Lehigh Valley College to close

“During the teach-out period, each campus will continue to operate with minimal disruption to current students, enabling them to complete their programs at the current location”

Lehigh Valley College and eight other campuses owned by the for-profit Career Education Corp. will close because the Chicago -area parent company couldn't sell them, the company announced today.

In a news release, the company described the campus closings as 'teach-outs,' meaning no new students would be enrolled but existing students would be able to complete their studies.

The Pennsylvania attorney general began investigating LVC in 2005 after publication of a pair of articles in The Morning Call. The stories, which also sparked a state legislative hearing and a class-action lawsuit, said LVC's recruiters engaged in aggressive tactics; job placement services fell short of expectations; academic standards were lax; and expensive tuition and high-interest loans left some students with overwhelming debt. Read more

[raygen]

First and foremost, education is not a business. Business' first responsibility is to make a profit. Businesses therefore can and should cut off unprofitable appendages. Businesses sell the goods and services, even to those who don't really need or want what is offered. Businesses can choose their clientèle and "reserve the right to refuse service to anyone." On the other hand, education's first responsibility is to serve all the students and to meet their needs, even when it is "unprofitable" to do so. Education refuses no one at the door of the school house. Running schools like a business is a BAD IDEA. Either the school makes a profit at the expense of students or serves the all the students and goes into the red.