Am) ,1 UH A7 llnittd Status Ewtliatt Du" 205104301 COMMIT UN RUE [-55 AND December 17, 2013 Dr. Albert C. Gray, President and Chief Executive Officer Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools 750 First Street, NE Suite 980 Washington, DC 20002 Dear Dr. Gray, A recent Huffington Post article, How A or-Profit College Created Fake Jobs To Get Taxpayer Money, reports that Corinthian Colleges, Inc., has engaged in deceptive job placement practices to artificially boost job placement rates in an effort to mislead students and accreditors. The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) is one of two national accrediting agencies for many of Corinthian Colleges' subsidiary campuses. Given what appear to be sustained, intentionally deceptive practices, what is ACICS doing to hold Corinthian accountable and ensure they do not continue these fraudulent practices? According to the article, this scam took a number of forms. Everest College, a subsidiary of Corinthian, operated a subsidy program in which local employers were paid an "on-boarding allowance" of $2,000 per head to hire graduates into temporary, 30-day positions. After the 30 days, Everest graduates were let go and cut off from career services through the college. In spite of marketing claims that graduates could expect long--ter1n job placement in their chosen fields and higher wages due to their degree, the article reports that Everest career counselors are trained to look for companies that have high employee tum-over rates so they can shuttle multiple graduates to the same positions. The College also is alleged to pay temp agencies to hire its graduates. These deceptive tactics give the illusion of a successful job placement rate, which is required to maintain ACICS accreditation. The article also highlights Corinthian Colleges' manipulative marketing practices. This was done by outright lying -- advertising numbers substantially higher than actual rates. Meanwhile, graduates find themselves with large debts, a questionable degree, and a short-term, dead-end 711 HART O1 1 !ill. BUIL tuilkiil EIGHTH 153154 HLJILDINTE DC 13041 ll D, SUITE: 750 12091274 2152 l3l9'353 4952 1917 49? 408? 115 lIYl202)?34 E180 1303;/86 E173 62901 50'. 35". 11?? Given that Corinthian Colleges received nearly $10 billion over the last decade in federal student aid funding, these practices and misrepresentation to students is an egregious misuse of taxpayer dollars. I look forward to learning whether the ACICS will even respond to this disturbing information. Sincerely, Richard J. Durbin United States Senator