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Area for-profit colleges seek new accreditors in wake of federal decision

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When the U.S. Department of Education announced Sept. 22 it would withdraw its recognition of the nation’s largest accreditor of for-profit schools, Bob Bazant already had began his search for another accrediting agency.

Bazant, who is president and owner of Penn Commercial Business/Technical School in South Strabane Township, said this week he was anticipating fallout from the DOE’s decision to end its recognition of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools. Bazant and Nancy Decker, who with her son Douglas Decker own and operate Laurel Business Institute in Uniontown, believe the Education Department’s decision is a result of the closure of two “behemoths” in the for-profit system, ITT Technical Institute and Corinthian Colleges Inc., which were accredited by ACICS.

ACICS is appealing the department’s decision, but Bazant and Decker said they aren’t waiting for the outcome.

“We’re going to be changing accreditors regardless of what happens with ACICS,” Bazant said in his office on Monday.

Penn Commercial, which has 300 students enrolled in a variety of subject areas – welding, HVAC, cosmetology, CAD and practical nursing – last year underwent a three-day accreditation process in which ACICS brought 13 examiners to the school. It received a five-year accreditation, the longest length achievable, which Bazant said indicates that Penn Commercial is exceeding standards set by the agency.

Around the same time, LBI, which operates five campuses in Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia with a total of 500 students, received an identical rating.

“We came through with flying colors,” said Bazant, noting that his school has a history of positive reviews. “We’ve never been on a watch list or probation,” he said, adding that he always assumed that ACICS examined all of its member schools equally.

“We always believed that they would go into any school with that level of scrutiny,” Bazant said.

ACICS has been accused of lax oversight of its schools, which included those once owned by the now-defunct Corinthian Colleges Inc. and the recently closed ITT Technical Institute.

In a letter to the council released Sept. 22, DOE Chief of Staff Emma Vadehra wrote that “ACICS’ track record does not inspire confidence that it can address all of the problems effectively.” She said the department found fundamental problems with the council’s work as an accreditor.

If ACICS loses its appeal, hundreds of schools would be forced to find a new accreditor within 18 months or lose their ability to participate in federal financial aid programs, such as student loans and Pell grants.

While the appeal is pending, ACICS retains its federal recognition and remains determined to fully execute its accreditation responsibilities in a professional manner, according to ACICS Interim President Roger Williams.

Decker, who said she’s attended two workshops related to applying to other accrediting bodies, said ACICS’s appeal provides the opportune timeframe for LBI to line up another accreditor.

Bazant and Patricia Deconcilis, Penn Commercial’s director of education, said there is a big difference between nationally operated, publicly traded companies like ITT and locally owned and operated schools like Penn Commercial.

Bazant said he takes a dim view of for-profit schools that are traded on the stock exchange.

“I’m happy they’re policing these schools and holding them accountable,” he said.

Decker said she agrees with Bazant’s view, adding that LBI puts its students first.

There also is an advantage to being small, Deconcilis said.

When the school needs to make changes to its curriculum, “we don’t need to go through a board and layers of people. If a decision is to be made, we come to Bob,” she said.

They noted that most of Penn Commercial’s students are local, and when they graduate they tend to find jobs locally. The school works closely with a number of area manufacturers and other local employers to shape some of its courses and programs to remain relevant.

“If the school succeeds, the community succeeds,” Deconcilis said.

Decker, who launched LBI with her late husband, Christopher, in 1985 as a business training college, later adding more technical courses, described similar goals.

“We’re all about what’s best for our students and what area employers need,” she said.

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