Attorney General Ken Paxton on Monday sued a group calling itself Texas American Muslim University, accusing it of operating without state approval, misleading prospective students and using a name too similar to Texas A&M.
The lawsuit asks a Collin County judge to stop the group that promoted itself as TexAM from operating as a private university in the state without approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. It also seeks to bar TexAM from using names, logos or branding that could confuse people into thinking it is connected to Texas A&M University or the Texas A&M University System.
TexAM advertised bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, promoted a student campus in Richardson, and solicited students online and overseas, according to the attorney general’s office.
Paxton is seeking more than $1 million in civil penalties for alleged violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and Texas Education Code.
Shahid A. Bajwa, TexAM’s founder and chair, told The Texas Tribune Monday that the group had already complied with the coordinating board’s cease-and-desist letter, stopped using the university name and stopped offering graduate classes.
TexAM is no longer operating as a university but will continue operating as an institute, he said.
Bobbi Kessler, a coordinating board spokesperson, said Monday it was her understanding that TexAM had complied with the letter but was looking into the matter. Officials from the attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to questions about why it sued if TexAM had complied.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.
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