Virginia College

Virginia College
Motto	It's time for a new beginning, your success starts here
Type	For-profit
Active	1983–2018
Owner	Educational Corporation of America
Students	11,000
Location	Birmingham (Main Campus), Alabama, United States
Website	www.vc.edu

Virginia College was a private for-profit college, located primarily in the southeastern United States. Virginia College offered classes, certificates, diplomas, and degrees related to specific professions, such as health and medical, information technology, business, office management, and criminal justice. Virginia College also offered online degree programs.^[1]

After it failed in its bid to have the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training as its guarantor,^[2] and an appeal being rejected, approximately one-third of Virginia College campuses were expected to close by 2020, the company announced in September 2018.^[3] However, by early December of 2018 all Virginia College campuses were closing, the company "citing financial challenges and accreditation issues as the reasons".^[4]

History

The original Virginia College campus was founded in 1983 in Roanoke, Virginia. In 1989, the college was purchased by Education Futures, Inc. In February 1992, Virginia College opened its first branch campus in the Birmingham, Alabama suburb of Homewood. Another branch campus was opened in April 1993 in Huntsville, Alabama.

Ownership

The company that owns and operates the schools, Education Corporation of America, is a privately held corporation headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. ECA also owns Virginia College Online, which offers distance education academic programs via the Internet; Golf Academy of America; Culinard, the Culinary Institute of Virginia College, offering degrees in the culinary arts; and Ecotech Institute, offering degrees in fields of renewable energy, sustainable design, and energy efficiency.^[5]

Locations

Brick and mortar campus locations:

Augusta, Georgia
Birmingham, Alabama
Bossier City, Louisiana
Charleston, South Carolina
Florence, South Carolina
Greenville, South Carolina
Jacksonville, Florida
Knoxville, Tennessee
Lubbock, Texas
Richmond, Virginia
Savannah, Georgia

Campuses scheduled to close by 2020^[6]

Austin, Texas
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Biloxi, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Columbia, South Carolina
Spartanburg, South Carolina
Columbus, Georgia
Macon, Georgia
Fort Pierce, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Montgomery, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Phoenix, Arizona

Culinard campus and teaching kitchen locations:

Birmingham, Alabama
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Fort Pierce, Florida
Mobile, Alabama
Jacksonville, Florida
Richmond, Virginia
Savannah, Georgia

Golf Academy of America campuses locations:

San Diego, California
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Orlando, Florida
Dallas, Texas

Curriculum

Virginia College offered courses in health care, cosmetology, criminal justice, paralegal, and network engineering (Network engineering courses are not ABET-accredited), as well as several trades (professional training) programs such as truck driving.^[7] Online classes and degrees were also offered.

Accreditation

Virginia College was accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS). When the U.S. Department of Education withdrew recognition from ACICS as a federally-recognized accreditor in September of 2016,^[8] Virginia College bid to have the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET) as its guarantor. In March of 2018, Virginia College's proposal for accreditation to ACCET was rejected, as was its subsequent appeal.^[2]

Criticism

In 2012, Virginia College was sued by the Mississippi Center for Justice on behalf of seven students. The lawsuit claims that Virginia College misled students about the value of their degrees, and that it specifically targeted misleading advertising to women and minority students.^[9]

The case was remanded to arbitration.

References

↑ College^{[yes|permanent dead link|dead link}}]} website
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Kreighbaum, Andrew (May 22, 2018). "Another Setback for Programs Overseen by Troubled Accreditor". Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/05/22/profit-chain-falls-short-attempt-get-new-accreditors-approval. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
↑ Kreighbaum, Andrew (September 12, 2018). "For-Profit Chain Will Close Dozens of Campuses". Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/09/12/profit-chain-will-close-dozens-campuses. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
↑ "Virginia College closing in Montgomery, nationwide". WFSA. December 5, 2018. https://www.wsfa.com/2018/12/05/virginia-college-abruptly-closes-including-montgomery-campus/. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
↑ "Education Corporation of America". https://www.ecacolleges.com/.
↑ "For-profit chain will close dozens of campuses". https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/09/12/profit-chain-will-close-dozens-campuses.
↑ "Virginia College | Post-Secondary Career Education Programs". http://www.trade-schools.net/virginia-college/.
↑ "Education Department Establishes Enhanced Federal Aid Participation Requirements for ACICS-accredited Colleges | U.S. Department of Education". United States Department of Education. https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/education-department-establishes-enhanced-federal-aid-participation-requirements-acics-accredited-colleges. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
↑ "For-Profit College Is Accused of Bias Against Female and Minority Students". The Chronicle of Higher Education. http://chronicle.com/article/For-Profit-College-Is-Accused/133225/.

External links

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[VC_online-1] College^{[yes|permanent dead link|dead link}}]} website

[auto-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Kreighbaum, Andrew (May 22, 2018). "Another Setback for Programs Overseen by Troubled Accreditor". Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/05/22/profit-chain-falls-short-attempt-get-new-accreditors-approval. Retrieved December 5, 2018.

[3] Kreighbaum, Andrew (September 12, 2018). "For-Profit Chain Will Close Dozens of Campuses". Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/09/12/profit-chain-will-close-dozens-campuses. Retrieved December 5, 2018.

[4] "Virginia College closing in Montgomery, nationwide". WFSA. December 5, 2018. https://www.wsfa.com/2018/12/05/virginia-college-abruptly-closes-including-montgomery-campus/. Retrieved December 5, 2018.

[5] "Education Corporation of America". https://www.ecacolleges.com/.

[6] "For-profit chain will close dozens of campuses". https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/09/12/profit-chain-will-close-dozens-campuses.

[7] "Virginia College | Post-Secondary Career Education Programs". http://www.trade-schools.net/virginia-college/.

[8] "Education Department Establishes Enhanced Federal Aid Participation Requirements for ACICS-accredited Colleges | U.S. Department of Education". United States Department of Education. https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/education-department-establishes-enhanced-federal-aid-participation-requirements-acics-accredited-colleges. Retrieved December 12, 2016.

[9] "For-Profit College Is Accused of Bias Against Female and Minority Students". The Chronicle of Higher Education. http://chronicle.com/article/For-Profit-College-Is-Accused/133225/.

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