National College of Business & Technology

National College
Established	1886
Type	Private, For-profit
President	Frank Longaker
Location	IN, KY, OH, TN, VA, WV
Website	[1]

National College, formerly National College of Business & Technology and also formerly National Business College, is a for-profit career college operating in the southeastern and east-central United States. It is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools.

In 2006, National enrolled about 7,000 students at 20 campuses in Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, and Indiana. The various campuses award credentials ranging from vocational certificates to the Master of Business Administration degree. Subjects taught include accounting, medical transcription, coding and assisting, pharmacy, paralegal, various computer disciplines, hospitality and tourism, broadcasting technology, and emergency medicine technology.

The institution began in 1886 in Roanoke, Virginia, where the home campus remains today. It was originally known as National Business College, and later absorbed two Kentucky career colleges, Kentucky College of Business and Fugazzi College. NCBT's latest campus, in Memphis, Tennessee opened in 2006. During that year it was also recognized by the Better Business Bureau as a finalist for the Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics.

The majority of National students receive some form of student assistance, usually in the form of federal student loans, although some scholarship and grant monies are also awarded. Particular stress is placed on preparing students to effectively enter the workplace, and most faculty are practicing professionals in their fields. Working adults wishing to further their education are also accommodated with evening and weekend class schedules.

In mid-2006, the institution announced that it will begin a transition to the shorter name of simply National College.

Academic Programs

Bachelor's Degrees

• Business Administration Accounting
• Business Administration Management
• Health Care Management

Associate's Degrees

• Business Administration Accounting
• Business Administration Management
• Information Systems Engineering
• Medical Assisting
• Office Technology Professional
• Radio and Television Broadcasting
• Surgical Technology

Diploma Programs

• Accounting
• Accounting Office Assistant
• Administrative Office Specialist
• Business Administration
• Computerized Office Applications
• Medical Billing and Coding
• Medical Office Assistant
• Medical Office Specialist
• Pharmacy Technician
• Radio and Television Operations
• Supervisory Management Specialist
• Systems and User Support

Accreditation

The Roanoke Valley Campus of National College is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools to award master's degrees, bachelor's degrees, associate degrees, and diplomas. The Louisville, Bristol, Danville (VA), Lynchburg, Harrisonburg, Lexington, Indianapolis, Parkersburg and Princeton Campuses are accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's degrees, associate degrees, and diplomas. All other campuses of National College are accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools to award associate degrees and diplomas.

Kentucky Lawsuit

In September 2011, Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway sued National College of Kentucky, alleging that the for-profit school misrepresented job-placement numbers for its graduates.

The lawsuit in Fayette Circuit Court is the third Conway has filed as part of his attack on for-profit colleges in Kentucky. The three-count lawsuit against National College alleges that it violated the state Consumer Protection Act by making false, misleading and deceptive disclosures about the rate at which its students were able to find jobs in their fields of study. "This type of deception must stop," Conway said at a news conference in his Capitol office. "National College is putting its bottom line before the hopes and dreams of students who are simply trying to better their lives. "The reality is that more and more students are leaving for-profit schools with high debt loads and without the high-paying jobs they were promised."

Chuck Steenburgh, spokesman for National College, said in an email: "We are aware that the attorney general has announced that he is filing a lawsuit against the college, but we have not yet been served and thus cannot comment on what it might contain. "Each individual student's success is our main focus, and we remain committed to that."

Conway said information for his lawsuit against National College "was done simply by watching their web site." The suit alleges that since at least 2008, National College has publicly represented that its students achieve "success" in getting jobs at rates that are significantly higher than the rates National reports to the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, or ACICS. The complaint alleges that from 2008 through December, National showed on its Web site certain "successful employment" figures for graduates of its Lexington, Louisville, Pikeville and Richmond campuses. For example, in December, National's Web site showed 94 percent of graduates on the Lexington campus got jobs. An in-field job placement percentage of 79.5 was reported to the ACICS for 2010. The National College website did not specify that the percentage was "in-field" or not. Since then, the college added a disclaimer that the number represented graduates who are "employed in any field," Conway said.

National filed a lawsuit in January in Franklin Circuit Court, alleging that Conway's investigation was not supported by sufficient evidence of wrongdoing. Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd ruled the investigation could continue. National College appealed Shepherd's ruling to the Kentucky Court of Appeals, where the issue is pending.

Conway has also filed suit against Daymar College (Private), Brown Mackie College (Private), and "active investigations" of three other for-profit colleges.

External links

• National College of Business & Technology