It has been obvious from the get-go that Donald Trump and DeVos would let for-profit colleges run wild over the next few years. Our president, after all, marketed a scam series of get-rich-quick real estate seminars as ”Trump University.” Our education secretary is basically a walking cautionary tale about the power of wealth in politics who evinced zero interest in consumer protections for students. Since taking over her Department, she’s already begun the process of rewriting and watering down the gainful employment regulations that were designed to punish schools that saddled students with too much debt and worthless degrees. Compared to that move, the appointment of Julian Schmoke Jr., who worked as a dean at DeVry University from late 2008 to 2012, will head the Education Department’s Student Aid Enforcement Unit, is relatively small potatoes. But as an act of trolling? Even by the Trump administration’s standards, it’s pretty stupendous.
The disaster in Houston and South Texas. North Korea. The Russia investigation. The immigration fight. The palace intrigue at the White House. All those Tweets...
There are a lot of issues and outrages that demand our attention, but there are also aspects of the Trump presidency that are taking place in the shadows with huge consequence. A big concern to many is what is happening under Betsy DeVos at the Department of Education. There was a startling bit of news this week, which to this old Texan sure seems like a case of the fox guarding the hen house.
The issue is for profit colleges, a topic ripe for investigative journalism and something on which I have reported in the past and am now working on a documentary film. The more you dig, the more outrage there is, or should be. But Mr. Trump, of the scandalous Trump University, and his ally DeVos seem to be more interested in profits than pedagogy.
I plan on making this line of reporting a focus of coverage on this page, and I hope you share it with others in your network. It's back to school time, and if we care about the future of this nation, we should be paying close attention to this issue.
By Jordan Weissmann
