Re CECO
A former registrar at Brooks Institute of Photography is charging that officials at the school acted illegally and improperly to inflate enrollment and boost the bottom line, allegations that have triggered an examination by a national accrediting agency. Cam Van Wingerden filed a complaint with the school administration and the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools after she quit her job as registrar in September. The council will take up the accusations "as a matter of importance" at a meeting that starts Thursday at the agency's headquarters in Washington, D.C., said Rob Patterson, associate executive director. Among Mrs. Van Wingerden's charges is that school officials forged signatures and tampered with student files and other records. She alleges that this was done to ensure that the school would pass inspection by accreditation auditors and to increase enrollment and income for the owner. Chicago-based Career Education Corp., which owns Brooks, referred inquiries to the school's new president, Greg Strick. He declined to respond to questions but issued a brief written denial Tuesday of all the allegations. "We have conducted a thorough investigation of (the) allegations and determined they are false, malicious and possibly libelous," his statement said. The school "is considered the world leader in professional photographic education..." -- Santa Barbara News-Press