A Couple of Things About For-Profit Education

I’ve been thinking a lot about for-profit education lately, and where it fits into the big picture. This was the result of a few events:

• An ongoing conversation in a LinkedIn group about how online degrees (particularly doctorates) are perceived in hiring at Brick and Mortar Schools;
• The recent report released by the University of Southern California about the need to expand private higher education in order to avoid a workforce crisis; and
• Contacts from a particularly persistent publicist about getting me to interview someone from Devry about their new Career Advisory Board and career services they are offering their students and alumni.

We’ve covered other issues related to For-Profit Higher Education before, and honestly, I’ve learned a lot. Here are some takeaways I’ve drawn from the above:

• From the LinkedIn group discussion:
  • There are vested interests on both sides, and very strong feelings about the worth of degrees from for-profit schools. For those who have chosen the for-profit route, they come down to improving themselves without sacrificing their families, or fitting further education into their busy lives. For those on the Brick-and-Mortar: defending the perceived differences in the quality of scholarship between online and B & M programs.
  • There are legitimate concerns on both sides. For on-line pr iogram graduates, a desire to be taken seriously, and to have access to opportunities to contribute to discussions, associations and even teaching opportunities. For B & M graduates, a desire to protect the legitimacy of their scholarship and their degrees, by insisting that programs meet existing standards and accreditation models.
• From the USC Report:
  • The demand for degrees and for an educated workforce is high, and public institutions are increasingly unable to meet this demand, in the face of funding cuts.
  • There is an emerging public interest in creating common standards about basic courses that would ensure their transferability between institutions, regardless of their public/private status.
  • Online education will increasingly be a part of the picture, especially for introductory courses.
• From my interactions with the publicist and the interview that resulted:
  • There are for-profit institutions that are trying to serve their students and graduates and make sure their investment results in good jobs that will provide a good return on their investment.
  • There are some really nice people in the for-profit world, and despite the  controversies surrounding for-profit education, their intentions are good, and should not be discounted out of hand, by people who are just more comfortable with the way things have always been.

I share a few more thoughts in today’s BlogTalkRadio podcast, which was pre-recorded, and think that Devry is making efforts worth noting. Please listen and share your comments.

Listen to internet radio with Sean Cook on Blog Talk Radio