Opinion: It’s the students who will suffer most from ITT Tech’s downfall

To the editor: Although I personally graduated from a UC campus, I’ve had neighbors who studied for degrees at proprietary schools. My dentist has hired dental assistants who attended similar schools. I even have a 20-year client/collaborator in my engineering practice who studied architectural drafting and design at a proprietary trade school, earning a two-year degree.

( “ITT Technical shuts down all its schools,” Business, Sept. 7)

In other words, I’ve seen a role to be played by these schools.

Tragically, the bad faith shown by some may kill some perfectly bona fide schools, which have been filling a need for many people.

Bill Seckler, Corona

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ITT Technical Institute is shutting down more than 130 campuses nationwide after enrolling 45,000 students last year.

To the editor: I have been teaching at ITT Tech in Oxnard as an adjunct instructor (the title given to all part-time faculty). So yes, I just lost that job, rather rudely and unexpectedly.

But it is the students that I worry about the most. They are facing a huge loss in their lives — of money, time and energy, and hopes and plans.

For decades, ITT Tech had been mostly a two-year college for technology curricula leading to associate of arts degrees in fields of study that included IT (information technology), software development, information security (cybersecurity), networking and engineering technology. More recently ITT Tech had begun offering a four-year bachelor of science degree in these fields.

ITT should not be excoriated for being “greedy” but rather should be praised for its many years of service to society by filling a higher education need in the tech sector.

I believe that ITT had the wrong model: a two-year associate’s degree is not sufficient to land a tech job, and ITT overpromised on this.

That, more than any other factor, may have led to its downfall.

Jeff Drobman, Chatsworth

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To the editor: After the U.S. Education Department banned ITT Technical Institute from enrolling new students who use financial aid, ITT decided to shut down all of its campuses nationwide and , to me, neglect its students.

It’s amazing to me how the school continues to play the victim after using harsh tactics that involve coercing students into enrolling.

I support the decision of the Education Department.

Sean Yahya, Diamond Bar

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