Posted on 11/03/2019 3:08:19 PM PST by robowombat
July 11, 2012
A vendetta against the CEO of a former for-profit college in Louisville may have forced the school’s closure, but a federal court ruling released this week may have opened the door for the college to recoup millions of dollars lost in bankruptcy.
In 2004 the Atlanta-based Council on Occupational Education approved accreditation for three new technical programs—carpentry, electrician and HVAC—at Decker College. The programs included distant, or online, learning in its applications.
But in 2005, federal student aid officer Ralph LoBosco asked the council to rethink its accreditation for the technical school. Many at the time felt LoBosco held a grudge against Decker’s CEO William Weld, who was involved in two lawsuits affecting LoBosco's employment.
Decker and its students were receiving federal Title IV funding up until the council began questioning its accreditation, which ultimately led the U.S. Department of Education to pull its funding.
“This was a school on the forefront for developing programs for distance learning, distance education, computer learning, which was evolving at that time,” said Robert Keats, Decker's trustee and plaintiff in the case.
Now, a Western District of Kentucky bankruptcy judge says the council made erroneous statements and should have reviewed the application more thoroughly.
The council claimed it was unaware Decker’s programs relied heavily on online courses, according to the report. But the court found the council had ample opportunities to challenge Decker’s programs, and the school even references distant learning in its application.
“Its clear from the opinion from the court that the COE had an obligation to perform certain things,” said Keats.
The ruling will likely be used in a case pending before a U.S. Department of Education administrative law judge. Decker could stand to recoup millions of dollars it lost in bankruptcy.
Decker officials would not immediately comment on the case. Council on Occupational Education attorneys did not return calls.
See here for more details:
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/education/2017/01/30/louisvilles-decker-college-closed-lie/97094606/
Louisville's Decker College: Closed on a lie
SNIP
The Wall Street Journal has said the role of federal regulators in the demise of Louisville-based Decker College explains “Why Americans Hate Government” — as it headlined an editorial last March.
Twelve years ago, the vocational college had 2,900 students on campuses in four states. But then its accrediting agency found it was offering three construction programs primarily online without approval. And as a result, the U.S. Education Department terminated its eligibility for federal financial aid, forcing Decker to close its doors and file for bankruptcy.
terminated its eligibility for federal financial aid, forcing Decker to close its doors and file for bankruptcy.
Online classes in carpentry, electrician and HVAC.
“This is how you hold the hammer. This is how you swing the hammer.”
Exam:
1. Question 1. Which end of the hammer do you pick up?
2. Question 2. You have a 16D nail. What tool do you use?
3. Question 3. Which end of the nail do you strike with the hammer? The pointy end? Or the flat end?
4. Question 4. What do you say when you hit your thumb with the hammer instead of the nail?
The difference is that this was a trade school to train people in useful skills not Gender Studies.
Toivo: Eino, you dummy! Dose are for da udder side of da building.
I’ve been in construction all my life. It can cost a lot of money to go to a good trade school where you can actually earn a great income and do something useful.
But instead, kids get scholarships to learn gender studies as you said.
Yes, and when Decker closed it left a lot of the usual suspects, white males without a college degree high and dry.
You appear uninformed about trade schools.
It may surprise you to learn this, but there are many times when one should first strike the pointy end of the nail with the hammer.
This blunts the nail and can help prevent splitting the wood the nail is going to be driven into.
Hammers are more or less obsolete. Air nailers and cordless nailers are used for everything these days.
Every single person I know who has a pneumatic or electric nailer has several hammers. And he carries one in a belt loop while using the nailer.
I’ve worked outside in the construction business for the last 45 years. I carry a hammer. Sometimes you have to knock in a nail or squash a big bug.
It is interesting that the article did not note that William Weld is running for President and refers to him as William as opposed to Bill.
From his wiki page:
Kentucky college management
From January to October 2005, Weld was chief executive of Decker College in Louisville, Kentucky. His term ended as the college was closing under bankruptcy protection following a disagreement with the U.S. Department of Education about accreditation of its construction-related courses and online instruction. This matter would follow Weld into the 2006 race for Governor of New York, with former U.S. Senator from New York Alfonse D’Amato asserting that Weld was responsible and oversaw “multimillion dollar looting”.[57][58]
On March 27, 2016, the Wall Street Journal reported as part of an opinion article that “Bankruptcy trustee Robert Keats alleged [Ralph] LoBosco”, a Department of Education employee, “was trying to exact revenge against Decker CEO William Weld”. The article continued: “Education Department administrative law judge Robert Layton recently affirmed a 2012 bankruptcy court finding that the Council on Occupational Education had failed to tell the truth in stating that Decker’s online programs were never accredited. The Council’s ‘factually erroneous’ assertion caused the Education Department to withdraw federal student aid in 2005, which precipitated Decker’s bankruptcy.”[59]
Yeah, I noticed that, too.
I think a student could learn some basic electrician or HVAC concepts, and certain aspects of carpentry, such as general safety, online, but the thing about construction skills is that, eventually, you have to actually do them.
Yes, there’s a lot of stuff in the trades that one could learn on a computer.
I’ve used that trick many a time. It was a test. You passed!
A CORRESPONDENCE / ONLINE trade school. That’s what I was mocking.
I greatly respect trade schools.
Yep. Hard to teach swimming without getting into the pool or bicycling without hopping onto a bike.
If you could teach electrician-ing completely online, couldn’t you teach heart surgery completely online?
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