Baker College president speaks out about federal investigation

The president of Baker College pledged to resolve a federal investigation of the school's marketing and recruitment practices "as efficiently and transparently as possible," according to an email sent to her staff Monday night.

Last week, the college's accrediting organization placed a "Governmental Investigation" designation on Baker College because it had learned from federal officials about the ongoing inquiry by the federal Department of Education. The accrediting group, the Higher Learning Commission, wrote Baker must update them by mid-August about the status of the formal investigation by the education department's Office of Student Aid.

After news broke about the probe Monday, Jacqui Spicer, Baker's president and CEO, penned a note to her "BC Team" just after 8 p.m., according to an email obtained by the Free Press.

"First and foremost, I firmly believe in our organization's integrity. Recent headlines referencing Baker College have raised concerns, and I want to address them directly," Spicer wrote. "As an institution driven by a student-first philosophy, we are fully committed to the success of our students. In situations where claims are made that disrupt our mission, we must remain transparent and united."

She added that the college's leadership "are working diligently to address the DoE's inquiry and resolve this matter as efficiently and transparently as possible." She did not describe in her email the specific nature of the investigation.

More: Baker College faces federal investigation for recruitment, marketing practices

Spicer also cautioned her staff from speaking to reporters about the investigation.

"During this time, please be careful of information from external sources and avoid contact, directly or indirectly, with the media — including social platforms," she wrote, asking them to refer all members of the media to the college spokesperson.

A spokesperson for the college did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the letter on Tuesday.

Starting off as a small business school, Baker ballooned in size with enrollment exceeding 43,000 students in 2009, according to the school. Owosso-based Baker College says it offers undergraduate and graduate programs at eight academic colleges, ranging from health sciences and engineering to business and technology, plus a global campus to serve online students. It was Michigan’s second-largest four-year private college by enrollment, after Davenport University, according to the Free Press' January 2022 article, which chronicled a more-recent enrollment decline.

Spicer became Baker's president on Sept. 1 of last year, the first woman to lead the college in its 111-year history. She previously served as Baker's chief operating officer under former president Bart Daig, who spent more than 30 years at Baker, including serving in its top job between 2015 and 2022.

On its website, Baker touts its college as "the finest in education" and "meeting the highest standard."

"Accreditation affirms that Baker College provides a quality of education recognized by the educational community and other authorities," the website says. "It is your assurance that the college meets endorsed standards, has a clearly defined process of continuous review and improvement, and is accountable for achieving what it has set out to do—to fully prepare graduates to enter their chosen professions." The Higher Learning Commission in its online posting said that Baker remains accredited pending the outcome of the federal investigation.

Last year, a joint Free Press and ProPublica article found the school spent more on marketing than student financial aid. It also discovered less than one-quarter of its students graduate from Baker — far below the national average for private four-year schools.

More: Baker College faces federal investigation for recruitment, marketing practices

More: Baker College threatens legal action against former teacher who talked to reporters

Among the other findings: 70% of Baker students who took out federal student loans have problems making payments two years after leaving college. In addition, a large number of former Baker students with loans have filed claims with the federal government that they were defrauded or misled by the college.

The Free Press/ProPublica report highlighted Baker students who find themselves struggling long-term after leaving the school. "Ten years after enrolling, according to federal data, fewer than half of former Baker students made more than $28,000 a year, the lowest rate among schools of its kind in the state," according to the report.

At the time, Baker officials, in response to questions, "traced the school’s low graduation rate to its open enrollment policy of accepting virtually any applicant with a high school degree or GED. They also said the college is not allowed to restrict student borrowing," according to the article.

In a statement to reporters working on the January 2022 report, Baker emphasized a continuing commitment to improving student outcomes and reducing student loan debt, though it did not provide specifics. It also did not comment on the students or the experiences they describe in the Free Press article.

The federal Department of Education has declined comment about the Baker investigation.

Contact Matthew Dolan: 313-223-4743 or msdolan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @matthewsdolan

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Baker College president defends school amid investigation