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Imagen Dental Partners and Concorde Career Colleges Partner to Address Dental Hygiene Workforce Demand in California

PR Newswire

January 22, 2025
SAN DIEGO, Jan. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Concorde Career Colleges today announced a workforce solutions partnership with Imagen Dental Partners to address the demand for dental hygienists in California. Imagen is offering a total of $10,000 in scholarships to support students at Concorde’s Garden Grove, San Bernardino and San Diego campuses, with plans to increase the total amount to $20,000 later this year.
Imagen Dental Partners is a Dental Partnership Organization (DPO) with over 100 partner practices in 15 states. Their collective ownership model fosters clinical autonomy and promotes excellence and innovation in dentistry.
Dr. Sameer Puri, Chief Clinical Officer of Imagen Dental Partners, commented, “At Imagen we recognize the importance of nurturing the next generation of clinicians, and several of our partners have graduates from Concorde that were well-prepared for the workforce, so it seemed like a natural fit. By providing these scholarships, Imagen is demonstrating our commitment to foster talent and empower individuals who are passionate about making a meaningful impact in healthcare.”
“We’re thrilled to partner with Imagen Dental Partners and are impressed with their unique business model. As a leading educator of dental hygienists in the nation, we’re proud when our reputation leads new employers to partner with us on workforce solutions. Our students are grateful for the scholarship support, and we look forward to forging new employment pathways with Imagen for our graduates,” said Kevin Prehn, president of Concorde Career Colleges.

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U.S. Department of Education Takes Action to Eliminate DEI

U.S. Department of Education 

January 23, 2025
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Education has taken action to eliminate harmful Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, including references to them in public-facing communication channels and its associated workforce. These actions are in line with President Trump’s ongoing commitment to end illegal discrimination and wasteful spending across the federal government. They are the first step in reorienting the agency toward prioritizing meaningful learning ahead of divisive ideology in our schools.
Following President Trump’s recent Executive Orders and initial guidance from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Department removed or archived hundreds of guidance documents, reports, and training materials that include mentions of DEI from its outward facing communication channels. The Department also put employees charged with leading DEI initiatives on paid administrative leave. These review efforts will continue as the Department works to end discrimination based on race and the use of harmful race stereotypes, both within the agency and throughout America’s education system.

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U.S. Department of Education Focuses on Misrepresentation by Higher Education, Partners

Holland & Knight

Nancy Anderson, Paul G. Lannon, Nathan A. Adams IV, Maddie Fenton
January 23, 2025
Highlights
As the Biden Administration closed out its tenure, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced several policy initiatives and enforcement actions on ED’s regulations surrounding misrepresentation by institutions of higher education that participate in the Title IV programs, as well as companies that partner with such institutions.
Consistent enforcement of the misrepresentation rules by ED has been limited over the years, leaving institutions to focus on compliance primarily with state deceptive trade practice laws. Numerous lawsuits filed by students against institutions that closed their campuses during the COVID-19 pandemic brought many of these laws into focus.
This Holland & Knight alert reviews the misrepresentation rules and what institutions can look for from ED in light of the new Trump Administration.
In the final days of the Biden Administration, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced a number of policy initiatives and enforcement actions related to ED’s misrepresentation regulations for institutions of higher education that participate in the Title IV programs, as well as the companies that partner with such institutions. The regulatory and enforcement priorities of the Trump Administration will materially differ from those of its predecessor, but the last-minute guidance could influence state priorities regardless of its federal fate.

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Borrower Defense to Repayment Rule Heads to U.S. Supreme Court While Student Loan Forgiveness Enters Final Rounds

Duane Morris 

January 23, 2025
Supreme Court Review of 2022 BDR Final Rule 
On January 10, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court granted the Department of Education’s petition for a writ of certiorari to review the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit’s decision in Career Colleges and Schools of Texas v. Department of Education that preliminarily enjoined, on a nationwide basis, the 2022 borrower defense to repayment (BDR) final rule. 87 Fed. Reg. 65,904 (Nov. 1, 2022). The scope of the Supreme Court case will be limited to the first question presented: “[w]hether the court of appeals erred in holding that the Education Act does not permit the assessment of borrower defenses to repayment before default, in administrative proceedings, or on a group basis.” The case will not involve the second question presented by the Department: “[w]hether the court of appeals erred in ordering the district court to enter preliminary relief on a universal basis.”
Career Colleges and Schools of Texas (CCST) initially filed its lawsuit on February 28, 2023, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas to enjoin and vacate the 2022 BDR rule. See CCST v. U.S. Dep’t of Educ., 681 F. Supp. 3d 647 (W.D. Tex. 2023). Among its other claims, CCST argued that the final rule creates unlawful processes, fails to serve any legitimate purpose under the Higher Education Act and “represents enormous executive overreach” by the Biden administration in violation of the Department’s statutory authority and the Constitution’s separation of powers.
The plaintiffs sought a preliminary injunction, which was later denied by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. As a result, the plaintiffs pursued an interlocutory appeal to the Fifth Circuit. On April 4, 2024, the Fifth Circuit held that the District Court erred in its decision denying a preliminary injunction and, over the Department’s objection to nationwide relief, ordered the District Court to postpone the effective date of the 2022 BDR rule pending final judgment in the case. See CCST v. U.S. Dep’t of Educ, 98 F. 4th 220 (5th Cir. 2023). The Department sought rehearing in the Fifth Circuit, which was denied, and then petitioned the Supreme Court for review.

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