DeVry University () is a
private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
for-profit university
Proprietary colleges are for-profit colleges and universities. They are operated by their owners or investors, rather than a not-for-profit institution, religious organization, or government. Because they are not funded by tax money, their long ...
with its headquarters in
Naperville, Illinois
Naperville ( ) is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage and Will County, Illinois, Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is in the Chicago metro area, west of the city.
Naperville was founded in 1831 by Joseph Naper. The city was ...
. It was founded in 1931 by
Herman A. DeVry and is accredited by the
Higher Learning Commission
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...
. DeVry is predominantly an online educator but does have campuses in the United States.
History
Early history (1931–1970)
DeVry was founded in 1931 as the De Forest Training School in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, Illinois.
School founder
Herman A. DeVry, who had previously invented a motion picture projector and produced educational and training films, named the school after his friend
Lee de Forest
Lee de Forest (August 26, 1873 – June 30, 1961) was an American inventor and a fundamentally important early pioneer in electronics. He invented the first electronic device for controlling current flow; the three-element "Audion" triode va ...
.
De Forest Training School originally taught projector and radio repair, but later expanded to include other electronic equipment such as televisions.
After its founder's death in March 1941, the school was renamed DeVry Technical Institute in 1953 and gained accreditation to confer associate degrees in electronics in 1957.
Bell & Howell
Bell and Howell LLC is a U.S.-based services organization and former manufacturer of cameras, lenses, and motion picture machinery, founded in 1907 by two projectionists, and originally headquartered in Wheeling, Illinois. The company is now ...
completed its acquisition of DeVry Technical Institute in 1967. A year later, the company acquired the
Ohio Institute of Technology
DeVry University () is a private for-profit university with its headquarters in Naperville, Illinois. It was founded in 1931 by Herman A. DeVry and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. DeVry is predominantly an online educator bu ...
and DeVry was renamed DeVry Institute of Technology,
which was accredited to confer bachelor's degrees in electronics in 1969.
Keller Graduate School of Management (1970–1990)
Dennis Keller and Ronald Taylor met one another in the early 1970s when the two were teachers at DeVry.
Keller and Taylor learned the economics of for-profit education while at DeVry and, in 1973, the two founded the Keller Graduate School of Management with $150,000 in loans from friends and family.
The school was originally conceived as a day school that granted
certificates.
In 1976, the Keller School became an evening program offering
MBAs, focused on working adults.
The school was fully accredited by the
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), also known as the North Central Association, was a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states engaged in educational accreditation. It w ...
in 1977, the first for-profit school to be accredited by the body.
DeVry first received full accreditation in 1981.
The Keller Graduate School of Management acquired DeVry from Bell & Howell in 1987.
The
leveraged buyout
A leveraged buyout (LBO) is one company's acquisition of another company using a significant amount of borrowed money (leverage) to meet the cost of acquisition. The assets of the company being acquired are often used as collateral for the loan ...
was worth $147.4 million.
The two schools were combined as DeVry Inc., with Keller acting as chairman and CEO and Taylor as president and
COO
COO or coo may refer to:
Business
* Certificate of origin, used in international trade
* Chief operating officer or chief operations officer, high-ranking corporate official
* Concept of operations, used in Systems Engineering Management Process
...
.
DeVry Education Group (1990–2018)
DeVry Inc. successfully completed its
initial public offering
An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investment ...
on June 21, 1991. In 1995, its stock began trading on the
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed c ...
.
In 1996, DeVry acquired
Becker CPA Review—a firm that prepared students for the
Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination
The Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination (CPA Exam) is the examination administered to people who wish to become U.S. Certified Public Accountants. The CPA Exam is used by the regulatory bodies of all fifty states plus the District ...
—for an undisclosed amount of cash, the tentative purchase price of which was US$18.685 million (about ). In 2003, DeVry acquired
Ross University, a medical and veterinary school based in the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
, for a price variously reported at US$310 million (about US$ in ) and US$329 million (US$ in ).
DeVry moved into the nursing field in March 2005 with the acquisition of
Deaconess College of Nursing, a
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
-based nursing college that conferred both associate's and bachelor's degrees in nursing,
at a price variously reported at about US$5.3 million (US$ in ) and US$5.4 million (US$ in ).
Deaconess College of Nursing was later renamed Chamberlain College of Nursing.
