In a further sign of the heightened tensions over proposed new federal regulations on for-profit colleges, Keiser University, a Florida-based for-profit, has sued a public-college president there, accusing him and a top administrator of smearing Keiser by communicating derogatory comments about the for-profit education industry to investors and others via e-mail. Keiser itself is not publicly traded, but its founder and chancellor, Arthur Keiser, has been an outspoken criitic of the proposed regulations. The civil suit was filed in state court against two officials at Florida State College at Jacksonville—its president, Steven R. Wallace, and its vice president for government relations, Susan M. Lehr.
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9 Responses to A For-Profit Institution Sues a Public-College President, Alleging a Smear Campaign
disembedded - October 5, 2010 at 3:38 am
Clean up the spam!
quidditas - October 5, 2010 at 9:11 am
Amen. For-profit schools produce a mountain of spam–and they’re not the entertaining ones, either.
willynilly - October 5, 2010 at 10:14 am
This is yet another breakthrough in out society. One can now be sued for publicly speaking the truth.
jalopez5 - October 5, 2010 at 12:09 pm
While I am not a fan of any particular institution. I applaud those that stand up against the pompous arrogance of those in the non-profit sector who think that for-profit education is inferior. I hope that more law suits like this are filed to shut their arrogant mouths.
11185500 - October 5, 2010 at 12:13 pm
Interesting. In the public university world it is called academic freedom, in the private university world it is called slander.
dank48 - October 5, 2010 at 1:50 pm
Who knows? If the statements were true, that’s a pretty good defense against a charge of libel (not slander). On the other hand, if the statements were not true, it’s hard to see what this has to do with academic freedom.
betterschools - October 5, 2010 at 2:29 pm
Here is the actual filing:http://www.intered.com/storage/deptofed/20101004_ComplaintAgainstFSCJ.pdf
forp5955 - October 5, 2010 at 9:29 pm
Facts (according to ed.gov data):At Keiser University’s largest campus (OPE ID 02151900) only 28% of students have paid down the principle balance of their loans by even $1.At that same campus 22.3% of students have defaulted on their student loans within 3 years.Something is not right at this for-profit school owned by the chairman of the industry’s chief lobbying association (CCA/APSCU).
ognib - October 6, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Those of you who have already made up your minds about for-profit education as whole:Please re-read the Chronicle blurb and focus on “communicating derogatory comments…to INVESTORS”. Then follow betterschools. link to the actual filing and make sure you understand who all is involved.