Obama Pick Shows Focus on Training Work Force

Overview & Synopsis

In the latest sign of the growing national prominence of community colleges, President Obama has named the chancellor of a two-year-college district to the government's top postsecondary-education position. The nominee for under secretary of education, Martha J. Kanter, is head of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District, in Silicon Valley. If confirmed by the Senate, Ms. Kanter would become the first community-college leader to hold the Education Department's No. 2 job. The White House announced her nomination last week. The under secretary of education oversees all policies, programs, and activities related to postsecondary education, vocational and adult education, and federal student aid. Ms. Kanter's appointment was not a complete surprise to community-college leaders, who had been informed by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in recent days that a two-year-college president would play a "significant role" in the Education Department. The author reports on how Ms. Kanter's appointment has changed the view that community colleges, which enroll nearly half of all students in higher education, often feel underappreciated and overlooked in national policy debates. In speeches, both President Obama and Mr. Duncan have praised community colleges for the role they play in expanding access and keeping the country competitive.