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FIRST ON FOX: Arizona's education section is pushing backmost against nan U.S. Department of Education's (DOE) threat to unopen down Grand Canyon University, calling it "the latest section of harassment" against nan schoolhouse by nan national government.
"It is unwarranted and unjust," Arizona authorities Superintendent Tom Horne told Fox News Digital Friday. "In nan U.S., anyone accused of wrongdoing is presumed guiltless and entitled to their time successful court. Secretary Cardona’s threat is contrary to those law guarantees and unworthy of his position."
Horne said he wrote to DOE Secretary Miguel Cardona past twelvemonth astir GCU's "excellent" estimation and urged him to beryllium down pinch GCU activity to hash retired their issues.
"That is simply a reasonable request, but, truthful far, he has chosen to beryllium unreasonable," Horne said.
LARGEST CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY IN THE NATION ALLEGES IT'S BEING UNJUSTLY TARGETED BY FEDERAL AGENCIES
The president of Grand Canyon University told FOX News Digital nan assemblage is being targeted by nan Department of Education. (Fox News)
The Biden management is trying to return down nan largest Christian assemblage complete "ideological" differences contempt nan schoolhouse being audited respective times by abstracted authorities entities, according to nan university's president.
"We are very, very universally loved and respected successful nan authorities of Arizona connected some sides of nan aisle," Grand Canyon University (GCU) President Brian Mueller told Fox News Digital Thursday. "This point is perfectly not governmental for us. There's a mini group of group successful Washington, D.C., successful nan Department of Education and nan Federal Trade Commission, but nary of nan allegations that they're lobbing are corroborated immoderate spot else."
While GCU will first effort to entreaty wrong DOE, Mueller said he believes "the Supreme Court will perceive this."
"There's truthful overmuch astatine liking here," he said.
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Education Secretary Miguel Cardona accuses GCU of preying connected students. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
GCU’s accrediting body, nan Higher Learning Commission, besides described GCU’s doctoral disclosures arsenic "robust and thorough" successful its 2021 broad reappraisal of GCU’s enrollment practices, a GCU executive told Fox News Digital. The Arizona State Approving Agency (SAA) of nan Department of Veterans Affairs, which precocious audited GCU specifically to analyse nan DOE's claims, besides concluded location were "no substantiated findings."
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"The Arizona SAA did not person immoderate substantiated findings based connected our reappraisal of Grand Canyon University," SAA's missive to GCU successful March stated. "There are nary findings impacting nan continued support of Grand Canyon University astatine this time. There are nary follow-up actions required by Grand Canyon University astatine this time."
Mueller's comments travel arsenic DOE Secretary Miguel Cardona vowed to unopen down nan schoolhouse for being "a predatory for-profit school" during a House Appropriations Committee proceeding astir cracking down connected GCU and different universities for illustration it past week.
GCU President Mueller | Education Secretary Cardona (Fox News/Getty)
The DOE claims that GCU "lied to students" and "falsely advertised" nan costs to complete a doctoral program, which nan GCU rejects. In higher education, doctoral programs that see dissertations seldom person a fixed costs because nan number of continuation courses varies for each individual student, a GCU spokesperson said successful response.
Cardona made comments during a House Appropriations Committee proceeding astir cracking down connected GCU and different universities for illustration it April 10.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., asked Cardona really nan management is moving to unopen down GCU, which she called "a predatory for-profit school."
Cardona openly embraced nan enforcement methods.
"Last year, your section took action against Grand Canyon University, a predatory for-profit college, complete nan school’s nonaccomplishment to accurately disclose its costs to students, driving up nan existent costs for those students and requiring for them to salary for continuation courses earlier they would graduate. Scam courses added astir $10,000 aliases much to nan costs of acquisition to these kids," DeLauro said.
"Going aft predatory schools preying connected first-generation students," Cardona responded. "They person flashy trading materials, but nan merchandise is not worthy nan insubstantial it is printed on. Increased enforcement fund to spell aft these folks and ace down. Levied largest good successful history against a schoolhouse that lied astir costs and terminated a schoolhouse from Title IV. We are cracking down not only to unopen them down, but to nonstop a connection not to prey connected students."
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GCU appealed a $37.7 cardinal good imposed by nan section successful November based connected allegations nan Arizona-based higher learning institution misled students astir nan costs of its doctoral programs complete respective years.
The section said successful an October property merchandise an investigation conducted by nan agency of Federal Student Aid (FSA) recovered GCU "lied" to complete 7,500 erstwhile and existent students astir nan costs of its doctoral programs. The merchandise besides said GCU "falsely advertises" a little costs for its doctoral programs, adding that astir 98% of students ended up paying much than nan advertised cost.
Fox News' Joshua Q. Nelson contributed to this report.
Jamie Joseph is simply a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital sum of nan Senate.
