Letter to the Honorable John B. King, Secretary of the Dept. of Education - Give College Students Fair Warning if School Is in Danger of Closing

Letter

Dear Secretary King,

I write today urging you to take a proactive role in protecting the interests of college students across the country by issuing regulations that require colleges and universities to notify students of potential school closures. Students deserve to know well in advance if their college or university is under threat of closure, especially due to financial situations that are reported to the Department of Education. By requiring that schools in a certain financial situation notify students, the Department of Education will allow students to smoothly transition from one institution to another without disruption of their academic record.

Currently, the Department of Education collects annual data on the financial state of colleges and universities. Unfortunately, even with the data, this information is not efficiently disseminated to the people these institutions serve: their students. Approximately 1500 students from Dowling College, located in Suffolk County, New York, were notified of their college's closure a mere three days before they were scheduled to close their doors even though Dowling had been in serious financial trouble for almost two years. In addition, the closing date for Dowling College has changed several times leaving students with inconsistent information. It is imperative that students are provided with the opportunity to plan for their college careers. This can only happen if they are aware of major changes, such as school closures with significant notice.

With student careers at stake, I urge you to issue regulations that would require colleges and universities that are in certain financial situations deemed by the Department of Education, to notify their students of the financial situation and of any potential closure. This information should then be disseminated to students within a reasonable timeframe so that students are given the opportunity to prepare and if necessary, transition into a new institution rather than being caught off-guard by an unknown school closure.

Policies that impact students' ability to succeed must remain a top priority, and I urge you to take swift action to remedy this gap in student services by ensuring students are made aware of their institutions ability to remain open. I look forward to working with you on this important issue.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer

United States Senator

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