Common Council vote brings Arizona College closer to opening new Milwaukee location
On Tuesday, the Milwaukee Common Council approved a zoning change the Arizona College of Nursing needed to open in the city. The Milwaukee Common Council voted in favor of a zoning change that nearly opens the door for an out-of-state for-profit college to operate in the city. Two members of the council, Alds. Mark Chambers and Andrea Pratt, voted against the resolution, while Ald. Milele Coggs abstained. The change will now go to Mayor Cavalier Johnson for final approval. Advocates against Arizona College of Nursing argue that the college would continue to target low-income students, veterans, students of color and others. The vote added "college" to a list of permitted uses for the building where Arizona College.
Published : 10 months ago by Cleo Krejci, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in Business
The Milwaukee Common Council voted Tuesday in favor of a zoning change that nearly opens the door for an out-of-state for-profit college to operate in the city.
Before the vote, council members discussed the potential for a lawsuit against the city should they use the zoning change to effectively prevent the Arizona College of Nursing's new Milwaukee location in response to broader concerns about for-profit colleges.
Two members of the council, Alds. Mark Chambers and Andrea Pratt, voted against the resolution, and Ald. Milele Coggs abstained.
Having passed through the Common Council, the zoning change will make its way to Mayor Cavalier Johnson for final approval.
More: Arizona College of Nursing, a for-profit school, plans to open campuses in Milwaukee and Madison
"We've been through this too many times," Chambers said, referring to Milwaukee's history with for-profits like Kaplan College, Sanford Brown College and Bryant & Stratton College.
"It's not necessarily personal sentiment; it's a sentiment that has precedent," Chambers said later. "I understand the legalities of it, but it's still wrong, in my opinion."
Other committee members said it wasn't a vote about the merits of for-profit colleges, but a far narrower question about zoning. Technically, the vote added "college" to a list of permitted uses for 9000 W. Chester St., the building where Arizona College of Nursing intends to open its Milwaukee location.
In an emailed statement, Nick Mansour, chairman of the Arizona College of Nursing, said the college appreciates the council's decision, which allows it to "provide important educational opportunities for Milwaukee’s future nurses."
"We look forward to being a part of the Milwaukee community and helping to reduce Wisconsin’s nursing shortage,” he added.
For months, advocates against the college have petitioned the city Plan Commission, then the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee to vote against the zoning change. They argue the college would continue a legacy of "predatory" for-profit institutions in the city, in particular targeting low-income students, veterans, students of color and others.
In February, the city Plan Commission voted to put the zoning change "on file." The council's zoning committee took a similar stance in March, putting the vote on hold, before approving it, 4-1, on June 4.
Members of the Arizona College of Nursing leadership have also spoken in person before the zoning committee to defend the school's merits and commitment to Milwaukee students.
Ald. Jonathan Brostoff, chair of the zoning committee, on Tuesday said it's up to the state to explore options for regulating for-profit colleges. Tuesday's vote in favor of the zoning change, he said, reflected a narrow set of factors related to zoning only.
"This is not over, and we will continue looking at how we can improve the situation moving forward, including with our folks who head up to Madison regularly, our state Legislature and the governor," Brostoff said.
Advocates against Arizona College of Nursing say they will continue efforts against it
In a press release issued before Tuesday's vote, advocates with the Committee for Equity in Nursing Education said they had "pursued every democratic option available" in efforts to prevent the Arizona College of Nursing's new location in Milwaukee.
That included filing complaints with the Educational Approval Program, speaking to the state's Board of Nursing, organizing a petition that gathered over 800 signatures and making public comments before votes of the city Plan Commission and zoning committee.
More: Nurses, educators: For-profit Arizona College of Nursing should not come to Wisconsin
On Tuesday, committee member and retired Milwaukee Area Technical College economics professor Michael Rosen said the committee plans to continue its advocacy work.
"The committee will continue advocating against the (Arizona College of Nursing) and will continue to work to expose work predatory colleges and stop them from preying on students in Milwaukee and throughout Wisconsin," Rosen said in an email to the Journal Sentinel on Tuesday.
Cleo Krejci covers higher education, vocational training and retraining as a Report For America corps member based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on X at @_CleoKrejci. Support her work with a tax-deductible donation at bit.ly/RFADonation.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Arizona College nears full approval needed for new Milwaukee location
Topics: Academia