A battle between the largest Christian university in America and President Joe Biden’s administration took a new turn this week after U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona reportedly vowed to shutter Grand Canyon University, a Christian college in Phoenix, Arizona.
Cardona commented during an April 10 House Appropriations Committee hearing, stating the administration is “cracking down not only to shut them down, but to send a message to not prey on students,” according to Fox News.
GCU, in a statement delivered to CBN News, called Cardona’s statements “disturbing and defamatory.”
Where the Battle Began
The university made headlines over the dispute last fall, when the Department of Education fined the school a historic $37.7 million over claims students were misled about the cost of a doctoral program.
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Despite GCU denying these assertions, appealing that ruling — and defiantly pledging not to pay — Cardona doubled down. He said the fine is the “largest … in history against a school that lied about costs and terminated a school from Title IV.”
An October press release from the Department of Education provided further details about these claims:
The U.S. Department of Education (Department) office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) today announced a $37.7 million fine against Grand Canyon University (GCU), which disbursed the most federal student aid of all participating institutions for the past four award years. An FSA investigation found GCU lied to more than 7,500 former and current students about the cost of its doctoral programs over several years. GCU falsely advertised a lower cost than what 98% of students ended up paying to complete certain doctoral programs.
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Brian Mueller, president of Grand Canyon University, recently told CBN News he believes the government is unfairly targeting his school. He called the massive $37.7 million fine “incredibly disappointing,” Faithwire Reports.