DeVry Inc. entered Brazil with its 2009 acquisition of Faculdade Nordeste (FANOR), Ruy Barbosa and ÁREA 1, which are universities located in the Northeast of Brazil.
In 2010, DeVry University had nearly 90 campus learning sites in 26 states and more than 7,000 employees. The parent company had more than 12,000 employees. DeVry University's undergraduate enrollment reached 68,290 students by the summer of 2010.
In 2012, the university acquired Faculdade Boa Viagem and Faculdade do Vale do Ipojuca.
DeVry acquired a sixth Brazilian university, Faculdade Differencial Integral, in 2013.
DeVry Inc. was renamed DeVry Education Group later that year. DeVry Education Group changed its name to
Adtalem Global Education
Adtalem Global Education Inc. is an American corporation
A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law ...
in May 2017, and announced in December 2017 that they would hand off DeVry University and Keller Graduate School to Cogswell Education (a division of Palm Ventures) for no up-front cost, pending regulatory and accreditor approval.
In December 2018, the parent company Adtalem finalized the handover of both DeVry University and Keller Graduate School of Management to Cogswell Education.
In 1992 they lost the highest scoring basketball game
258 to 141.
Cogswell Education (2018–present)
DeVry University's parent company is Cogswell Education LLC. Cogswell purchased DeVry at no original cost from Adtalem Education. However, Cogswell could pay up to US$20 million. Cogswell Education is headquartered in
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich (, ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the town had a total population of 63,518. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast (Conne ...
.
The principal investor is Bradley Palmer of Palm Ventures.
Mr. Palmer has been involved in
flipping
Flipping is a term used to describe purchasing a revenue-generating asset and quickly reselling (or "flipping") it for profit.
Within the real estate industry, the term is used by investors to describe the process of buying, rehabbing, and sel ...
Heald College
Heald College (1863 –2015) was a private for-profit businesscareer college with its main campus in San Francisco, California. It offered courses in the fields of healthcare, business, legal, and technology.
Beginning in 2012, it also offer ...
,
UEI College
UEI College is a Private college, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit career college with locations in the U.S. states of California, Washington (state), Washington, Arizona, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It ...
, and
American Education Center
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
.
In December 2018, in a report titled ''VA's Oversight of State Approving Agency Program Monitoring for Post-9/11 GI Bill Students'', the Department of Veterans Office of Inspector General mentioned Devry's use of false claims. However the Veterans Affairs office did not indicate that any action would be forthcoming.
In 2020, Tom Monahan III became President and CEO of DeVry.
In 2022, the US government discharged more than $71 million in student loan debt for 1,800 former students of DeVry University, asserting that the university deceived students in the enrollment process.
Locations and campus closures
Between 2020 and 2022, all DeVry campuses were closed due to the Covid pandemic. DeVry University has a presence at one military installation at Twentynine Palms, California.
List of DeVry campuses and learning centers, :
Arizona (128 students)
* Phoenix Campus
California (1,662 students)
* Folsom Campus
* Long Beach Campus
* Newark Campus
* Ontario Campus
* San Diego Campus
* San Jose Center
* Sherman Oaks Campus
* Twentynine Palms Military Base Extension
Florida (506 students)
* Orlando Campus
Georgia (993 students)
* Decatur Campus
Illinois (22,994 students, includes online)
* Addison Campus
* Chicago Campus
* Chicago Loop Campus
* Naperville Center
Nevada (30 students)
* Henderson Campus
New Jersey (127 students)
* North Brunswick Campus
New York (1,030 students)
* Midtown Manhattan Campus
North Carolina (29 students)
* Charlotte Campus
Ohio (404 students)
* Columbus Campus
Texas (229 students)
* Austin Campus
* Irving Campus
* San Antonio Campus
Virginia (139 students)
* Arlington Campus
Campus closures
In April 2015, DeVry University announced the closing of 14 campuses around the United States by 2016. The closures occurred in
Kansas City
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...
;
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Memp ...
;
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
;
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
;
Tampa
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...
;
Greenwood Village, Colorado
The City of Greenwood Village is a home rule municipality located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 15,691 at the 2020 United States Census. Greenwood Village is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Met ...
;
Edina, Minnesota
Edina ( ) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States and a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis. The population was 53,494 at the 2020 census, making it the 18th most populous city in Minnesota.
Edina began as a small farming and mil ...
;
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
; and
Maryland Heights, Missouri
Maryland Heights is a second-ring north suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 27,472 at the 2010 census. The city was incorporated in 1985. Edwin L. Dirck was appointed the city's first may ...
