Wednesday, April 21, 2010

The Ohio Board of Career Colleges -- Just Who are They Serving?

Straight from the 2008 Annual Report of the Ohio Board of Career Colleges, the last report available, these are the duties of the board:

1. Maintaining the viability of registered schools through oversight of their programs and curricula along with their business practices, including advertising and recruiting.
2. Monitoring schools that provide educational and related services to a population of students who might not be served in the non-profit or public sector.
3. Protecting reputable schools from unfair competitive practices of unscrupulous school operators and their representatives.
4. Protecting the investment of students who have paid for education and training services.
5. Protecting the citizens of Ohio from fraudulent and unscrupulous school operators and their representatives.
In carrying out these responsibilities, the Board’s goals are to offer help, encouragement, and guidance to registered schools so that those Ohioans who choose them will be assured of quality education and training. In that process, the Board strives to uniformly deliver a consistent, fair, and equitable administration of its responsibilities.


The Ohio Board of Career Colleges is a governing -- or regulating -- board. The board was created by legislation and all of the rules that address this and the duties of the board are found in the Ohio Revised Code (ORC) Chapter 3332: Career Colleges and Schools.

The board is responsible for regulation and oversight of more than 290 schools in the state and to protect over 70,000 students with that oversight. I have concluded that the board is not doing the job of maintaining "viability through oversight of their programs and curricula" not to mention the business practices. They have also done a very sad job of protecting the investment of at least some of the students. Fraudulent and unscrupulous school operators and their representatives abound in at least five locations around the state at the campuses of Miami-Jacobs Career College.

If the board were overseeing the programs and curricula, then they would have known a long time ago that Miami-Jacobs was having problems with their Practical Nursing program. Indeed, the program has been under a Consent Agreement with the Ohio Board of Nursing since March of 2008, along with a Conditional Approval instead of the Full Approval it would have been granted if the program was up to par. We are not even mentioning the Respiratory Therapy or Surgical Tech program....

John Ware, Executive Director and employee, of the board was quite defensive of the program on March 26, 2010 after an article appeared in the Dayton Daily News reporting that the program was in jeopardy. Dave Larsen, staff writer, also reported that the Education Liaison had recommended withdrawing even Conditional Approval to the nursing board, effectively cancelling the program if the board agreed. It cannot operate without the Ohio Board of Nursing's approval.

Still, John Ware hinted that the article was not factual -- something I knew to be untrue since I had already gone to the Ohio Board of Nursing's website and read the recommendation for myself. I wonder if that was because over TWENTY months after the Consent Agreement was in place, the board, at the November 18, 2009 meeting, approved a Practical Nursing program for the Columbus Miami-Jacobs campus, effective for January 1, 2010?

Hello? Anybody home at the board? What were you thinking or were you just unaware of the problems with the nursing program? Whose responsibility is it to notify the board? Are there any sanctions for trying to get a program started at another school location when the ones you are already operating are sub-par? If no, why aren't there? It certainly makes the board appear to be foolish, at the very least.

What about protecting those students? Mr. Board Members and Mr. Ware, are you aware of how a sub-standard program affects the student's ability to benefit from that education? How is that "protecting the investment?"

I think that the Ohio Board of Career Colleges does not have much needed oversight themselves. Who is watching the Roosters who are overseeing the henhouses? I believe that because of the lack of oversight, that the board has gotten much too cozy with the hens, in this case, the schools that they are mandated to regulate.

The Ohio Board of Career College members are appointed by the governor("with the advice and consent of the senate"),according to the Ohio Revised Code(ORC)3332.0, for a term of five years, with the exception of two mandated members:

One member shall be either the Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents -- or a vice-Chancellor who is appointed by the Chancellor. THERE HAS NOT BEEN AN OBR REPRESENTATIVE FOR 2008, 2009 OR THE FIRST BOARD MEETING OF 2010.

One member will be the state superintendent of the Ohio Department of Education -- or an assistant superintendent who is appointed by the superintendent. This is Dr. Steven Puckett of the Ohio Board of Education. DR. PUCKETT HAS MISSED FOUR OUT OF THE LAST SIX BOARD MEETINGS.

