The human aftermath of the ITT Tech shutdown

Let’s face it: ITT Technical Institute — the for-profit higher-ed offering that closed down last week — was no MIT.

It offered programs with wonky old names like “computer network systems,” it was sued by the SEC for misleading investors and then it finally succumbed under a federal crackdown on the misuse of federal aid. (And let’s not forget about those cheesy commercials from the ’90s.)
But for some of its 40,015 students across 38 states, ITT Tech was a way to tap into a world of better-paying jobs. An escape from the fate of toiling in the service sector.
Just consider Alexander Fromney, a 24-year-old ITT Tech student, who showed up at the Philly campus — near the corner of 7th and Chestnut — the day after news broke of his alma mater’s shutdown. He wanted to pick up his transcripts, but all he found were closed doors and a darkened lobby.

Former students and at least one laid off worker have been staggering in to the @ITTTech campus since 9AM only to find closed doors.

— Roberto Torres (@TorresLuzardo) September 7, 2016

“I only found out because my stepmom told me in the morning,” said Fromney. “They didn’t tell us it was going to shut down. They were making us think that we were still on for next semester.”
A year and a half into the Computer Networking Systems (CNS) program, he was left looking for a new school, though he had a few quips.
“It was extremely easy to go to school here,” Fromney said. “Maybe too easy. Oh, and all the computers were old.”
Also affected by the situation was Miranda Ali, who refused to give her age. “Obviously I’m not a child.”

My email was shut down so I couldn't even ask what happened.

Going on her third semester of the CNS program, she was blindsided by news of the shutdown. “I would expect that somebody would be here to give some guidance,” Ali said.
Joe Kibler, 31, was alerted of the shutdown via a succinct email from ITT. “I went from having classes last week to getting this email Monday morning,” Kibler said. “Pretty surprised about it.”
As random students staggered in and out of the former college’s closed doors, one man in his 30s walked over and started peeking through the window. He refused to give his name, but up until two weeks ago, he’d been a recruiter for ITT and was summarily dismissed without severance pay or assistance.
“My email was shut down so I couldn’t even ask what happened,” the man said. “My boss just texted us to say best of luck,” he complained, visibly moved by his own account of how things played out.
But what seemed to affect him the most was the impact the shutdown had on the students.
“I apologize for all the students that were affected,” the man said. “A lot of them are calling me, but it was a shock to all of us.”

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Dozens of higher-ed centers around the country have already pledged their support for the students left stranded in the wake of last week’s news, including a few in the Philly area like Harcum College, Peirce College, Delaware County Community College and the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP).
The latter even held a “Fast-Track to Enrollment for ITT Students Day” on Sept. 13.
For CCP Vice President for Academic and Student Success Samuel Hirsch, the shutdown of for-profit colleges isn’t remotely a new occurrence. And sadly, each time it happens, the students — young people looking for a better life — are always the victims.
“I think it’s a rather unfortunate situation all the way around,” said Hirsch. “I don’t know the data specifically, but generally for-profits have a high number of minority students. So when things like these happen, it’s another blow to a significant population that we need to support in the city of Philadelphia.”