Over the past year, we’ve heard many horrendous stories from current and former employees about the deceptive practices used by for-profit colleges to attract students. Now, one such employee is being compensated after she says she was fired from the college she worked at because she brought attention to the school’s allegedly deceitful practices. 

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that a Minnesota Court of Appeals panel affirmed a jury’s 2013 award of $395,000 to a former academic head of Globe University after she was allegedly fired for going public with claims that the for-profit college was using deceptive marketing practices to increase enrollment.

The panel affirmed that the Globe University violated the Minnesota Whistleblower Act when it fired the woman from her position as dean of the school’s Medical Assisting Program in April 2011.

The woman argued that she was fired after raising concerns with co-workers that the Minnesota-based for-profit college lied to prospective students about their job prospects and credit transferability in order to get them to enroll at the school.

Officials with the school maintained that the woman was fired for poor performance, saying that her conversations about alleged misdeeds did not constitute whistle-blowing.

“Obviously, we are very pleased with the results on appeal,” the woman’s attorney says in a statement. “Our client has been vindicated and that is what’s important.”

Globe University operates 19 campuses and is part of the Global Education Network (GEN), a group of 30 family owned and managed for-profit colleges.

For-profit colleges have been plagued with allegations of deceptive marketing practices several times just this year. Former employees of Corinthian Colleges shared their stories with Consumerist this summer after the school began its fall from grace.

Additionally, a group of former employees filed a federal lawsuit against Premier Education Group alleging the company misleading students — who paid more than $10,000 a year for various programs — about career prospects, and falsifying records to enroll students and keep them enrolled in order to continue receiving government grant and loan dollars.

Fired Globe University dean’s award upheld by Minnesota appeals court [St. Paul Pioneer Press]

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