Three of the members (called school representatives) are supposed to have at least five years in an "executive or managerial position" at a type of school (for-profit) that the board oversees. They have not missed any meetings.

Two members of the public who "shall be representatives of the general public and shall have had no affiliation with, or direct or indirect interest in, schools subject to this chapter for at least two years prior to appointment." DR. SEARFOSS, PUBLIC MEMBER AND CHAIRPERSON OF THE BOARD IS ALSO CHAIRMAN OF THE (Governing) BOARD AT DAVIS COLLEGE, A FOR-PROFIT COLLEGE IN TOLEDO.

One member, appointed by the governor, is supposed to be a former student who shall be a representative of students and shall have graduated with an associate or baccalaureate degree, within five years prior to appointment, from a school subject to this chapter. Unfortunately, this member DOES NOT have voting rights, which I think is totally wrong. Even more of a problem is that THERE HAS BEEN NO STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS!

The students of the state who are spending over $20,000 and more to get an education through career colleges deserve more than this. For two years in a row, the Board of Regent's seat is vacant and for at least five years in a row, the student seat is vacant? This is unacceptable.

So....who is guarding the hen house? That would NOT be Dr. Steven Puckett of the Ohio Department of Education, that other mandated seat. He missed FOUR out of SIX board meetings in 2009-2010. That leaves five members to make the decisions that affect over 70,000 Ohio students. Remember, three of these members have a vested interest in career colleges as they are affiliated in the administration of career colleges. Then of course, there are two public members, the minority, who "shall have no affiliation with....", these schools for at least two years.

But, wait! As you see above, this is really not the case. The Chairperson of the board, Dr. Kenneth Searfoss, is actually affiliated with a for-profit school! Dr. Searfoss is also the Chairman of the Board at Davis College in Toledo, a for-profit school. Folks, I think we need to ask the governor to request that this member, who is clearly NOT eligible, to resign his post.

That leaves one member, Dr. Jerome Brockway, superintendent of the Ashtabula County Joint Vocational School, a public school. So, we actually have only ONE disinterested member (who actually attends the meetings on a regular basis), who does not have something to gain by favorable legislation for career colleges. Remember, one of the jobs of the board is to make recommendations to the legislators about legislation. That legislation is actually supposed to protect the students, not the career colleges, by the way. Remember, folks, these board members are the regulators of the state for career colleges, a sector of higher education that is big business and puts the "PROFIT$" in for-profit schools.

So....Just whose responsibility is it to ensure that the board seats are filled so that the board has an equitable balance? Is it the governor's? While it is true that he appoints six members, how does that process work? Does the governor have time to research all his appointments? In a perfect world, maybe so, but we all know that the worlds of both politics and career colleges are definitely not perfect!

Since we had to have an answer to those questions, I called up Governor Strickland's office and asked Jared Port, Special Assistant of the Board and Commissions office. It appears to be a haphazard process at best.

I mentioned the Board of Regents seat that has gone vacant, as well as the student seat. First of all, like an idiot, I tried to find out what happens if the Chancellor doesn't do his job and protect the career college students of the state by having his own watchdog there. However, we know that rarely are government officials held accountable for not doing their jobs. I didn't get a clear answer....

I then asked Port how they find out what seats are vacant. Port said, "Well, for one, phone calls like these are helpful." Okay.....

I asked Port why the student vacancy on the Board of Career Colleges that has been left vacant for over five years, even though it was mandated by legislation. How does that get filled? Of course, the governor appoints the person for all these board positions, but he only does so because they have applied or have been recommended by others.

Port said that they had trouble filling it as no one seemed to want it. I replied that I had a hard time believing that out of the 70,000+ students who attend career colleges, that there was not a graduate of a career college out there somewhere who would not like to add that to his résumé. What were they doing to find one for a seat that has been vacant for five years? Port said that they asked the Ohio Association of Career Colleges (OACC) to help them find someone.

