were targeting military veterans. In June 2019, Zovio announced a mass layoff at its headquarters in San Diego. A month later, WASC approved Ashford to become a non-profit entity. Zovio faces shareholder lawsuits related to factual misstatements and an informal inquiry by the Securities and Exchange Commission. One such suit was dismissed by the California Superior Court on July 8, 2019, and a subsequent appeal was later dismissed with prejudice. In October 2019, Zovio received a letter from the US Department of Education stating that it would be required to post an irrevocable letter of credit of 25 percent of the Title IV funding for fiscal year 2018 upon change of ownership. In February 2020, Zovio reported a net operating loss of $56.6 million in 2019. Enrollment declined from a peak of 77,734 in 2012 to 32,620 in 2019. In March 2020, during the Coronavirus pandemic, Ashford's parent company announced that they would be hiring 200 additional enrollment advisors. In 2020, Ashford received $1 million in federal Covid relief funds. Ashford University Enrollment, 2005–2019 Athletics The Ashford athletic teams were called the Saints; as the university was a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing as an NAIA Independent within the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) from 2012–13 to 2015–16 (when the school closed). The Saints previously competed in the defunct Midwest Collegiate Conference (MCC) from 1988–89 to 2011–12. Ashford competed in 17 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports included baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball. University of Arizona Global: 2020–present Criticism of acquisition In August 2020, faculty members of University of Arizona's Eller College of Management said the acquisition of Ashford University would "impair the value of the University of Arizona, expose the University of Arizona to litigation, impede our ability to compete in the high-quality online space, and harm relationships with current and prospective donors and faculty." Gary Rhoades, professor at the Center for the Study of Higher Education at University of Arizona and former general secretary of the American Association of University Professors said "This is a sad example of public universities' 'cynical academic capitalism,' grounded in white privilege and the exploitation of 'others' who the public universities themselves have generally have largely underserved." According to Dave Wells of the Grand