The U.S. Department of Education launched an investigation after a USA TODAY report showed an accredited college apparently had no faculty or students. Reagan National University was approved by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges & Schools (ACICS). It has a history of approving several for-profit universities that suddenly closed, such as ITT Tech and Corinthian Colleges in the mid-2010s. The accreditor still operates mainly because it was saved by the Education Department in 2018 under Secretary Betsy DeVos. DeVos told a congressional committee yesterday that she was "troubled" by the report and she launched an investigation as a result. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., questioned DeVos about accreditor ACICS Thursday during a House appropriations subcommittee hearing on the Department of Education's 2021 budget request. The Education Department kicked off its investigation on Monday with a letter sent to ACICS. An investigation by USA TODAY and the Argus Leader in Sioux Falls, S.D., found no evidence of students, faculty members or classrooms at Reagan National University early this year, even though it was accredited by ACICS.