Huh? The OACC is not a state organization. Instead, it is a membership-based organization for the for-profit schools operating in Ohio. It is not a government agency!
The OACC, according to their website, "is the active voice of postsecondary career education colleges and schools of Ohio." They work "to keep legislators and regulators, both in Columbus and Washington, on our member schools unique ability to achieve successful results for Ohio’s students and employers."

This is an organization whose function is to promote career colleges -- period. In other words, this is another self-serving organization that exists to protect the members of the association. The members of the association are for-profit colleges, not students. OACCS lobbies legislators and regulators on issues that pertain to their members.

In keeping with that, David Rankin, president of OACCS, not only attends every board meeting, he also speaks at every board meeting, during the general session. I was very curious on what he had to talk about so I called up a representative of another agency, Terry Worsted of SAA, this one is governmental, who also speaks at most meetings. He told me that Rankin speaks of subjects that affect career colleges, like financial aid and legislation. Rankin is obviously lobbying for the colleges at every board meeting.

In fact, the OACCS is so tied up in the affairs of the board that the first page of their last newsletter posted on their internet website, www.ohiocareercolleges.org is mostly a report from John Ware, executive director of the Ohio Board of Career Colleges. Why the OACCS is apprised of the Board of Career Colleges budget over other agencies is beyond me -- unless the Ohio Board of Career Colleges is a little too buddy-buddy with a membership association of career colleges. Remember this agency, folks, because we are going to talk about them again. We have more, much more, to say.

Besides asking the OACCS for help, one way that board seats can be filled is by simply applying for one. Who knew? Port affirmed that this is correct. I, Connie Smith -- if I were currently a resident of the state of Ohio -- could actually apply personally for any vacancy on any board in the state. Surely, I would be eligible for at least one. At the Governor's website, under the Boards and Commissions page, there is an application that can be downloaded to apply for a position.

I actually have a former student in mind for the student vacancy. Since the seat is for a student who has already graduated, who would be more suited for it than one of the 7 students who are suing the school over lack of accreditation in the Surgical Tech program? We need to make changes to the laws concerning for-profit schools and no one has more insight to some of the problems that can occur at for-profit schools than those 7 students. I also suggest that one of the nursing students who spent $22,000 on a sub-standard education in Practical Nursing might be interested in applying as well.

The only way we can be truly effective to make the changes that are clearly needed is to have the ear of those who can make recommendations to the legislature so that we may be heard. By applying to become a student member of the Board, a former student who understands how a for-profit school can operate under the radar and have as many unsatisfied students as Miami-Jacobs does, can be of great benefit to the Ohio Board of Career Colleges -- who according to their 2008 annual report, thinks that 57 complaints out of 70,000 students is normal.

Though the student position is a non-voting one, a former dissatisfied Miami-Jacobs student could really make a difference for all future students in the state. Also, it will go a long way to off-set that sub-standard education that the student received at the school.

I hope that, in the future, we can lobby for the former student seat to become a full voting member. It is very condescending to think that an educated former graduate of a career school is not intelligent enough to make decisions along with the rest of the learned gentlemen on the board.

If you are interested in applying for the seat or want to make a recommendation for the seat or any other, go to the Board and Commissions page of the governor's website to print out an application: http://governor.ohio.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=61

While the ORC says that a public member cannot have any affiliation with a for-profit school for at least two years, I think that the law needs to be rewritten to say NEVER. There are plenty of retired people who are interested in education who would be qualified to sit on that board.

People, write your legislators over this. Again, this is the only regulatory board for career colleges in the state and it is part of the reason that these for-profit schools go unchecked. While it appears that Dr. Searfoss's background is exemplary, I think we all need to demand that he step down as the Chair of the Ohio Board of Career Colleges and resign his post. He is not a "Public" member! We need people in that position who looking out for the best interests of the over 70,000 students who attend for-profit colleges in the state of Ohio. Can those students possibly be served under these circumstances?

