Posts
As many of you may know it was announced last week that former Student Veterans of America Executive Director Michael Dakduk was hired as vice president for military and veterans affairs, a newly created position by The Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU).[1] The same APSCU that has vehemently lobbied Congressional leaders on behalf of for-profit institutions to prevent the 90/10 loophole from being closed thereby removing the financial incentive to "aggressively and deceptively recruit veterans” and military personnel.
Furthermore, Dakduk reversed his previous position on the 90/10 rule in a statement released last week by APSCU that the renewed effort to tighten the 90/10 rule “is not a measure of institutional quality” and would “harm postsecondary access and opportunity” for veterans and active duty service members. Such a statement could be considered antithetical from Dakduk’s position during his May 2012 Congressional Testimony in which he states that “Requiring competition for 10% of revenue is a reasonable mechanism for ensuring this and strengthens the free-market in education. Quite frankly, any business that complains about having to compete for 10% of their customers should not be in business.”
In light of these recent events, it is important to assess the potential impact of Michael Dakduk's recent hiring by APSCU upon student veterans from an individual, organizational and policy standpoint. In doing so, a critical analysis of Michael Dakduk, SVA and APSCU and their subsequent relationships is necessary. Thus, over the next few weeks a series of blog posts will attempt to draw conclusions based on examining the three parties individually and chronicling the relationship between each of these parties beginning with a timeline of events.
Timeline of Events
November 2010: Mike Dakduk named Student Veterans of America’s 3rd Executive Director succeeding Derek Blumke.
April 5, 2012: SVA initially reports suspending 40 of its chapters at for-profit colleges for improperly promoting the universities and not being sufficiently student-run. Associated Press says that the “essentially fake SVA chapters” helped the schools get onto lists of “military friendly” or “veterans friendly” colleges[2]
April 26, 2012: SVA publicly names 26 of 40 suspended chapters. Reinstates 14 chapters initially suspended. SVA indicated they have 35 for-profit-college chapters in good standing, including the 14 that were reinstated. This would suggest that 40 percent (26/61) of for-profit college chapters were set up as “shell organizations to help them appeal to veteran students who carry lucrative government tuition benefits.”[3]
May 16, 2012: Michael Dakduk testifies before House Committee on Veterans Affairs regarding hearing on Executive Order #13607 and Its Impacts on Schools and Veterans. Calls for an amendment to the 90/10 rule with the following statements: “Common sense dictates that schools that are required to receive no more than 90% of their income from the federal government should not be able to skirt this rule by accepting the overage in veterans’ benefits. Requiring competition for 10% of revenue is a reasonable mechanism for ensuring this and strengthens the free-market in education. Quite frankly, any business that complains about having to compete for 10% of their customers should not be in business. We strongly challenge the sentiment that a change to 90/10 or the requirements contained in this Executive Order somehow inhibits a school’s ability to compete.[4]
August 24, 2012: Michael Dakduk participates in a roundtable discussion along with representatives from APSCU and their member institutions on the "Treatment of military veterans by for-profit colleges and universities" at the 2012 American Legion Convention. Dakduk scapegoats the media for “influencing public and political opinion of veterans’ education” as it relates to the for-profit sector and states that “I think this (roundtable) is a testament to what key players are really doing.” These comments were apparently made in light for-profit representatives’ vehement criticism of the Senate HELP committee report on for-profit higher education and ensuring student success led by Senator Tom Harkin, in particular, Suzanne Palmer of the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities.[5]
November 9, 2012: Michael Dakduk named as special advisor to APSCUs Blue Ribbon Taskforce for Military and Veteran Education.[6]
October 2013: Mike Dakduk steps down as Executive Director of Student Veterans of America[7]
November 5, 2013: Michael Dakduk was hired as vice president for military and veterans affairs, a newly created position by The Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU). Reverses previous position on the 90/10 rule in a statement released by APSCU that the renewed effort to tighten the 90/10 rule “is not a measure of institutional quality” and would “harm postsecondary access and opportunity” for veterans and active duty service members.[8]
[1] Stratford, Michael. A Change of Heart on For-Profits. Inside Higher Education. November 8, 2013. Retrieved from:http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/11/08/veterans-advocate-changes-jobs-and-positions#ixzz2kC2Sqm3w
[2] Veterans for Common Sense. SVA Revokes Sham chapter at 40 For-Profit Schools. April 5, 2012. Retrieved from:http://veteransforcommonsense.org/2012/04/09/sva-revokes-sham-chapters-at-40-for-profit-schools/
[3] Ibid
[4] House Committee on Veterans Affairs. Witness Testimony of Mr. Michael Dakduk. Hearing on 5/16/2012: Examining Executive Order #13607 and Its Impact on Schools and Veterans. Retrieved from:https://veterans.house.gov/witness-testimony/mr-michael-dakduk
[5] American Legion. For-profit schools defend themselves. August 24, 2012.http://www.legion.org/convention/211788/profit-schools-defend-themselves
[6] Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities. APSCU Announces Formation of Blue Ribbon Taskforce for Military and Veterans Education. November 9, 2012. Retrieved from website: http://www.career.org/news-and-media/press-releases/apscu-announces-formation-blue-ribbon-taskforce.cfm
[7] Student Veterans of America. SVA Welcomes New Executive Director.September 29, 2013. Retrieved from website:http://www.studentveterans.org/media-news/press-releases/185-sva-welcomes-new-executive-director.html
[8] Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities. Student Veteran Leader Joins APSCU as Vice President of Military and Veterans Affairs. November 5, 2013. Retrieved from: http://www.career.org/news-and-media/press-releases/sva-leader-joins-apscu-vp-military-veterans-affairs.cfm
No comments:
Post a Comment