Thread regarding Zenith Education Group layoffs

Absolutely agree about Dean, Flowers and Holmes. Worked with them a few years and since then I thank God for every meeting I'm in that isn't complete and total moronic BS. One thing I took from my days at CCI and Zenith was a newfound appreciation for working with folks with a reasonable level of intelligence and aptitude. At least I've heard that Dean is gone now. If Holmes and Flowers are still there, however, that pretty much tells you that nothing has changed.

It's simple. When leadership points out faults and has shift on the fly decisions, it means leadership has no plan for growth. Very incompetent leaders do not share visions for the future. Because they have no vision for the future. And they aren't even smart enough to realize we are not stupid enough to not see that they don't know what they are doing

It's not going to improve, even Dave Hawn realized that after a year of trying. As he even stated himself, Zenith is trying to revive a school system with a severely tarnished history in a time when the overall industry is in decline and is competing with many other education centers for an ever diminishing group of prospective enrollees. The for-profits are still getting the bulk of available students because of their aggressive advertising and recruiting. Zenith is prohibited by the DOE from using these forms of advertising and recruiting methods under their contract with the DOE. Not only that, but enrollment is down by more than 50% at all career schools combined.

I know Burkhalter, but who is Cochran?

I am in admissions and I will tell you with certainty that numbers will never improve in our current structure. The structure at the campus is FUBAR and our admission leaders are incompetent. I used to work in FA and I know more about enrolling students than Burkhalter and Cochran combined.

Very sad because given the right leadership and structure would allow us to be competitive.

From 50 campuses and 33000 students at transaction closing to 10 campuses and 1500 students by 3/1/2017? I would not be too surprised. At least ECMC got several hundred million dollars more in student loans from their friends at USDOE.

Taylor said he was only going to be around for a year at max, so it's either make or break. I expect some big cost cutting coming at the start of the year because that's why he was hired. Plus some of the Everest schools are having problems switching to ACCSC and enrollment is not improving, it's flat at best and declining at worst.

The only way to take care of ourselves is not to pass up a good opportunity to get out of this mess. Even in the last few months of CCi, I didn't feel this stressed out.

1. I must have missed the campfire speech from Stiglich but heard so many stupid rah rah stories from him I may have repressed it.

2. Tom O'D has some real winners too. Too bad he used them all to help sink CEC.

3. Dave H seemed sincere, but obviously didn't believe his own words since he bailed on us.

4. Peter T seems both insincere and it is already know he plans to bail. He's living the good life in sunny LA. Sound familiar?

None of this would matter if the numbers were improving. But they aren't. We need to take care of ourselves. They aren't going to do it for us.

1yuf: Remember, lets gather around the campfire and I'm steering the ship. Stigshit was so full of himself that he had an odor. I see the same kind of crap coming from Peter Gozinya Taylor. As for Dave Hawn, sorry but I got the feeling from him that was all talk like a politician, he would tell you what you wanted to hear then throw the screws to you.

Well said former DOE. So is it true that Mary Ostrye is gone? If so who is running academics?

I remember CCI under Jack, and I remember when the company was flourishing. I also remember wondering why Rick Simpson, the chief academic officer, never seemed to be involved in any important decisions. I mean this is an educational provider. I believe that letting pure businessmen run an educational provider, especially a for profit one, is intolerable to the US Department of Education. Especially, when those businessmen saw the ability to benefit segment as a marketing opportunity, instead of a small group of people who needed an extra hand. When the ATB rules where changed the company tried to adjust, but could not. There were plenty of real educators working, at least in the Detroit area, but tuition rose consistently and standards were abandoned to fill seats. I applaud the many educators who really had the students' interest at heart. I hope things get better for the students and employees who are still trying to change lives. However, I do not see things improving without some major personnel changes at the top.

The core problem was and is GREED. As with most for profit schools, it is all about profit and the academia is manipulated to keep the money flowing. They took money from anybody, milking every dime from the Government they could and presented a worthless education package in exchange. They hired absolutely the worst Assistant Deans to anchor this process by pushing everybody through no matter what their product was. The AD's fired (didn't give classes any more) to the most qualified instructors because they were holding their students accountable and kept the incompetent liberals that supported the "everyone should pass and get a trophy" group.

It is greed, nothing more. they wanted to milk the cow dry and then sell what was left of her. It was never about education and it never will be . The federal government, who just doesn't want to pay off all these loans and those people connected to the Democrats that made money on this behemoth are keeping it on life support to continue to milk it. Everest ET AL should have died years ago.

I left while ago. Who is still in executive leadership?

I was laid off early after the ECMC acquisition but I appreciated the severance that they gave me. I know those that went before me while still part of CCi got nothing.

There was something about Hawn that I liked. I don't know if it was act act or not but he always seemed sincere. I think the company changed a lot when he left. Taylor says lots of good words, but they are mostly about himself. My New Years resolution is to have a new job by 2/1.

I almost forgot about Stigshit! What a flipping idiot. Him and his fireside chats. That was one decision Dean made that she gets credit for.

Taylor reminds me a lot of Stigshit, always telling everyone how great he is and blaming everyone else for all the problems. He will do anything to make himself look good even if it means destroying other people's lives.

Personally, I really don't care anymore. The more I see, the more I start to realize that this company isn't going to be around much longer. Our sole purpose is to build a bigger portfolio of loan defaults for ECMC to service. In the beginning I was hoping Zenith could turn these schools around but now it seems like they have given up on education and are more interested in putting students in debt. I seen all hope leave when Dave Hawn left. If he really seen a future with Zenith Education he would have stayed to be part of the excitement. I've decided that I'm just going to do as little as I have to and ride this money train to the end. No use leaving for a lower paying job until I have to. I'll keep cashing that check till there ain't no more.

Agree about Peter Taylor. The guy could learn a little humility. Not sure what he's accomplished but he makes himself to be the savior.

What do you expect from a company that it's main purpose is taking money from students? Has anyone noticed that anyone with a desire for education has either resigned or been left go by Zenith?

xwj and kjn - WTF are the two of you thinking. Most of the people mentioned have been fired for poor performance and the ones that are still here Cochran, Holmes, Flowers and anyone else I missed should be fired for the same reason.

I could not agree more! The leadership at Zenith are freaking weak and could not carry the jock straps of Jack and Peter. the douche bags below who are clearly being paid by Zenith to defend the board or are just plain morons cannot argue with one thing you posted. Every name you mentioned are or were weak leaders with no talent.

Yeah that CCI team did such a great job with misleading advertising, false job promises, bad student outcomes, lack of profits (except for online, where outcomes were beyond the pale), and the list goes on.

I was hopeful when ECMC took over. I think they meant well but the damage was already done. I'm still here but the hope is gone. I at least felt like Dave, Kim, and a couple of others gave it to us straight. They always said it was going to be hard. This group has their heads in their asses. Peter sounds like he's been smoking something just made legal in California. I also don't like how he blames everyone before him for what's not working. Put your big boy pants on and try to make a difference. You use every meeting to tell us how smart you are. Try showing it.

Talk about selective memory. Your heroes from CCI, led by Jack, brought about the grandest failure of a school in the history of America. The die was cast when all sorts of well intentioned men and women tried to turn it around. We can cast all sorts of dispersions at those that followed and are still there trying to turn things around but let's not forget what they had when they started. A rapidly sinking ship essentially shut down by federal and state officials from across the country.

Maybe it's time for you to waste money from another organization. Zenith clearly isn't improving with any help from you.

Merry Christmas.