Federal Scrutiny and Plunging Revenue Plague a Private College’s Attempt at a Turnaround

Among the people streaming onto Baker College (MI) campuses early this fall were some new faces: federal investigators conducting an unusual review of the marketing and recruitment practices of the Michigan private college. The investigators looked at records and asked questions about admission interactions, including what prospective students had been told about cost, financial aid, and post-graduation salaries, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge who spoke anonymously because they said they could lose their jobs if they talked to the news media. Questions from the investigators focused on student experiences at Baker and whether the college had lived up to promises made in the recruiting process.