U.S Department of Education in Washington DC

Dr. Mark Sarver of eduKan will be testifying at the Negotiated Rulemaking for Higher Education hearing on the Federal Student Aid Programs and the methods needed to stop fraudulent activities related to distance education and financial aid.

The CEO of eduKan, a consortium of colleges in Kansas, to testify at the Negotiated Rulemaking for Higher Education hearing on the Federal Student Aid Programs authorized by the Higher Education Act of 1965. The purpose for the testimony will be to reinforce the need for ensuring the security of the Title IV programs delivered through distance education and protection of academic integrity and funding for the program.

There is a growing trend in fraudulent use of Title IV HEA Distance Education funding programs and this has created a need to open up this subject for public input. The May 31^st meeting at the U.S Department of Education in Washington DC will be to explore the formation of a negotiated rulemaking committee to examine regulations to prevent future fraudulent use of Title IV and the disbursement of funds to recipients.

With changing legislation and budget cut proposals, more than 1 million students could be effected over the next 10 years as Pell grants help more than 9 million students afford college today. Add to this the growing fraudulent activities being uncovered, the students who really need financial aid to get a secondary education could be left at the wayside.

“We believe that there is a better way to stop fraudulent activities with distance education and help secure funding for our children’s future education,” says Dr. Mark Sarver, CEO of eduKan. “Adopting new technologies that ensure the identity of the student applying for and getting grants while enrolling in college is vital and is available today. Unfortunately, it is not something that is at the top of the list of every higher education institution in the U.S.”

eduKan has taken steps to ensuring that the student who enrolls and receives financial aide is the student who is attending and getting the credits for their education. They are concerned that thousands if not millions of students will be penalized by slow-moving institutions who are not taking action to put these remedies in place to protect financial aid programs today and in the future.

About eduKan

eduKan provides access to quality higher education, including ESL courses, via college degrees, certificates, and individual courses, with affordable online classes. eduKan was founded in 1998 as a cooperative effort between member colleges to offer courses via the Internet. eduKan’s consortium schools are all accredited Kansas learning institutions with excellent reputations and long histories of providing degrees in traditional settings, as well as through online courses. eduKan Consortium member institutions are:  : Barton Community College, in Great Bend; Colby Community College, in Colby; Dodge City Community College, in Dodge City; Garden City Community College, in Garden City; Pratt Community College, in Pratt; and Seward County Community College/Area Technical School, in Liberal. For more information, please visit http://www.edukan.org.