Brightwood abruptly closing
Affects 181 students at trade school’s Pittsburgh campus
The Downtown campus of Brightwood Career Institute is abruptly shutting down this week, a shock to students and faculty who had expected the for-profit trade school would remain open another nine months.
In a statement on Thursday, Education Corp. of America, the Birmingham, Ala.-based owner of Brightwood and other for-profit college chains, confirmed the closures.
The company “is closing all its career colleges effective with the completion of the current module or term for most students,” which for most students is Friday.
“We will work with students to ensure access to their transcripts so they can complete their studies at another school,” the company said, adding, “This is not the outcome that we envisioned and is one that we recognize will have a dramatic effect on our students, employees, and many partners.”
The company had announced in September that it would stop accepting new students — but that currently enrolled students could complete courses until the schools closed on Sept. 1, 2019.
At that time, a company spokeswoman blamed “insufficient demand for its programs” for the closure. Pittsburgh’s Brightwood location is one of 26 campuses spanning several of its brands nationwide that the company plans to shutter by early 2020.
The spokeswoman had said the “vast majority” of about 181 students enrolled at the Penn Avenue school would be able to complete their coursework and earn diplomas as planned. Those who could not complete their degree, the spokeswoman added, “may choose to receive a full refund.”
That option is no longer available, the company said on Thursday. It instructed students to apply for loan forgiveness from the U.S. Department of Education.
The company did not elaborate on what might have occurred since September that required the sudden closures this week. Steve McClearn, chief marketing officer, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Not that long ago, Brightwood looked like it might
survive the onslaught of federal scrutiny into recruiting practices that soured attitudes toward the broader for-profit education industry.
Formerly called Kaplan Career Institute, Brightwood was purchased by Education Corp. of America in 2015.
While companies like Education Management Corp., the Pittsburgh-based owner of the Art Institutes and other brands, and ITT Technical Institute headed for bankruptcy, Brightwood school officials unveiled the new name and invited guests to eat and drink with faculty and staff at a January 2016 open house.
“The Brightwood Career Institute name represents a cornerstone for opportunity and growth for our students and the entire company,” Hunter Hopkins, Pittsburgh’s campus president, said in a statement at the time. “We are delighted to host an open house for the business community to showcase the new possibilities.”