. Students affected by the campus closings were eligible for discounted tuition to attend online or other campus locations for the remainder of their degree program. In fiscal year 2018, DeVry closed eight additional campuses. According to the US Department of Education, DeVry closed five more campuses between 2019 and 2020. In 2021, Raleigh (NC), Merrillville (IN), Paramus (NJ) and Cleveland (OH) sites were closed. In 2022, at least 15 additional campuses closed.
Academics
DeVry University offers undergraduate and graduate programs onsite and online within its six areas of study: Accounting, Business, Healthcare, Technology, Liberal Arts, and Media Arts & Technology.
DeVry operates on a uniform academic calendar for both undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
[ The university's academic calendar consists of six eight-week sessions.][ Most degree programs are offered at both the associate's and bachelor's level. In addition, the institution offers various certificate programs in specific subfields such as ]information technology
Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology system (I ...
.
Courses and programs are also offered online. DeVry has offered graduate classes online since 1998 and undergraduate classes since 2001.[
]
Faculty
According to College Factual, about seven percent of DeVry-Illinois' faculty work full time. The US Department of Education's College Navigator College Navigator is a consumer tool created by the US Department of Education and its National Center for Education Statistics so that people can evaluate US colleges that receive Title IV funds. College Navigator includes institutional data on pr ...
reports 56 full-time faculty and 847 part-time instructors for 22,994 students at DeVry-Illinois.
Accreditation
DeVry is accredited
Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...
by the Higher Learning Commission
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...
. Engineering technology programs are accredited campus-by-campus.
Student outcomes
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, DeVry University-Illinois has a six-year graduation rate of 28%, for first-time full-time students who began their studies in 2013. While the university's 3-year student loan default rate is 11.2 percent, a Brookings Institution report found that DeVry's 5-year default rate was 43 percent. The College Scorecard
The College Scorecard is an online tool, created by the United States government, for consumers to compare the cost and value of higher education institutions in the United States. At launch, it displayed data in five areas: cost, graduation rate ...
reports of a graduation rate of 18 percent for Devry University-Illinois. Of those students in repayment 31 percent were in forbearance, 29 percent were not making progress, 10 percent were in deferment, 10 percent defaulted, 10 percent were making progress, 6 percent were delinquent, 3 percent were paid in full, and 1 percent were discharged. For the 2018-19 academic year, the amount that all undergraduate students received in federal student loans was $69.42 million. Median salary after attending ranges from $23.000 to $62,000 depending on the field of study and location.
Investigations, lawsuits, and settlements
DeVry University has been the subject of numerous investigations and lawsuits alleging a variety of false or deceptive practices. Some of the cases led to multi-million dollar settlements, though DeVry continued to deny the allegations. In 2014, accumulated student loan debt
Student debt is a form of debt that is owed by an attending, formerly withdrawn, or graduated student to a lending institution, or to a financial institution.
The amount that is loaned, often referred to as a ''student loan'' or the debts may be ...
from DeVry University and Keller, its graduate school, was about $12.1 billion.
1990s
In March 1995, DeVry's ability to grant U.S. degrees through its Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
facilities was discussed during a session of the Alberta Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is the deliberative assembly of the province of Alberta, Canada. It sits in the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton. The Legislative Assembly currently has 87 members, elected first past the post from singl ...
. Therein, Grant Mitchell—then the Leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
for the Alberta Liberal Party
The Alberta Liberal Party (french: Parti libéral de l'Alberta) is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1905, it is the oldest active political party in Alberta and was the dominant political party until the 1921 election ...
—accused the Premier of Alberta
The premier of Alberta is the first minister for the Canadian province of Alberta, and the province's head of government. The current premier is Danielle Smith, leader of the United Conservative Party, who was sworn in on October 11, 2022.
The ...
, Ralph Klein
Ralph Philip Klein (November 1, 1942 – March 29, 2013) was a Canadian politician and journalist who served as the 12th premier of Alberta and leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta from 1992 until his retirement in 20 ...