17 comments:

  1. Can you e-mail this to Clayton Luckie and ebmoore@green-law.com(she is my attorney)asap?I would like for them to have this before the meeting Friday and I don't know how to do that.This just makes me so sad,no one is checking on the honesty of anyone and we the student's and taxpayers are the one's paying for this mess,I think I will apply,maybe this is just why I am at mjcc at this time"for such a time as this"I am going to print this and take it with me Friday,by then I will have memorized everything in this post and will be able to talk with power and armed with knowledge.

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  2. Good morning, Anonymous. I have met Erin and I will email this to both of them, but I have another one to post as well. I am still working on it and it is even better than this one!

    I like the way you think! KNOWLEDGE IS POWER and the reason that I research everything. Unfortunately, I get bogged down in the research part sometimes, but I do find some good stuff, don't I? Anyway, a student just like you would be perfect for that seat at the board. However, you have to be out of school for two years first. Keep it in mind for the future. All members are compensated for their work and time at the board, so it is not a volunteer job. If you do not currently qualify, maybe you know someone else who does. We need a voice in Columbus!

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  3. I am having a problem with a school that I only attended 1 quarter or semester. I have so many complaints about this school and want to know who I should formally write to so this school is investigated. Please help...as I was unemployed and now have a loan I have to repay. I dont believe that the education that I received was up to par and the the instructor who taught the courses often made sexual comments. I am in the process of writing to this Ohio Board about my complaint so the next student who might be unemployment does not encounter this school. I think they are a sham.

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  4. Write clayton luckie,the attorney general,chris magan at the dayton daily news,us dept of education and your mayor.If you contact enough of the right people,and these are the right people you will get help.You may also want to contact john ware at the state board of career colleges and schools in col,ohio.

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  5. WATCH OUT MIAMI JACOBS PN PROGRAM IN SEPT.(14) 2010,WE KNOW THATS WHEN THE BOARD TELLS YOU SO LONG AND BAD RIDDANCE!!!!!!

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  6. HELP! there are four of us students who suffered a breach of contract (hours we were supposed to receive vs. hours we did recieve -- 100 less in some cases!). due to this lack of hous we did not get the training/skills we needed, altho we were still left alone (unsupervised) on clinical floors, teachers gave students academic credit to take garbage to the dumpster. btw, this school is hannah e. mullins school of practical nursing in salem, ohio. i left sept. 13th and found out my signature was forged by their secretary sept. 17th. yes, now staff from this school is committing felonious criminal acts against me. we have contacted the ohio state board of nursing but we have doubts how helpful they will be -- i tend to believe they "protect their own". we're thinking we probably need to hire an atty. and file a lawsuit but are their "tips" you can give us; "watchdog" organizations tht may want to be involved? please help! we feel like we are swimming in a sea of red tape (where the liars are lying to protect each other, you know?). all we wanted was to go to school for our lpn training and get on with our lives! oh, some of us were federally funded by organizations to help defer our educational costs other than be very empathetic and listen to us, have offered no help. is there someone overseeing this money and how it really is being spent (like when students receive 100 less hours than they are contracted to receive?). thanks

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  7. Do not doubt that the Ohio Board of Nursing will take your complaints seriously. If the board was not interested in quality education for nursing in the state of Ohio, Miami-Jacobs would still be multiplying like rabbits all over the state, instead of losing their approval to teach the program. They had already been approved for several new sites, too. Pity they didn't know how to run the program....anyway, you need to promptly file a complaint with the Ohio Board of Career Colleges. I have no faith in this group of industry insiders, but it is the Ohio regulatory board. It is a MUST. Here is the website for the complaint form: http://scr.ohio.gov/ConsumerInformation/FilingaComplaint.aspx

    We have to have documentation at the state level of these complaints. That is why it is necessary to file the complaint: to have an official documentation. Hopefully, they did teach you in the school about the importance of documentaion in the medical field. This is as important.

