April 25, 2016 5:58 PM

Senate candidate Buckingham under scrutiny for ties to "predatory" for-profit college

Veterans group raises questions about targeting of those who have served in the military

Some longtime advocates for veterans are raising serious questions about a Texas Senate candidate’s ties to a for-profit university that’s been accused of “predatory” practices when recruiting students, particularly students who have served in the United States Armed Forces.

Austin-area physician Dawn Buckingham, who is in a GOP runoff with Rep. Susan King for the seat being vacated by Sen. Troy Fraser, has served on the Board of Governors of National American University and has received significant income from the company.

The school, where Dr. Buckingham’s father-in-law Robert Buckingham is Chairman, was named in a 2012 US Senate committee report as one of the for-profit colleges where there was evidence of “exorbitant tuition, aggressive recruiting practices, abysmal student outcomes, taxpayer dollars spent on marketing and pocketed as profit, and regulatory evasion and manipulation.” Some veterans have called the school a “scam to steal student money.”

Buckingham’s campaign has not commented on the issue, which was first raised with her late last week.

The Senate report, which you can see here, said most students at these institutions were left without a degree and in major debt.

One of the ways National American University and others would recruit students was through a website called GIBill.com, according to the Senate report. On that site, operated by a company called QuinStreet, veterans seeking ways to wisely use their benefits would enter their personal information while under the impression they were being guided by the Veterans Administration.

But that was not the case.

By Scott Braddock