The American Counseling Association supports its members in many ways—and is pleased to be able to offer a helping hand to ACA members affected by the recent closing of the 22 Argosy campuses nationwide.
To support former Argosy educators and students as they navigate a new path forward in the counseling profession, ACA is extending their association membership at no cost for one additional year. ACA membership provides access to an array of tools designed to help members with their professional advancement, including no-cost career and education consultations, resume and cover-letter reviews, feedback from mock job interviews and access to an online job board through ACA Career Central. In addition, ACA membership includes opportunities to earn free Continuing Education credits, access to award-winning publications such as Counseling Today and member discounts on professional development resources such as webinars and conference sessions.
ACA members can find online tips and resources to help in dealing with career and education disruption at ACA Career Central. This information, developed by ACA’s in-house counseling staff, offers suggestions for educators and students forced to develop new career plans in the wake of a school shutdown or a similar unexpected event.
The closing of Argosy University marks the latest setback in the for-profit education market. Argosy, a troubled chain, was purchased in 2017 by Dream Center Education Holdings, a Christian nonprofit with no experience in education, according to a March 7 New York Times report. The plan for the schools was to convert them “into not-for-profit institutions with the intent of investing a percentage of revenue into humanitarian and charitable programs supported by the Dream Center Foundation in Los Angeles and throughout the United States,” according to a 2017 news release. The plan unraveled at the end of February 2019 when the Department of Education halted federal student loan funding after a finding that $13 million in funds owed to students had been used for expenses such as payroll, the New York Times reported.