Press Release - The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Civil and Human Rights Coalition Calls for Congressional Action in Light of Senate Report on Exploitation in the For-Profit College Industry
For Immediate Release
Contact: Scott Westbrook Simpson, 202.466.2061, simpson@civilrights.org
July 30, 2012
Washington, D.C. – Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on the report of the Senate HELP Committee’s two-year investigation of the for-profit college industry that reveals widespread exploitation of students and taxpayer funds along with misleading recruitment tactics, overpaid CEOs, poor student outcomes and a lack of accountability:
“This report underscores how urgently Congress must step up and hold the for-profit college industry accountable for its widespread exploitation of students and taxpayers.
As the report shows, these schools aren’t educating their students for the careers advertised in their multi-million dollar marketing campaigns. The unvarnished reality is that these schools are sending students into debilitating debt rather than down solid career paths. With only enrolling 10 percent of all students, these schools are connected to nearly half of all student loan defaults.
Educational attainment and access to employment are more closely tied than ever before. And many of these schools have amassed unimaginable levels of profit with the help of $32 billion of taxpayer-supported student aid in 2010 alone, by exploiting those who most need degrees: low-income people, single mothers, people of color, and veterans.
We applaud Senator Harkin for documenting what we already knew, that this industry has destroyed people's futures, cost our government billions of dollars, and gotten rich by selling false hopes to those who most need a quality education.”
Nancy Zirkin is executive president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.
