For-profit honors college changes language in response to complaint

American Honors, a for-profit honors college, has changed language on its website in response to concerns raised by a parent complaint and some higher education officials.

The company’s homepage now states, “earn a bachelor’s degree for less.” It had been, “earn the same degree for less.”

“If there is any confusion about anything that is communicated on the website, we take those concerns raised very seriously,” said Randi Cosentino, the chief operating officer for American Honors. “This is what we would do if any type of concerns were raised.”

Cosentino added, “It’s a word change not a value change.”

The company was the subject of a Sunday story published in The Spokesman-Review.

The company partners with community colleges nationwide and promises enrolled students enhanced counseling, mentoring, more rigorous classes and the streamlined transfer of credits to four-year universities. It was piloted at the Community Colleges of Spokane five years ago.

A parent on the west side of the state filed a complaint with the Washington state Attorney General’s Office earlier this year claiming that the program misleads what it does for students and how much it costs. The Community Colleges of Spokane have not received any complaints about the program.

The company also changed how it labels transfer institutions. Prior to the complaint, the company referred to certain four-year universities as “assured transfer” institutions, including Whitworth University.

As of this week they are now called “member” institutions.

The informal complaint was closed after the company’s CEO deferred concerns to Shoreline Community College.

The National Collegiate Honors Council announced to members Wednesday that they are investigating American Honors and will produce a “formal position statement.”