Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Education
Durbin, Hassan Call On Ashford University To Halt New GI Bill Enrollments Amid Questions Of Eligibility
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) today called on Bridgepoint Education - Ashford University's parent company - to immediately halt new GI Bill enrollments at Ashford until their eligibility is resolved with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). With its future GI Bill eligibility in doubt, Ashford University announced on November 14, 2017, that it would voluntarily "suspend new enrollment of veteran students utilizing GI Bill benefits." Stunningly, … Continue Reading
March 08, 2018
Durbin, Dem Senators Push For Student Loan Measures In Banking Bill
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced an amendment to the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (S. 2155) that would improve consumer protections for federal and private student loans. Included in Durbin's amendment is a Student Loan Borrower Bill of Rights to improve federal and private student loan servicing, restoration of private student loan dischargeability in bankruptcy, protections for service members and veterans, and … Continue Reading
March 07, 2018
Durbin Urges Wells Fargo To Halt Any Plans To Expand Presence On College Campuses
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) sent a letter to Wells Fargo CEO Timothy Sloan that urged the bank to halt any plans it may have to expand its financial footprint on college campuses until the Federal Reserve lifts its recently announced sanctions on the bank. In February, the Federal Reserve announced it would takes steps to stop the growth of Wells Fargo and hold the bank accountable for years of "pervasive and persistent misconduct" until it "sufficiently improves … Continue Reading
March 01, 2018
Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Bill To Make Community And Technical School More Affordable
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) to introduce America's College Promise Act. This legislation would create a new federal-state partnership to provide two years of tuition-free access to community or technical college programs that lead to a degree or industry-recognized credential. "Community colleges provide a springboard for students who wish to continue their education and a foundation for students to find … Continue Reading
February 22, 2018
Durbin Statement On California State Approving Agency Denying Ashford University's Application For Approval
CHICAGO-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the California State Approving Agency for Veterans Education (CSAAVE) denied Ashford University's application to be approved in the state of California - a requirement for maintaining its eligibility to receive GI Bill benefits nationally: "Ashford University has a long history of exploiting the men and women who have served our country in uniform in order to pocket millions in federal GI Bill education … Continue Reading
February 08, 2018
Durbin Announces Spring 2018 Recipient Of The Ed Greelegs Scholarship Program
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced Angie Hines, a college senior from the Southside of Chicago, as the second recipient of the Ed Greelegs Scholarship Program. This scholarship, open to students from Illinois or those studying in Illinois, is an opportunity for the students to receive financial assistance while obtaining a first-hand experience in Senator Durbin's Washington, D.C. office. The program was created in honor of Durbin's former Chief of Staff who passed … Continue Reading
January 30, 2018
Durbin: Higher Education Act Reauthorization Must Protect Students And Taxpayers From Predatory For-Profit Colleges
WASHINGTON - As the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) continues to hold hearings on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA), U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today urged HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) to focus the Senate's debate on two very important topics - accountability and taxpayer risk, especially as it relates to for-profit colleges. While for-profit colleges enroll only nine percent of … Continue Reading
January 10, 2018
Durbin, Senators Press Education Department's FSA Chief For Details On Student Loan Disbursement Prepaid Card Pilot Program
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) pressed Dr. Wayne Johnson, Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA), for additional information on a proposed pilot program that would disburse student financial aid through a prepaid card product. In a letter to Dr. Johnson, the lawmakers expressed that if FSA proceeds with a pilot program, it will … Continue Reading
December 20, 2017
Durbin Statement on DeVos Decision to Slash Student Loan Relief For Defrauded Students
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Education and Secretary Betsy DeVos announced a new discharge process for borrower defense to repayment (BDR) claims that will lead to only partial debt relief for students who have been defrauded by predatory for-profit colleges and universities. Under the Obama Administration, complete student loan forgiveness was granted. "So let me get this straight: Secretary DeVos … Continue Reading
December 19, 2017
Durbin to DeVos: Where are gainful employment debt-to-earnings rates?
