Bob Shireman is Apparently the Czar of Higher Ed Regulation

According to Doug Lederman of Inside Higher Higher Ed, Bob Shireman (the undersecretary of the Department of Education) unleashed a flurry of criticisms of the for-profit higher ed sector at a meeting yesterday. One person in the audience described Shireman's attack:

"It was like fourth grade, with a teacher scolding students over their grades"

This is the first time that his true colors have shown since he was named to the post a year ago. Prior to this, he masked his idealism by remaining neutral about the sector, although it is widely believed that he is vehemently opposed to the for-profit sector. Shireman announced his intentions to crack down harshly on the sector through new federal regulations. My colleague at CCAP, Andrew Gillen described the position of the ED as opening Pandora's box, saying:

whatever weapons end up being used in the apparent crusade against for profit colleges in the near future (gainful employment, debt limits, etc.) will be applied to public and non-profit colleges as well in the not too distant future. Given the greater adaptability of the for profit sector, these changes will have a much more devastating and long lasting effect on the public and non-profit sectors.