Ethics experts said Mr. Eitel’s position, which has not been announced publicly, could nonetheless bump up against federal rules involving conflicts of interest<br />and impartiality, particularly given his position as a vice president for regulatory legal services at Bridgepoint Education Inc., an operator of for-profit colleges, during federal investigations into the company.<br />Betsy DeVos’s Hiring of For-Profit College Official Raises Impartiality Issues -<br />By PATRICIA COHENMARCH 17, 2017<br />As chief compliance officer for a corporate owner of for-profit colleges, Robert S. Eitel spent the past 18 months as a top lawyer for a company facing multiple government investigations, including one<br />that ended with a settlement of more than $30 million over deceptive student lending.<br />In September, Bridgepoint reached a settlement with the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to refund students $23.5 million<br />and pay an $8 million civil penalty to resolve an inquiry into whether students were deceived into taking out private student loans that cost more than advertised.<br />The Justice Department, according to a Bridgepoint filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, is investigating whether the company violated Education Department limits<br />that bar it from receiving more than 90 percent of its revenue in federal student aid.<br />Bridgepoint — a publicly traded company that operates Ashford University<br />and University of the Rockies, enrolls roughly 50,000 students, and primarily offers online degrees — has come under frequent scrutiny by federal and state watchdogs.
