Traci Lee

Traci Lee

About me

I currently serve as the Vice President of Business Solutions for Bridgepoint Education. In my present role, I provide guidance to the company's ground based and online colleges to optimize their operations while staying within regulatory guidelines.

I have over 22 years of experience in the education industry. My experience encompasses virtually all aspects of the education business, including admissions, financial aid, academics, career services, and management of multi-campus operations. I’ve held senior level management positions at Career Education Corporation, MedVance Institute and the University of Phoenix (Apollo Group) as well as providing consulting services to a multitude of colleges and universities during my tenure with Campus Management Corporation.

My focus has been on campus start ups, regulatory compliance, process improvement, and operational oversight of multiple campus colleges, including international campuses. I recognize the challenges of working in a highly regulated environment that has grown more complex as companies have expanded operations, either organically or through acquisition, to include multiple regulatory bodies and governing oversight entities.

I hold a B.S. degree in Business from Arizona State University and an M.A. degree in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix. I have completed the Apollo Group's Executive Development Program and the Career College Association's (now APSCU) Leadership Institute.

Activity

Discussion Comment
Amber, Glad to hear you are already doing a quarterly internal audit. Traci Lee
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Amber, Good point about the political influence. It's certainly that time of year right now where we hear a lot from the politicians and current events influence what they may focus on when campaigning. Traci Lee
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Stephanie, That's great to have a standing, updated binder at all time with the items needed. This also helps in case an unannounced visit occurs when any "key" people are out of the office. Traci Lee
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Donald, I completely agree with the benefits of being proactive! I know of a school that continuously maintains electronic files to be ready for a Dept of Ed Audit if an unannounced visit were to occur. It's impressive to see this kind of proactive efforts but, it is a major effort to maintain "just in case". Traci Lee
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Brian, Great recommendation to review the previous year's audit report! I also concur with your approach to make things as organized for the auditor which demonstrates understanding of the process and helps in establishing the control. Excellent comments! Traci Lee
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Chana, I did respond to another post which asked about 90/10 and credit balances. I have copied my response below: To be eligible for FSA participation, a proprietary institution may derive no more than 90% of its revenues from the FSA programs. Other funding sources currently fall into the 10% category including private loans, employer paid benefits, cash and certain military funding (although there are proposals to re-classify military funding). The percentage is reported overall for the institution although they may be asked to provide detailed breakdowns of funding, including by student. As for credit balances, some students may incur… >>>

Discussion Comment
Chana, This is certainly a challenge. My suggestions would include ensuring the administrators understand the consequence of regulatory violations and the benefits of identifying these INTERNALLY so that the college may take corrective action proactively rather than having a finding by an external agency. Assigning these individuals to review departments other than their own may also help since they would be reviewing another department's, versus their own department's work. Traci Lee
Chana, There are various references within the CIE rules that reference guidelines on handling student records. Here is a link to those regulations. http://www.fldoe.org/cie/pdf/chapter6E_rules.pdf There are also federal guidelines that should be considered under FERPA provisions. There are many references to this which can be found at http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/index.html. I realize this is a lot of information to sort through but it sounded like you were interested in more details. These resources have links to information for various audiences and also an FAQ section where you may find specific answers to certain questions. Traci Lee
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Brian, Great point - social media is playing an increasing role in the visibility of issues which are "unfiltered". It is interesting to see different school strategies on handling these - some opt to respond, some opt to ignore and some may not even be aware of what is posted about them. I think this will be an area to watch and develop solid strategies on for schools going forward. Traci Lee
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Chana, The required disclosures is a good area to focus on - they have changed over time and there are many different items required. Note that some of the items require annual notification to students so, depending on program length, it may require an additional "push" of information to the student, beyond the initial notice during orientation. It sounds like you are doing a great job preparing - good luck with your accreditation! Traci Lee

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