Top Higher Education Post
In nominating James Kvaal to be under secretary of education
—the nation’s top official on policies affecting colleges and universities
—the Biden administration has selected a longtime education policy expert who has focused on increasing access for low-income and other underrepresented students. Kvaal, who must still be confirmed by the Senate, most recently served as president of the Institute for College Access & Success, where he has also called for greater oversight of for-profit colleges and universities and tried to bring attention to the role skyrocketing tuition has played in driving up student debt. During the Obama administration, Kvaal was a driving force behind some of Obama’s higher education policy achievements, such as overhauling the federal student loan system and expanding income-based repayment for student loans. He was also a key player in the administration’s regulatory battle with for-profit colleges, its attempt at rating colleges and Obama’s plan for free community college. (
Inside Higher Ed - Feb. 22, 2021)