The Center for Excellence in Higher Education (CEHE) was a Utah-based company that owned and managed
Independence University
Independence University (IU, formerly California College for Health Sciences) was a private online career college headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was the online branch of Stevens–Henager College, and operated four schools: the Scho ...
,
CollegeAmerica,
Stevens-Henager College, and
California College San Diego before their abrupt closings in August 2021. The company was a nonprofit organization. CEHE's colleges were accredited by the
Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges
The Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the United States that provides national accreditation to private post-secondary educational institutions. It is recognized by the ...
(ACCSC). The colleges were placed on probation in September 2018 due to ACCSC's concerns that "the inputs, resources, and processes of CEHE schools are designed and implemented in a manner that is not designed for student success." CEHE was also the lender to
National American University
National American University (NAU) is a private for-profit online university with locations at Ellsworth Air Force Base and Naval Submarine Base King's Bay. It is owned by National American University Holdings, Inc. (NAUH). In 2018, NAU a ...
.
History
The Center for Excellence in Education (CEHE) was founded by Carl Barney, a wealthy businessman and promoter of
Ayn Rand
Alice O'Connor (born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum;, . Most sources transliterate her given name as either ''Alisa'' or ''Alissa''. , 1905 – March 6, 1982), better known by her pen name Ayn Rand (), was a Russian-born American writer and p ...
. Debbi Potts, a former CEHE campus director, was attributed with bringing the organization's allegedly corrupt business practices to the attention of government regulators. In 2020, Mr. Barney was fined $3 million by the State of Colorado for defrauding students. In May 2021, CEO Eric Juhlin resigned after being suspended from contracting with the US government. By early August 2021 all CEHE campuses were closed.
Philosophy
The Center for Excellence in Higher Education supported
free-market
In economics, a free market is an economic system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand expressed by sellers and buyers. Such markets, as modeled, operate without the intervention of government or any ot ...
ideas in
higher education
Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after compl ...
. Its stated purpose was "to educate the public about the state of higher education in America and help donors promote excellence in higher education through philanthropy". CEHE had as an area of particular focus of ensuring that gifts to universities and colleges were used in accordance with the intent of the donors. It also supported efforts directed at the structural reform of higher education. It received its initial funding from the
Marcus Foundation, the
John Templeton Foundation
The John Templeton Foundation (Templeton Foundation) is a philanthropic organization that reflects the ideas of its founder, John Templeton, who became wealthy via a career as a contrarian investor, and wanted to support progress in religious a ...
, and the
John William Pope Foundation.
References
External links
Official website
Higher education in the United States
Educational organizations based in the United States
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