Protect Borrowers, UIC United Faculty, and University Professionals of Illinois Local 4100 released the results of an investigation into the partnerships between Illinois public institutions and a company called Risepoint. We reviewed hundreds of pages of documents obtained by WBEZ Chicago, and found that five of the state’s public colleges and universities, including the University of Illinois system, appear to be renting out their reputable brand names while outsourcing vital services to Risepoint (formerly known as Academic Partnerships), a large and growing for-profit Online Program Manager (OPM), affecting tens of thousands of Illinois students and borrowers.
We sent a letter to the Illinois Attorney General and Illinois Board of Higher Education detailing how the structure of the contractual relationships between the institutions and this for-profit company poses significant risks to students, and calling on them to take action to protect students and borrowers across Illinois.
Read the Press Release: New Investigation Reveals Troubling Relationships Between Illinois Public Universities and For-Profit Company, Risepoint
Read the Blog: Why We’re Sounding the Alarm on Risepoint in Illinois
Read the Letter to the Illinois Attorney General and Illinois Board of Higher Education: Urgent Need to Protect Illinois Students and Borrowers from Public Institutions Outsourcing Management of Online Programs to For-Profit Third Party Risepoint (FKA Academic Partnerships)
Read Risepoint’s Contracts with Illinois Public Institutions, Obtained by WBEZ: Appendix