, of maintaining a conflict of interest
A conflict of interest (COI) is a situation in which a person or organization is involved in multiple interests, financial or otherwise, and serving one interest could involve working against another. Typically, this relates to situations i ...
with DeVry through his relationship with John Ballheim, who was at the time an executive at DeVry serving as both the president of DeVry's Calgary campus and as a member of the Klein's special advisory council on postsecondary education. Klein denied any conflict of interest. In 1995, DeVry was also suspended from the Ontario Student Assistance Program
The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) ''( French: Régime d'aide financière aux étudiantes et étudiants de l'Ontario (RAFEO))'' is a provincial financial aid program that offers grants and loans to help Ontario students pay for their ...
after a large number of its students misreported their income. DeVry was reinstated after paying fines of CA$
The Canadian dollar (symbol: $; code: CAD; french: dollar canadien) is the currency of Canada. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, there is no standard disambiguating form, but the abbreviation Can$ is often suggested by notable style g ...
1.7 million (equivalent to CA$ in ) to Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
and putting up a letter of credit
A letter of credit (LC), also known as a documentary credit or bankers commercial credit, or letter of undertaking (LoU), is a payment mechanism used in international trade to provide an economic guarantee from a creditworthy bank to an exp ...
totalling CA$2 million (CA$ in ).
In 1996, students of DeVry's Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
campus filed a class-action
A class action, also known as a class-action lawsuit, class suit, or representative action, is a type of lawsuit where one of the parties is a group of people who are represented collectively by a member or members of that group. The class action ...
suit of CA$400,000 (CA$ in ) claiming poor educational quality and job preparation; the suit was dismissed on technical grounds.
2000s
In November 2000, Afshin Zarinebaf, Ali Mousavi, and another graduate of one of DeVry University's Chicago-area campuses filed a class-action lawsuit accusing DeVry of widespread deception, unlawful business practices, and false advertising, alleging that students were not being prepared for high-tech jobs. The lawsuit contributed to a 20 percent slide in the company's stock. The suit was not certified and the case was resolved for less than US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
25,000 (US$ in ) in June 2006.[
In 2001, DeVry became the first for-profit college or university to obtain permission from the ]Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
Canada provincial government to grant degrees, on recommendation by the Private Colleges Accreditation Board. This decision was opposed by the Alberta New Democrats (sitting in opposition
Opposition may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars
* The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band
* '' The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Com ...
), the University of Calgary
The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...
Faculty Association, the Canadian Federation of Students
The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) is the largest student organization in Canada, representing over 530,000 students from across Canada. Formed in 1981, the stated goal of the Federation is to represent the collective voice of Canadian st ...
, and the Canadian Association of University Teachers
The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT; french: Association canadienne des professeures et professeurs d'université, ACPPU) is a federation of independent associations and trade unions representing approximately 70,000 teachers, l ...
.
In January 2002, Royal Gardner, a graduate of one of DeVry University's Los Angeles–area campuses, filed a class-action
A class action, also known as a class-action lawsuit, class suit, or representative action, is a type of lawsuit where one of the parties is a group of people who are represented collectively by a member or members of that group. The class action ...
complaint
In legal terminology, a complaint is any formal legal document that sets out the facts and legal reasons (see: cause of action) that the filing party or parties (the plaintiff(s)) believes are sufficient to support a claim against the party ...
against DeVry Inc. and DeVry University, Inc. on behalf of students in the post-baccalaureate degree program in Information Technology. The suit alleged that the nature of the program was misrepresented by the advertising. The lawsuit was dismissed and refiled. During the first quarter of 2004, a new complaint was filed in the same court by Gavino Teanio with the same general allegations. This action was stayed pending the outcome of the Gardner lawsuit. The lawsuits were being settled in late 2006.
In April 2007, the states of New York, Illinois, and Missouri settled with three institutions that were participating in questionable student-loan practices. DeVry, Career Education Corporation
Perdoceo Education Corporation (PRDO) is a private company that currently owns four for-profit universities, including American Intercontinental University, Colorado Technical University, California Southern University, and Trident University I ...
, and Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...
were involved with the settlement. DeVry agreed to refund US$88,122 (US$ in ) it received in revenue sharing
Revenue sharing is the distribution of revenue, the total amount of income generated by the sale of goods and services among the stakeholders or contributors. It should not be confused with profit shares, in which scheme only the profit is share ...
from Citibank
Citibank, N. A. (N. A. stands for " National Association") is the primary U.S. banking subsidiary of financial services multinational Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, and later became First National City ...
to students.
In 2008, DeVry was accused of filing false claims and statements about recruitment pay and performance to the government of the United States.
2010s
DeVry was one of the universities highlighted in the 2018 documentary '' Fail State,'' which followed several stories of students who struggled with student loan debt after attending for-profit colleges. Murray Hastie, an Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...