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today pressed the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and Secretary Betsy DeVos on its development and future public release of the second round of debt-to-earnings rates under the Gainful Employment (GE) Rule. The Gainful Employment Rule, which has been in effect since July 1, 2015, uses debt-to-earnings rates to determine which career education programs meet the statutory requirement that they prepare their students for "gainful … Continue Reading
December 13, 2017
Durbin, Reed Press DoD to Release Contracts between For-Profit Colleges & Military Installations
WASHINGTON-Following a Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) investigation published in September 2017 revealing a contract between the University of Phoenix and Fort Campbell, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Jack Reed (D-RI) requested copies of all currently effective and expired contracts between Department of Defense (DoD) military installations and for-profit colleges going back to Calendar Year 2012. In their report, CIR found that the University of Phoenix paid Fort Campbell … Continue Reading
November 21, 2017
Durbin, Senators Press DOD And VA To Protect Veterans And Service Members At Ashford University
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jack Reed (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tom Carper (D-DE), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) today urged the Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to take steps to protect service members using Tuition Assistance (TA) benefits and veterans using GI Bill benefits at Ashford University in light of the company's impending loss of VA … Continue Reading
November 14, 2017
Durbin, Warren Release Report Highlighting Secretary DeVos' Failure To Cancel Student Loans Of Nearly 90,000 Defrauded Students
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) today released a report - "Insult to Injury: How the DeVos Department of Education is Failing Defrauded Students" - detailing how the Department of Education (ED) and Secretary Betsy DeVos have failed tens of thousands of Americans by refusing to cancel the loans of students who were defrauded by predatory colleges. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Sens. Durbin and Warren, along with 13 of their Senate colleagues, … Continue Reading
November 09, 2017
Durbin, Senators Reintroduce Military And Veterans Education Protection Act With Groundbreaking Support From Veterans Service Organizations
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senators Tom Carper (D-DE), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Jon Tester (D-MT) today to reintroduce the Military and Veterans Education Protection Act, legislation that would close a loophole that allows for-profit schools to avoid having to secure at least 10 percent of their revenue from non-federal sources. "This bill is one of many commonsense reforms we need to bring greater accountability to a for-profit industry that … Continue Reading
November 09, 2017
Durbin Statement On Zenith Education Campus Closures
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after learning that Education Credit Management Corporation (ECMC) Group's Zenith Education will close all but three of the remaining campuses of the collapsed for-profit chain, Corinthian Colleges. In 2015, ECMC Group spent $24 million for 56 Everest and WyoTech campuses and online programs - which accounted for 40,000 students - that were on the verge of immediate closure by the predatory Corinthian … Continue Reading
October 31, 2017
Durbin, Cohen, Colleagues: Congress Should End Loophole That Encourages For-Profit Colleges To Target Veterans And Service Members
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jack Reed (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tom Carper (D-DE), and Chris Murphy (D-CT) were joined by U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) today to introduce bicameral legislation that would help put an end to the for-profit college industry's aggressive recruiting of veterans, service members, and their families. The Protecting Our Students and Taxpayers (POST) Act would prohibit for-profit colleges and … Continue Reading
October 24, 2017
Durbin Presses VA Secretary To Protect Veterans From Predatory For-Profit Colleges
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary David Shulkin to discuss recent VA proposals related to the financial relationships of its employees with for-profit colleges and the for-profit college industry's shameful record of preying on veterans. In 2016, for-profit colleges received 34 percent of all VA GI Bill education funds or $1.7 billion - often using aggressive recruiting and misleading marketing to target veterans. … Continue Reading
October 17, 2017
Durbin Statement On State AG's Suit Against Secretary DeVos' Failure To Enforce Gainful Employment Rule
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) issued the following statement after 18 State Attorneys General, including Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, today filed suit against Education Secretary Betsy DeVos for her delay of and failure to enforce the Gainful Employment (GE) rule. The GE rule is meant to ensure that career education programs prepare their students for jobs that allow them to earn enough to pay off the debt they accumulate to attend the program. To … Continue Reading
October 05, 2017
Durbin, Franken Introduce Bill To Expand Public Service Loan Forgiveness To Adjunct Professors
WASHINGTON - At a time when adjunct faculty members now make up a majority of higher education instructors nationwide, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Al Franken (D-MN) today introduced legislation that would allow part-time faculty at colleges and universities across the country - who are often paid low wages with few benefits - to be eligible to participate in the federal student loan forgiveness program for public servants. In Illinois, more than half of all faculty at public and … Continue Reading
October 02, 2017
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than 790,000 In Federal Funding To Strengthen Math & Science Skills Of Illinois Students
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Education has awarded Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Family Centered Educational Agency, Inc., and Carl Sandburg College a total of $791,814 through the Upward Bound Math and Science program. The Upward Bound Math and Science program is designed to strengthen the math and science skills of participating students. The goal of the program is to help students … Continue Reading