When Jack McCartan peers into his crystal ball, he sees private sector colleges and universities playing a vital role in the United States' economic future.

McCartan, the former president of Pittsburgh Technical Institute (PTI), penned an opinion piece that recently appeared on The Hill. In it McCartan decries the recent treatment career colleges received at the hands of federal investigators.

The inquiry into those schools' practices of McCartan regards as nothing short of a de facto smear campaign. "The recent debate and subsequent regulations in Washington singling out private sector colleges and universities have produced an onslaught of media coverage that paints a singular, negative picture of these institutions," he writes.

McCartan presents PTI as an institution that gives the lie to the dominant impression left on the public in the aftermath of this legislative action.

Several key improvements and innovations made by PTI have allowed it to stand out as an example of sound business.

Among the many achievements of PTI, MacCartan cites the following more notable ones:

• In a little over two decades' time, PTI went from bankruptcy court to a student enrollment of 2000 souls pursuing any one of 22 programs of study.
• Most of the instruction at PTI is given by full-time faculty.
• PTI faculty and staff participate in an employee profit sharing plan in which the latter control something like 88 percent of the school's stock.
• PTI students enjoy a the assistance of a Career Services Department that helps them to find part-time work while they pursue their education.
• A high number of commuter students means that PTI has developed a curriculum that's tailored to the diverse needs of nontraditional learners.

"The fact is, many Americans are simply looking for a way to advance their skills and improve their marketability in an already competitive job market. In this sense, private sector schools have taken on the most utilitarian of roles," McCartan continues. "By focusing programs on career-specific skills, vocational institutions are preparing the next generation of American workers to be leaders in the job sectors of the future -- business administration, computer design, healthcare services and information technology."

McCartan thus calls on federal legislators to make way for this next generation of American worker. He recommends that pols overcome their bias for what he terms "the higher education status quo." In so doing they'll make it possible for private sector colleges and universities to live up to their enormous promise.