CBS2’s Vince Gerasole reports, the ITT campus in Arlington heights was locked up tight Tuesday, no one in the administrative offices, student lounges empty, but display monitors touting the school’s IT programs were still playing behind glass doors.
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In late August, the U.S. Department of Education barred ITT from enrolling new students who depend on federal aid and required the company to warn current students that its accreditation is in jeopardy.
ITT Tech, a for-profit technical institute, abruptly announced the closure of 150 campuses in 38 states nationwide on Tuesday, just before the start of a new school year.
The Indiana-based company blamed the government for disrupting “the lives of thousands of hardworking ITT Tech employees and their families” and said ITT Tech wasn’t given the “opportunity to pursue our right to due process”.
Student enrollment at ITT Tech has dropped dramatically in recent years amid several state and USA government investigations of the company, including a federal fraud probe.
Affected students can call the Department of Education hotline at (800) 4FED-AID for further assistance. “We have staff and faculty prepared to advise students on registration, enrollment and course curriculum”, said Dr. Michelle Howard-Vital, Executive VP and Provost of FMU.
ITT accused the federal government of forcing it to shut down after it barred the school from allowing any new students to use federal loans to pay for classes.
She’s now looking for another program that will accept her ITT credits. The campus had about 300 students, according to the College Board.
The Education Department said its move came after ITT’s accreditor, the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, found ITT was not complying with its criteria.
“The damage done to our students and employees, as well as to our shareholders and the American taxpayers, is irrevocable”, ITT said.
After ITT Tech closed all of its schools, students in St. Louis are wondering what will happen to their credit hours and their student loan debt. The Education Department also told ITT to drastically increase its cash reserves, and the combination seemed to make continuing operations untenable.
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Furthermore, the company said it believes the Department of Education’s decision to be “inappropriate and unconstitutional”.
