Arne Duncan, Barack Obama’s nominee to be secretary of education, pledged to work toward the president-elect’s goals of increasing the maximum Pell Grant and simplifying the process of applying for student aid during his confirmation hearing in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday.
“I don’t know if you’ve looked at the Fafsa lately,” Mr. Duncan said, referring to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, “but you basically need a Ph.D. to figure that thing out.”
“The form itself is a hindrance” to applying to college, he said in his remarks before the Senate education committee.
Mr. Duncan also promoted Mr. Obama’s plan to provide grants for work-force training to community colleges, saying two-year institutions “play a huge role in increasing access.” He also applauded Mr. Obama’s plan to offer a $4,000 tuition tax credit in exchange for community service and expand loan forgiveness for public service.
“What appealed to me was the idea of reciprocity, and mutual responsibility,” he said of the tax credit. “We give something to you, and you give back to the community to help out.”
Rewarding public service, he added, would “get the best and brightest in these fields,” so that “people who want to teach don’t have to go work on Wall Street” to pay off their student loans. In written remarks that he provided to lawmakers to supplement his testimony, Mr. Duncan said his “first priority” regarding student aid would be to “ensure that 100-percent access to student loans continues.”
But most of his remarks to the committee—and most of the questions from senators—focused on elementary and secondary education. That’s not surprising because Mr. Duncan is the head of Chicago’s public schools and because legislation to renew the No Child Left Behind Act is expected to be one of Congress’s top education priorities this session.
Encouraging Partnerships
Still, a handful of questions centered on issues important to colleges. Sen. Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, asked Mr. Duncan how he would encourage more students to major in fields in which there is a high need for more workers. Mr. Duncan blamed a “disconnect between the education and business communities” for the shortfall, and said both groups have a “moral obligation” to work together to change things.
Sen. Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island, a staunch supporter of the Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership, or LEAP, program, asked him if he would support the program, which matches each dollar that states commit to need-based aid. Mr. Duncan didn’t commit to an increase but said he “looked forward to doing everything we can to get more first-generation and low-income students in college.”
Sen. Lamar Alexander, a Republican from Tennessee who is a former university president and a former secretary of education, urged the nominee to consider “whether well-meaning rules and regulations interfere with college cost and quality.” Mr. Alexander has repeatedly argued that ever-multiplying federal regulations stifle colleges and make it harder for institutions to control costs.
Mr. Alexander did not get an answer on that issue from the nominee, but he praised Mr. Duncan, saying “Obama has made several appointments, and from my view, you are the best.”
For his part, Mr. Duncan offered only one criticism of colleges, suggesting in his written statement that institutions are partly to blame for poor retention rates among low-income students.
“Some responsibility may lie with their preparation, but it may also be that the college failed to provide the engaging courses and the support and guidance that would have led that student to a degree and a great future,” he wrote. “This is not only the student’s loss but the nation’s as well.”
Cynthia A. Littlefield, director of federal relations for the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, said she found the nominee’s mostly positive take on higher education “refreshing.” The departing secretary of education, Margaret Spellings, has been critical of colleges, despite praising their contributions to the economy.
“To begin an administration where higher ed is viewed in a positive light is manna to our ears,” she said.
Other lobbyists said they were slightly nervous about the nominee’s newness to higher education.
“It worries me a little,” said Angela Peoples, legislative director for the United States Student Association. “I like his ideas and his perspective, but I’m worried about his lack of experience.”
