Last week, President Biden’s nominee for under secretary of education, James Kvaal, appeared in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee for his nomination hearing. Kvaal, who previously served as deputy under secretary of education under the Obama Administration and more recently the president of the Institute for College Access and Success, seemed to satisfy questioning from Members of Congress in both parties and is likely to advance to the full Senate when the committee votes later this week.
Although his confirmation seems likely, Kvaal still faced tough questioning from Senators on both sides of the aisle on issues ranging from the president’s agenda around free college and student loan forgiveness, to his previous opposition of expanding Pell grant eligibility to high-quality short-term job training programs. More specifically, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) started off his questioning by asking Kvaal if he believed that high-quality short-term workforce training is higher education, to which he simply replied, “I do.” This has long been a point of contention with many in the higher education community, with some believing that these programs should be considered workforce development and not education. Kvaal went on to further state, “I agree that career and technical education programs can lead to really meaningful career job opportunities. They deserve the same amount of support and the same amount of respect that other types of higher education programs do. And, if I'm confirmed, I'm confident we can work together to support high-quality training programs, including those that are shorter than 15 weeks.” Sens. Mike Braun (R-IN), Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Jim Hickenlooper (D-CO) also voiced their support for CTE, apprenticeships and STEM during their five-minute remarks.
Other important issues to ACTE, and CTE more generally, that arose during the hearing include the reintroduction of the College Transparency Act, competency-based education, career pathways and ways higher education will play a role in the country’s economic recovery.
It is important to note that the under secretary of education is responsible for the coordination of policies, programs and activities related to postsecondary education, career and technical education, adult education, federal student aid, and the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Given the lack of professional experience in the higher education space among other top Department of Education officials, including Secretary Cardona and Deputy Secretary Nominee Cindy Marten, Kvaal’s extensive experience will make him even more foundational in the Administration’s higher education agenda.
Currently, a Committee vote on his and Cindy Marten’s nominations is scheduled for April 21, and then they will move to the full Senate, where their confirmations require a simple majority vote. Be sure to continue to check the CTE Policy Watch Blog for the details and latest developments.
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