Milwaukee Common Council members raise red flag about for-profit colleges

Be aware of slick ads and false promises made by for-profit colleges in Milwaukee.

That's the message members of the Milwaukee Common Council sent Monday in a joint statement about colleges that they said try to guarantee a quick degree or employment, in industries like health care.

Everest College , Sanford Brown, and ITT Technical Institute are former for-profit colleges in Milwaukee that have had a "tenuous history," the council members said.

"These businesses worked to lure students into enrolling through slick ads but left them with nothing but huge debts, useless credits, and broken dreams of a middle-class career," the statement said.

The council members' statement focused on the Arizona College of Nursing, a for-profit school planning to open in Milwaukee.

"We understand that this school is on probation for three years in the state of Arizona, and was sued by a group of students in Dallas, Texas ," according to the statement.

The Arizona College of Nursing put in a zoning request to operate out of a building at 9000 W. Chester St. After putting the request on hold in March , the zoning committee approved it in June . The full Common Council also approved the zoning change and Mayor Cavalier Johnson has signed off on it, too.

In response to criticism about its operations, the college had submitted to a document to the zoning committee.

"Unlike other for-profits that have not delivered on their promises to the Milwaukee Community, AZCN has a 30 year history without closures," it said. "Our Milwaukee campus will focus solely on nursing, providing a three-year path to a Bachelor of Nursing (BSN) degree with our curriculum and student support system which have a long track record of driving strong student outcomes."

The Common Council members' statement said there are other "high quality, reputable nursing schools with strong track records of success," including the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee Area Technical College, Marquette University, Alverno College, Mount Mary University and the Milwaukee School of Engineering.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Common Council members raise red flag about for-profit colleges