Student Defense Submits Testimony In Support of Ohio Proposals on Student Protections, Oversight of Online Program Management (OPM) Industry
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 6, 2025
MEDIA CONTACT:
press@defendstudents.org
646-599-2235
Student Defense Submits Testimony In Support of Ohio Proposals on Student Protections, Oversight of Online Program Management (OPM) Industry
This week, Student Defense Vice President and Chief Counsel Daniel Zibel submitted written testimony to the Ohio House of Representatives Education Committee regarding House Bill 96 and specific provisions designed to protect students enrolled in higher education across Ohio.
“We strongly support the policies embodied in the legislation that increase oversight of the unregulated OPM industry. We are particularly pleased to see provisions that provide the Chancellor of Education with the tools necessary to ensure that OPMs are meeting the academic standards that citizens of Ohio deserve,” Zibel wrote.
In the testimony, Student Defense also offered suggestions for technical amendments and improvement, including prohibiting the use of Incentive-Based Compensation by OPMs engaged in recruiting and enhancing the notification requirement to require an acknowledgment from each student enrolling in an OPM-run program establishing that the student was informed of the role of the OPM.
Student Defense has strongly advocated for more oversight, accountability, and transparency regarding how colleges and universities engage third-party OPM companies. In 2022, Student Defense filed a lawsuit against the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education and 2U, Inc. — a for-profit OPM provider — alleging they engaged in a scheme to boost enrollment by doctoring the school’s U.S. News & World Report rankings and using those rankings in deceptive marketing tactics.
Student Defense also filed a class action lawsuit in 2023 against the California Institute of Technology and Simplilearn Americas, Inc., a for-profit online bootcamp provider, for misrepresenting their cybersecurity bootcamp as a Caltech program even though the course was fully outsourced.
In addition to offering support for the proposed policies that increase oversight of the unregulated OPM industry in Ohio, the written testimony also offers support for proposed policies that preserve students’ access to their education records in the event of an abrupt closure.
“Alongside impact litigation, advocacy and technical assistance are useful tools for safeguarding students,” said Student Defense Vice President and Chief Counsel Daniel Zibel. “We are encouraged by the good work in Ohio to prioritize the success of students and urge other states to use these suggestions as a roadmap.”
Read the full written testimony on the Student Defense website.