Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona has vowed to shut down Grand Canyon University (GCU), the largest Christian university in the U.S., sparking outrage from GCU officials who claim the crackdown stems from “deeply held bias.”
During a House Appropriations Committee hearing on April 10, Cardona openly embraced enforcement methods against GCU and other universities like it, declaring, “we are cracking down not only to shut them down, but to send a message to not prey on students.” His comments came in response to Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who referred to GCU as “a predatory for-profit school.”
GCU appealed a $37.7 million fine imposed by the Education Department in November, which alleged that the Arizona-based institution misled students about the cost of its doctoral programs over several years. The fine is significantly larger than those previously given to schools like Penn State ($2.4 million) and Michigan State ($4.5 million) for failing to address Jerry Sandusky and Larry Nassar’s crimes, respectively.
A GCU spokesperson told Fox News Digital that they do not expect a hearing to take place until January and that their next recourse would be another appeal within the Department, directly to the Secretary of Education. The spokesperson also accused officials of making “derogatory and inflammatory public statements that are legally and factually incorrect.”
In response to Cardona’s comments, the American Principles Project (APP) launched a petition demanding that the Biden administration halt their “crusade” against the nation’s largest Christian colleges. APP Policy Director Jon Schweppe called the scrutiny and penalization of faith-based institutions “part of a concerted effort to snuff out education choice and promote far-left values.”
GCU officials expressed support for any organization willing to shed light on the federal government’s “unwarranted and targeted actions” against the university, warning that if such claims can be made against the largest Christian university in the country, other faith-based organizations could be next.
The Goldwater Institute has also sued the Education Department in federal court for “refusing to turn over public records” related to its $37.7 million fine against GCU, alleging that the records may inform the public about coordination between various federal agencies in what appears to be the “intentional targeting of a successful university based on extraordinarily thin allegations.”
As the controversy continues to unfold, GCU and its supporters are fighting back against what they perceive as an unfair and biased attack on faith-based institutions by the Biden administration’s Education Department.
