the University of Arizona's Financial wos may be getting worse after the US Department of Education said it wants the university to pay $72 million that's because the department cleared millions of dollars in student debt from an online university that U OFA had bought 12 News journalist William pittz explains what this means and what happens next the University of Arizona may be facing a massive bill as the feds may want them to pay back $72 million Ashford University was supposed to make a ton
of money instead it could cost the University of Arizona Millions UFA bought the four profit online university in 2020 and turned it into the U OFA Global Campus by 2023 ashford's parent company was out of business and the US Department of Education had forgiven $72 million in loan debt from students who had been in their words cheated by Ashford University now the feds want that money back and they want U OFA to pay it a Department of Education spokesman told 12 new news today we're in the pro
cess of initiating the recruitment action which has not yet gone to U OFA Global Campus Arizona taxpayers involved here but Arizona taxpayers are also Federal taxpayers like the rest of us and uh and there are costs here that should be recouped if they can be recouped Bob shyan has been following The Saga of Ashford University for decades now he's a former deputy under Secretary of Education for the Obama Administration not surprising at all that it's turning out to be more of a problem than the
y had hoped because as University's problem started way before U OFA bought it from an ethical perspective I think it's a deeply disturbing model back in 2011 the US Senate held a hearing about four profit colleges ashford's parent company at the time was the main subject I have over 700 student complaints student complaints received by Bridgepoint 13 years after that hearing the University of Arizona is looking at a $177 million budget shortfall and now possibly an additional 7 72 million Gover
nor Katie Hobbs is due to meet with the board of regions in the next few days they'll hear from me what I need to continue to see and um I'm hopeful we can move forward earlier this week the University's president Robert Robbins got a 10% pay cut but is keeping his job it's certainly a step in the right direction uh I think we need to see more uh in terms of cost cutting measures a UFA spokesperson sent a statement saying in part the University of Arizona is not responsible for the actions of As
hford University but the US Department of Education will almost certainly disagree William Pitts 12 News
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