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DeVos Names Former DeVry Dean as Head of Fraud Enforcement
In early February, Betsy DeVos was confirmed as Education Secretary. Two Republicans, Senators Murkowski (AK) and Collins (ME), joined the entire Democratic caucus to force an historic tie-breaking vote from Vice President Pence. Read more at this link. Her installation to a position of power over our education system means she spends every day implementing policies with destructive consequences for our country.
Julian Schmoke, formerly an associate program dean for DeVry's college of engineering and information sciences, was named the head of the Student Aid Enforcement Unit in late August 2017 by DeVos.
The Obama administration created the Student Aid Enforcement Office in February 2016. The Student Aid Enforcement Unit was created to "respond more quickly and efficiently to allegations of illegal actions by higher education institutions."
Coincidentally, the unit was created specifically to target fraudulent activities at schools like DeVry where Schmoke used to work. This is the same DeVry that was just hit with a huge fine for fraud.
DeVry University last year agreed to a $100 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over charges that the for-profit college ran deceptive advertisements... claiming 90 percent of DeVry graduates seeking full-time jobs were employed in their field of study within six months of getting their degrees.... claimed that students with DeVry degrees were paid 15 percent more on average than other graduates.
Who are DeVos and Schmoke working for -- the American people or their corporate overlords? Can Schmoke, a recent employee of the for-profit school industry, be expected to act the the primary enforcement agent for OUR Department of Education to protect OUR citizens? United States Senator Brian Schatz (HI) thinks not:
Devry just settled for 100 million dollars with the FTC for defrauding students. What I'm saying is this seems like a bad fit. https://t.co/JrNH5X5y7s
— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) August 30, 2017
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