Community college leader named under secretary of education
As public and private four-year universities price so many young people out higher education, community colleges are educating more young Americans than ever, with their enrollments growing, class sizes skyrocketing—and all with less funding than any other type of college or university.
With that in mind, it’s encouraging to see that Education Secretary Arne Duncan (for whom I have mixed feelings) today named Martha Kanter, the leader of one of the largest community college districts in the nation, to the position of under secretary of education, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported.
Kanter, the chancellor of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District for more than eight years, will hopefully incorporate the voice of community colleges into the decision-making processes at the Education Department—a much needed addition to the ever important branch of the federal government. For more, follow the jump.
Kanter’s bio shows impressive experience in community college leadership. She serves on the executive board of the League for Innovation in the Community College and as the vice president of the CEO Board of the Community College League of California. Kanter is also the past president of the Community College Leadership Development Initiatives Foundation at the University of San Diego.
In response to the announcement, George Boggs, president of the American Association of Community Colleges, told The Chronicle, “I think this administration realizes that community colleges are a real unrecognized workhorse for education and work-force development.”
And to his credit, Education Secretary Duncan said today that community colleges are a “vital, vital part of our postsecondary-education system” and “an extremely important part of restoring our economy and ensuring our students can compete.”
