The Association of Private Sector College and Universities may soon have a new name and a new mission as it struggles to adjust to the loss of some of its most visible members, Inside Higher Ed reported Wednesday.

APSCU is a relatively recent invention. Five years ago the association was the Career College Association, but rebranded as part of an effort to draw in for-profit, publicly traded colleges and universities like DeVry and Kaplan.

However, some of the largest players in the industry—like University of Pheonix—never joined. More recently, both DeVry and Kaplan dropped out of APSCU. Now the association plans to reach out to nonprofit career institutions to boost membership. That may require another rebranding, CEO Steve Gunderson told Inside Higher Ed.

"Our current name does not define either our mission or our members," Gunderson said.

APSCU's membership troubles in some ways reflect the troubles of the for-profit education industry. Enrollment in for-profit institutions is down and the industry is facing increased scrutiny from government regulators. A new "gainful employment" rule adopted by the Obama administration threatens to cut even further into for-profit university revenue streams. APSCU has fought the rule in court, but was recently dealt a setback when a federal judge ruled against the association.

For his part, Gunderson remains optimistic that APSCU's new focus will help propel it into the future.

"It gives us the potential for positive momentum and growth," he said. http://bit.ly/1J0yBpj

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