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“No decision made” on closure of any Argosy University campus

Argosy University is located on the ground floor of the Haleck Building in Ottoville.
fili@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA —  “There is no firm sale in place at this time, so no decision has been made regarding any particular campus,” said attorney Robert T. Glickman of the US-based law firm McCarthy, Lebit, Crystal & Liffman Co., which is representing Dream Center Education Holdings (DCEH) LLC, the parent company of Argosy University.

“Before any decision could be made, it would have to be presented to the [federal] Court and all parties would be able to object,” Glickman said last Friday, in response to Samoa News questions last week on whether DECH has plans to sell or close other Argosy campuses across the US, including the Hawaii campus, which oversees the American Samoa branch.

Last month the federal court in Cleveland, Ohio placed DECH under federal receivership, following a complaint and request filed by Digital Media Solutions (DMC) LLC, accusing DECH of failing to pay outstanding debts of more than $250,000.

Named as defendants are DECH, and its subsidies — Argosy and South University of Ohio. DECH in its response to the complaint confirmed the money owed, and revealed that the defendants are faced with “financial woes”.

According to the defendants, “DCEH has been in active negotiations to sell Argosy” to Eastern Gateway Community College, a state run institution in Ohio, in which Argosy’s facilities can provide career training services to the thousands of workers displaced by GM’s closing of its Lordstown, Ohio plant.

There was no mention in the defendants motion of other Argosy campuses throughout the US, including Hawaii.

The federal lawsuit, followed by appointment of a Receiver, has placed Argosy in limbo, putting its accreditation in jeopardy. (See Samoa News Feb. 7th and 8th editions for more details.)

As of last Friday, about 10 companies and individuals are now part of the case, either as an “interested party” or intervenor, according to federal court records, which also show that the court has approved a request by the Receiver hiring an attorney in California to oversee the defendants’ assets in that state.

Argosy’s Administrative Office is headquartered in Santa Ana, California, according to the university’s website.