, told his story about how he ended up with $50,000 in student loan debt
Student debt is a form of debt that is owed by an attending, formerly withdrawn, or graduated student to a lending institution, or to a financial institution.
The amount that is loaned, often referred to as a ''student loan'' or the debts may be ...
after his experience at DeVry.
In January 2013, a lawsuit was filed by a former manager at DeVry which alleged that the college bribed students for positive performance reviews and worked around federal regulations on for-profit colleges. In April 2013, the attorneys general
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
of Illinois and Massachusetts issued subpoena
A subpoena (; also subpœna, supenna or subpena) or witness summons is a writ issued by a government agency, most often a court, to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of ...
s to DeVry to investigate for violations of federal law and filing false information about loans, grants, and guarantees. In July 2014, DeVry stated that the office of the New York Attorney General
The attorney general of New York is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of New York and head of the Department of Law of the state government. The office has been in existence in some form since 1626, under the Dutch colonial government o ...
was investigating whether the company's marketing violated laws against false advertising.
In March 2016, the Veterans Administration
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers a ...
reprimanded DeVry over allegations of deceptive marketing practices made by the Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction ov ...
and suspended DeVry University from its "Principles of Excellence" status under the G.I. Bill
The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, bu ...
. On December 15, 2016, the Federal Trade Commission settled a US$100 million suit against DeVry, which alleged that DeVry's advertisements deceived consumers about the likelihood that students would find jobs in their fields of study, and would earn more than those graduating with bachelor's degrees from other colleges or universities. Students were eligible for a refund who: enrolled in a bachelor's or associate degree program at DeVry University between January 1, 2008 and October 1, 2015; paid at least US$5,000 with cash, loans, or military benefits; did not get debt or loan forgiveness as part of this settlement; and completed at least one class credit.
Separately, on June 16, 2016, two former DeVry students filed a demand for arbitration
Arbitration is a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) that resolves disputes outside the judiciary courts. The dispute will be decided by one or more persons (the 'arbitrators', 'arbiters' or 'arbitral tribunal'), which renders the ' ...
with the American Arbitration Association
The American Arbitration Association (AAA) is a not-for-profit organization in the field of alternative dispute resolution, providing services to individuals and organizations who wish to resolve conflicts out of court, and one of several arbitr ...
. DeVry responded by suing the students, claiming the dispute belongs in court and not in arbitration.
In May 2017, the Higher Learning Commission
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...
designated DeVry "under governmental investigation" as a result of a Massachusetts Attorney General investigation alleging "fraudulent or deceptive practices". In September 2017, the Higher Learning Commission removed this designation after DeVry negotiated a settlement.
In August 2018, the Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
reported that according to United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...
documents, DeVry received more than 3,600 (over 15%) of the 24,000 federal fraud complaints lodged against for-profit colleges between January 20, 2017 and April 30, 2018. This is in conjunction with a "nearly 20 percent" decrease in enrollment in the last year.
In March 2019, former DeVry student Eric Luongo was invited to testify before the House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies about his experience at the university. Luongo, a disabled veteran, said he thought he would attend DeVry for free by using his GI Bill
The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, bu ...
benefits. Luongo alleged that he was coerced into filling out federal loan paperwork and signing promissory notes. The result was that the veteran was left with over $100,000 in debt and a degree in graphic design that couldn't get him gainful employment.
Alumni
Notable DeVry University alumni include:
* Dave Bennett, Class of 1985, software engineer and CTO
* Steve Cartwright, Class of 1977, video game designer
* David Crane, Class of 1975, founder and CTO of Appstar Games
* Wendell Gilliard, politician, attended Bell and Howell School of Technology
* Adeline Gray
Adeline Maria Gray (born January 15, 1991) is an American freestyle wrestler who currently competes at 76 kilograms. She is a six-time world champion (2012, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021) and a two-time Olympian (2016, 2020), with the silver m ...
, three-time world champion wrestler
* George Weah
George Tawlon Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah (; born 1 October 1966) is a Liberian politician and former professional footballer who is the incumbent president of Liberia, in office since 2018. Prior to his election to the presidency, Weah served a ...
, President of Liberia
The president of the Republic of Liberia is the head of state and government of Liberia. The president serves as the leader of the executive branch and as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia.
