Shoptalk 544, March 16, 2010
Industry Update
2010-11 VA Yellow Ribbon Program Enrollment Begins
As of March 15, 2010, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is accepting Yellow Ribbon Program Agreements for the 2010-11 academic year. Under this program, U.S. degree-granting institutions can voluntarily enter into an agreement with the VA to fund (in the form of a grant or scholarship) up to 50 percent of a student's tuition expenses that exceed the highest, public, in-state, undergraduate tuition rate. In turn, the VA will match the school's contribution. Agreement forms must be submitted by May 21, 2010.
Background
On behalf of an eligible student, the Post-9/11 GI Bill pays tuition and fees up to an amount that does not exceed the highest, public, in-state, undergraduate rate. However, an eligible student may have tuition and fees that exceed that amount if he or she is attending a private institution or graduate school, or attending under an out-of-state status.
The Yellow Ribbon Program — a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 — bridges the gap between the Post-9/11 GI Bill provisions and the cost of attendance at participating postsecondary schools. Schools that voluntarily enter into a Yellow Ribbon Agreement with the VA choose the amount of tuition and fees to be contributed. The VA issues payment for the matching amount directly to the school.
More information
For questions about the Yellow Ribbon Program, the agreement, or the instructions to complete the agreement form, send an email to Yellow.Ribbon@va.gov.
ED publishes guidance on independent accreditation for branches or locations of Title IV-participating institutions
ED recently published general guidance for accrediting agencies and Title IV-participating institutions on the treatment of branch campuses or locations that have been determined to qualify for independent accreditation. The guidance addresses this issue separately, depending on whether the change in institutional accreditation involves a change in accreditor because of the geographic scope of the regional accrediting agency.
Contact information by region/state
Refer to ED's February 25, 2010, Dear Colleague Letter GEN-10-02 for more information. If you have questions regarding the guidance, contact your accrediting agency. You may also contact your ED Regional School Participation Team, as applicable, at the applicable phone number:
| State | Contact |
|---|---|
| New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont | New York/Boston Team — (646) 428-3750 and (617) 289-0133 |
| Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia | Philadelphia Team — (215) 656-6442 |
| Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina | Atlanta Team — (404) 562-6315 |
| Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin | Chicago Team — (312) 730-1511 |
| Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas | Dallas Team — (214) 661-9490 |
| Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, and Tennessee | Kansas City Team — (816) 268-0410 |
| Colorado, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming | Denver Team — (303) 844-3677 |
| Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Guam, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Marshall Islands, Northern Marianas, Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. | San Francisco/Seattle Team — (415) 486-5677 & (206) 615-2594 |
Closed school corner
The following table provides a list of newly reported school closures and corrections from the Postsecondary Educational Participants System (PEPS) and from the March 2009 Closed School Monthly Report supplied by ED. Schools listed are those with which TG has done business or to which TG has otherwise provided services.
| Newly reported closures | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| OPE School ID |
School Name/Address |
Unofficial Closure Date |
ED's Official Closure Date |
| 00750700 | Gibbs College 630 West Mount Pleasant Ave. Rt. 10 Livingston, NJ 07039-1611 |
N/A | 12/18/2009 |
| 00739800 | Katharine Gibbs School 50 & 232 West 40th St. New York, NY 10018- 2602 |
N/A | 12/19/2009 |
| 00653900 | Episcopal School of Nursing 100 East Lehigh Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19125-1000 |
N/A | 12/18/2009 |
| 00739802 | Katharine Gibbs School — Philadelphia 2501 Monroe Blvd. Norristown, PA 19403-2422 |
N/A | 12/19/2009 |
| 00888900 | Lehigh Valley College 2809 E Saucom Valley Rd. Center Valley, PA 18034-8447 |
N/A | 12/19/2009 |
