Dive Brief:
- Since the post's establishment in 1980, four of the 10 individuals to serve as Education Secretary have come from secondary education backgrounds, a trend that follows most Americans' priorities in the industry, as more students are enrolled in secondary schools than in colleges and universities, the Chronicle of Higher Education today reports.
- Given the amount of public funding and policymaking involving federal and state oversight, secondary education has typically found more priority in previous years.
- Increasing attention on student loan debt may force the issue of higher education to the fore under the new administration.
Dive Insight:
While the incoming administration has had very little to offer in the way of policy advancement in higher education, many experts predict there will either be a cataclysmic outcome for free speech and academic enterprise or an outright neglect of institutions in favor of reforming college financial issues.
In either case, colleges will have to find ways to work more closely with federal representatives, think tanks and media to advance opportunities for federal executives to notice higher education, and to build advocacy for its growth.