Prior to the independence of Liberia ...
and retired soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
player, attended DeVry in Miami
* Sean Wiley
Sean David Wiley (born March 16, 1971) is a Pennsylvania Democratic politician who served as the State Senator for the 49th district from 2013 to 2016.
Early life and education 1971-2012
Wiley was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, on March 16, ...
, Class of 1993, Pennsylvania state senator
Keller Graduate School of Management alumni:
* Catherine Afeku, Ghanaian politician and Cabinet Minister
* J. D. Mesnard, politician, MPA from Keller Graduate School of Management
* Gabriela Mosquera
Gabriela M. Mosquera (born January 3, 1977) is an American Democratic Party politician, who has represented the 4th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly since taking office on March 5, 2012.
Early life
Mosquera was born on ...
, New Jersey General Assembly
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.
Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for ...
woman
* Xavier Serbia
Xavier or Xabier may refer to:
Place
* Xavier, Spain
People
* Xavier (surname)
* Xavier (given name)
* Francis Xavier (1506–1552), Catholic saint
** St. Francis Xavier (disambiguation)
* St. Xavier (disambiguation)
* Xavier (footballer, born ...
, Puerto Rican financial advisor, former singer and actor, member of boy band Menudo from 1980 to 1983.
Past partnerships and political interests
In 2011, DeVry University partnered with the United States Olympic Committee
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee for the United States. It was founded in 1895 as the United States Olympic Committee, and is headquartered in Col ...
(USOC) to become an official education provider for the United States' Olympic teams.[ In April 2016, the USOC announced an extension of its partnership with DeVry through 2020. According to the USOC, more than 125 Team USA student athletes were enrolled in DeVry programs.
In April 2014, DeVry University was named the "official education provider" for NFL Pro Legends, a group supporting players, coaches and other professionals who worked for NFL teams.
DeVry University was the official education and career development partner of Minor League Baseball. DeVry University and its Keller Graduate School of Management will provide higher education opportunities at the undergraduate and graduate levels for players, their spouses, umpires and National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (NAPBL) employees and alumni through 2017.
The peak year for DeVry's lobbying in Congress was 2011, when it spent more than $720,000. The largest amount went to ]Thompson Coburn LLP
Thompson Coburn LLP is a U.S. law firm with offices in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Southern Illinois, St. Louis and Washington, D.C. The firm has been especially active in the field of product liability.
History
The firm was fou ...
. Democratic lobbyist Heather Podesta
Heather Miller Podesta (born January 8, 1970) is an American lawyer and lobbyist based in Washington, D.C. She is also a patron of contemporary art.
Career
In 2007, Podesta founded Heather Podesta + Partners, which is the nation's largest woman-o ...
was a major lobbyist for DeVry University from 2010 to 2015.
Adtalem's stock price rebounded after the inauguration of Donald Trump
The inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States marked the commencement of Donald Trump's term as president and Mike Pence as vice president. An estimated 300,000 to 600,000 people attended the public ceremony hel ...
. This has been attributed to deregulation
Deregulation is the process of removing or reducing state regulations, typically in the economic sphere. It is the repeal of governmental regulation of the economy. It became common in advanced industrial economies in the 1970s and 1980s, as a ...
by the U.S. Department of Education
The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...
under Secretary
A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...
Betsy DeVos
Elisabeth Dee DeVos ( ; ' Prince; born January 8, 1958) is an American politician, philanthropist, and former government official who served as the 11th United States secretary of education from 2017 to 2021. DeVos is known for her support for s ...
, which contrasted with the more prosecutorial approach of the Obama administration
Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. A Democrat from Illinois, Obama took office following a decisive victory over Republican ...
.
See also
*For-profit higher education in the United States
For-profit higher education in the United States refers to the commercialization and privatization of American higher education institutions. For-profit colleges have been the most recognizable for-profit institutions, but commercialization has ...
*ITT Technical Institute
ITT Technical Institute (ITT Tech) was a private for-profit technical institute with its headquarters in Carmel, Indiana and many campuses throughout the United States. Founded in 1969 and growing to 130 campuses in 38 states of the United Stat ...
*List of colleges and universities in metropolitan Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia is home to the largest concentration of colleges and universities in the Southern United States. This is a list of colleges and universities in the city of Atlanta and Metro Atlanta.
City of Atlanta Universities and graduate i ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Devry University
1931 establishments in Illinois
Adtalem Global Education
Education companies established in 1931
For-profit universities and colleges in the United States
USCAA member institutions
Universities and colleges in DuPage County, Illinois