A college should be responsible for the career prospects of its graduates. That's the conceit put forth by Trina Thompson, a 27-year-old graduate of Monroe College, who is suing her alma mater for the $70,000 she paid for tuition because she has not been able to been able to find a job since graduating in April with a bachelor's degree in information technology.
In addition to its high likelihood of a quick dismissal, the suit seems pretty specific to Monroe. The school bills itself as providing "professional, career oriented higher education to students from diverse backgrounds" and plays up how it uses this focus to "to prepare graduates for successful careers." Since Thompson claims the school did not meet these promises, schools with less of an overt job emphasis would probably not have to worry about copycat suits.
But what if a judge found that Monroe's promises of career assistance should be held to a meaningful standard? What existing data could the school present to show that it in fact did not rip off its graduates and that it does provide an education that leads to reasonable workplace success?
The answer appears to be not much. Monroe's Web site talks a lot about career information and opportunities, but provides little in the way of figures. Statewide data is little better. An Education Sector study of all 50 state higher education accountability systems plus the District of Columbia found that New York collects a fair amount of information on students' postsecondary educational success, but only for public colleges and universities.
Federal data provide more information about Monroe, but nothing on employment status. The school's 2006 cohort default rate -- the percentage of student loan borrowers that left school in 2006 and defaulted within two years -- was higher than the national average, but it's impossible to know how many of those students graduated and then defaulted because they could not find a job. Likewise, the school's federal graduation rate figure of 70 percent does not help either since Thompson graduated and was not able to find a job.
In short, unless Monroe is sitting on a storehouse of data it chooses not to publicize, it would have a hard time showing whether its business-oriented education is worth the money or not. If Monroe does have this information, then the question becomes why not publicize it sooner?
To be sure, Monroe data will not be the reason why Thompson's lawsuit succeeds or fails. But consider the flip side. If Monroe could produce meaningful data demonstrating the success (immediate and long-term) of its graduates -- something that makes sense for a school focused on vocational training -- wouldn't that be a very useful marketing tool? Rather than resorting to vague statements about maximizing student success, it could use that information to make a compelling case for why students should attend Monroe rather than a competitor institution. It might also help incoming students get a better sense of just what to expect once they enter that post-graduation workforce.
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3 comments:
Good points, Mr. Miller. If Monroe were to produce such employment data, it might also compel other colleges to measure and publicize similar data, as higher ed tends to like to play copycat. This is an outcome that would serve the public well and if it were to arise without being a government mandate, then that would be even better.
That's hilarious. On what grounds is she suing the college if she is not personally employable?
To Technology Slice,
My understanding is that she claims the university did not provide all of the career assistance and job placement that they supposedly claim to in their marketing materials / information. I took a quick look at their Web site, though, and did not really see anything that looked like a huge overt promise of employment.
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