Compliance & Transparency
I think it is important to maintain the concept of transparency in business & within your professional role. Some would say that outcomes would not be as good, but I disagree. I think Concorde does right to be clear about the opportunities they provide students. Doing the right thing creates quality and trust amongst individuals & teams, both within the organization & the students who come to our organization looking for us to assist in providing quality health education.
I absolutely agree. People (students and coworkers alike) can tell when you are being honest and transparent with them and I believe they appreciate it because not everyone works that way. We do our best to be upfront and honest with students because that is the best way to conduct business. I try to provide the most accurate information possible but if I cannot answer a student's question, then I tell them that I am unsure but that I will find the answer for them. Simply making up an answer isn't doing what is in the best interests for the student so I'm not afraid to get back with them once I obtain the information they requested.
You are correct if you are not honest with prospective students or with anyone for that matter they will know and the best policy is to be honest with all of your dealings. If I do not know I do not just make something up I will find the answer and get back to them as soon as possible. Plus there could be a compliance issue if I do not find the correct answer.
I think 99% of us feel this way. Be honest, give the correct info, and help students draw a roadmap to success. If our college is a good fit, then help them get involved with higher-education. If it is not a good fit, help them find the right path to another school/college. I only wish Obama could read these honest and sincere posts and realize that we are good people, instead of painting for-profit schools with such a broad brush. This stuff he is saying about for-profit schools and the military makes us look bad and is misrepresentation. Let's hope the Romney administration won't be as brutal and one-sided when he gets elected. If Obama is in again, our industry will be lucky to survive.
I agree that transparency & honesty are the cornerstones to ultimate success, for everyone concerned. No one wants to feel they are dealing with the "used car salesperson". Keeping secrets or not fully opening a discussion that gives the students what they need to know only perpetuates the reputation that some schools have earned through deceitful practices... I do not want to be associated with such an organization. Truth and integrity should underlie every thing we do in life because I truly believe that the truth always emerges at some point, meanwhile the lies or deceptions create havoc in peoples lives, causing harm (financially, personally) not only for the students but for those who are associated with the company and ultimately it could be the demise of the company. So why not just do the right thing from the beginning and save a lot of time, money, and stress.
I agree with everyone that has posted on this topic. Giving accurate or documented information is very important to any school because that creates a positive outlook for the school and the surrounding community. Any time a school has a positive reputation, that creates more customers or more students for the school. I advise anyone to always report what is accurate and documented because honesty is always the best policy.
I believe that we should all always act honestly, ethically and with integrity. Returning to school is one of the biggest decisions someone can make and it our job to advise them accordingly. I would rather have the prospective student be disappointed with honest information on the front-end instead of trying to back track myself out of an uncomfortable situation down the road. In the end the student will appreciate the honesty the advisor gave them and will appreciate the process that much more.
Compliance ensures honesty or consequences...we all agree no one appreciates being misled. Even car dealers these days have to provide a car fax. We have an obligation to our customers of being upfront or the may end up with a strained relationship throughout the enrollment or a student withdrawing to attend another school.
I do believe being trusthworthy and honest is the best way whether you are dealing with students or co-workers.
Being compliant and transparent should be done always. I learned from the program to stay away from superlatives which will most likely make you out of compliance.
This may be one of the most important things we do for our students...we need to be honest with them from he beginning. We do not want to give them unrealistic expectations that will fall short. It is better to be open about everything and let them make their decisions based on all the facts and that way there will be no surprises for both the school or the student. Honesty is such a lost art these days...everyone trying to be better than they really are and eventually it is going to blow up in their face. You can never go wrong with the truth.
How can anyone make an educated decsion about anything in life if they are not given the true facts? I know I would not one of my children making such an important decision about their education if they do not have all of the "truthful" facts. Being honest and trustworthy with prospective students and current students is something I feel should always be done. I believe that in order to have good professional relationships ~ you need to have integrity and trust.
That is a great point. This seems like a very valuable resource.
Well stated. Integrity in business operation provides a safeguard for customer and professional. Especially when dealing with education, transparency is detrimental when people are making decisions about thier livelihoods.
I am a big fan of trust and honesty as strong base for any strong relationship whether its a personal or bet institution and future students.The transparency helps in good decion making and those students will be well prepared so they will remain in programm.all this is for the benefit of students and carrer colleges since no one will be deceived and will get rewarded for their hard work ,time and money spent for the programme and we will get job satisfaction.
I feel that being honest and sticking to the facts allows our students to make choices for themselves based in truth and trusted relationships. This is very important for happy students and completion rates. We want our students to handle the curriculum so we can't let them think they'll be fine when they don't have appropriate skills to move up and make satisfactory progress. I think it's wonderful that students are able to see what a great opportunity this is right from the beginning and that they will be in an honest school and they will work hard but at the end they will have acheived something that they can be proud of.
Being honest and transparent is the only way to go. Prospective students can really get in over their heads if they don't know what we are all about before they start and become new students. We must openly share with them the trials they will face while in school. They must have realistic goals and expectations. They must have action plans for their personal life to keep it from interefereing with their schooling.
Transparency and compliance are the right and fair way to function, it sets a professional standard. But there is an added importance. Students watch every one and compare what is being said and done. Compliance and transparency are the only way to guarantee that every one is being treated fairly and judged by the same set of rules. Without compliance to the standards we don't know what they are being told; they are reacting and making decisions with out the complete picture. No on can make correct decisions with misinformation.
I think you are all spot on. Transparency and compliance are the lifeblood of our schools going forward.
As with any business transaction, what often looks like a short-term gain is offset by long term repercussions. There are no short cuts when it comes to full disclosure and transparency.
