GCU is a not-for-profit institution that briefly reverted to for-profit status in order to save it from bankruptcy. The article contends that Cardona intentionally mis-classified GCU as a for-profit institution in order to attack the university. The school estimated a range of costs for students to earn a doctoral degree at $40,000 to 50,000, and when a few students costs exceeded that range, the Department of Education fined GCU nearly $40 million for its alleged deliberate opacity concerning final cost for a doctorate. GCU's appeal of Cardona's agency's fine is pending.
The article says that GCU was targeted by leftists and their woke agenda because it is the country's largest private Christian university.

Miguel Cardona, secretary of the Department of Education (DE) in the Biden administration (and formerly head of Connecticut's Department of Education), and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a far-left Democrat (also from Connecticut), tag-teamed last Friday to allow Cardona to explicitly and directly target Grand Canyon University (GCU) for extinction.

During a hearing by the House Appropriations Committee, where DeLauro is a ranking member, Cardona was questioned by DeLauro:

DeLauro: Predatory for-profit colleges have engaged in a range of deceptions designed to increase enrollment and student costs to drive more revenue for owners and shareholders.

How are you (Cardona, as head of ED) and your agency committing to increased oversight of these institutions, and are there any ways in which we can shut these folks down?

Cardona: Last year our department took action against Grand Canyon University, a predatory for-profit college, over the school's failure to accurately disclose its costs to students, driving up the true cost for those students, requiring them to pay for continuation courses before they could graduate — scam courses added about $10,000 or more to the cost of education to these kids.