent drones with no critical thinking skills. Unless you're already rich, you're going to university to better yourself and get access to a career path. Preparing a graduate to be unemployable does them no favours - you need both "education" and "training".
Scientists ask questions. Engineers solve problems.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 07 2016, @01:53PM
Haven't really seen that.
Many people don't even see how their K-12 educations were garbage. If you're raised in a culture where abysmal-quality educations are the norm, it can be difficult to see the problem.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 07 2016, @02:04PM
Since many people just see college/university as a means to an end (a way to get a good job), it's no surprise the situation is like this. When education isn't your absolute first priority, the quality of the education suffers. When your schools are filled with shallow people who have shallow, impure motivations, education again suffers. Accredited universities can avoid a bad reputation by simply being a bit better than the lowly vocational schools, because they appear good by comparison even if that is not so.
Only the best-of-the-best schools have anything to offer.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 07 2016, @02:08PM
Wow. I think you're problem is you need to get on with your life if you've been to enough universities and colleges to be able to draw a conclusion like that. I've only been to two: undergrad and grad school. I've got to wonder, how many colleges and universities have you been to ?? Sometimes you professional students just need to graduate and get on with life.