    Next, please contact the state attorney general's office and file a complaint. For-profit schools are covered under the state attorney general's office, unlike public schools. Please file a complaint there. The state attorney general's office was in Dayton back in April, I think it was, for a "town hall" type of meeting about Miami-Jacobs Career College, so they are familiar with the types of problems that students face at these for-profit schools. Also, please contact your state representative. State Representative Clayton Luckie in Dayton has taken an interest in making changes at the state level due to probems at Miami-Jacobs. Your representative needs to know and needs to do something as well. Maybe they could get together and be on the same page with it, to really get the state legislature working for the students of Ohio. Lastly, please contact a reputable attorney in your area for advice on moving forward with a lawsuit. Students have to stop the criminal activities, like fraud, that are being perpetrated at some of these schools.

    Please keep every piece of evidence that you have and make copies! Again, when accusing someone of something, you need evidence and documentation, so document every phone call or letter (keeping a copy in a folder) Write a letter to the editor of your local paper, start a blog....it seems to bring out the students to back your story -- and you help other potential students BEFORE they spend big bucks and end up in your shoes. Good luck!

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  8. Do not doubt that the Ohio Board of Nursing will take your complaints seriously. If the board was not interested in quality education for nursing in the state of Ohio, Miami-Jacobs would still be multiplying like rabbits all over the state, instead of losing their approval to teach the program. They had already been approved for several new sites, too. Pity they didn't know how to run the program....anyway, you need to promptly file a complaint with the Ohio Board of Career Colleges. I have no faith in this group of industry insiders, but it is the Ohio regulatory board. It is a MUST. Here is the website for the complaint form: http://scr.ohio.gov/ConsumerInformation/FilingaComplaint.aspx

    We have to have documentation at the state level of these complaints. That is why it is necessary to file the complaint: to have an official documentation. Hopefully, they did teach you in the school about the importance of documentaion in the medical field. This is as important.

    Next, please contact the state attorney general's office and file a complaint. For-profit schools are covered under the state attorney general's office, unlike public schools. Please file a complaint there. The state attorney general's office was in Dayton back in April, I think it was, for a "town hall" type of meeting about Miami-Jacobs Career College, so they are familiar with the types of problems that students face at these for-profit schools. Also, please contact your state representative. State Representative Clayton Luckie in Dayton has taken an interest in making changes at the state level due to probems at Miami-Jacobs. Your representative needs to know and needs to do something as well. Maybe they could get together and be on the same page with it, to really get the state legislature working for the students of Ohio. Lastly, please contact a reputable attorney in your area for advice on moving forward with a lawsuit. Students have to stop the criminal activities, like fraud, that are being perpetrated at some of these schools.

    Please keep every piece of evidence that you have and make copies! Again, when accusing someone of something, you need evidence and documentation, so document every phone call or letter (keeping a copy in a folder) Write a letter to the editor of your local paper, start a blog....it seems to bring out the students to back your story -- and you help other potential students BEFORE they spend big bucks and end up in your shoes. Good luck!

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  9. You also may want to contact Erin B. Moore,attorney,at 937-224-3333,she is the lawyer representing so many others against mj,she had some of the surg tech students and I can tell you she won most of those cases.She takes on propietary schools and will dig,she is not afraid of them.GM.

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  10. Who do I complain to about a private university? They have mislead when I started my BA program they said you have all your credits. Now months away from graduating they say you need more credits from my assoc program. That just the tip of everythin they have done. They lost 3 of my official transcripts
    Help

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  11. If the private university is a for-profit school (like University of Phoenix), that is covered under the Ohio Board of Career College and Schools. Yes, they are not that effective, in my opinion, as you can see by the article. However, you can also complain to the state Attorney General's office, whose scope also covers FOR-PROFIT SCHOOLS. I truly am not sure if they cover non-profits, but you can call them to find out. Also, by calling the Ohio Board of Career Colleges, someone there will also point you in the right direction. It may very possibly be the Ohio Board of Regents. In any case, I am sorry I cannot really give you a definitive answer without knowing more information.

    What I can suggest is that you send to your previous schools for new official transcripts. Though it might be a slight hassle, most of it should be able to be done online. Mine arrived at my new school less than a week after I requested them. Sorry I cannot help more. Again, people: homework, homework, homework -- BEFORE SIGNING UP FOR SCHOOL!

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  12. Thank you for sharing such great information. It has help me in finding out more detail about Overseas Education Loan.

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