2018: Obama Administration Under Secretary of Education Dr. Martha Kanter to Tour PGCC

Article by: Office of Communications and Marketing

For Immediate Release

LARGO, Md. (April 6, 2018) -  Former Under Secretary of Education and College Promise Campaign Executive Director Dr. Martha Kanter will tour Prince George’s Community College (PGCC) with PGCC President, Dr. Charlene Dukes on Monday, April 9. This event is part of the College Promise Campaign’s This is College initiative, showcasing the many career fields accessible to students through community colleges as part of its celebration of National Community College Awareness Month.

The event will feature a tour of some campus programs that prepare students for healthcare and other high-demand careers. Officials will tour PGCC’s innovative Center for Health Studies interdisciplinary simulation labs. They will also hear from first-semester nursing students doing patient assessment and from paramedic students doing airway assessment.

The campus visit will also include a roundtable discussion with local community leaders and students about Prince George County’s many programs expanding access to higher education, including its recently launched free college program, the Prince George’s County Promise Scholarship.

What: Tour of innovative PGCC’s programs followed by a roundtable discussion about the Prince George’s County Promise Scholarship.

When: Monday, April 9, 11:45 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Where: Prince George’s Community College, Kent Hall Room 262, 301 Largo Road, Largo, MD 20774

Who: College Promise Campaign Executive Director Martha Kanter; Prince George’s Community College President Dr. Charlene Dukes; Dean of Health, Business, and Public Service Angela Anderson.

Why: To showcase the innovative programs at Prince George’s Community College and to discuss the Prince George’s County Promise Scholarship, part of a growing national movement to make a community college education as universal and free as high school.

About Prince George’s Community College:
Named a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance designated by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security (2015-2020), Prince George’s Community College (PGCC) provides high-quality education and training for the progressive and career-oriented residents of Prince George’s County. From new high school graduates and career seekers to more seasoned professionals and senior citizens looking to enhance their skillsets, PGCC is comprised of students who represent a wide range of ages, backgrounds, and goals. Serving nearly 40,000 individuals annually, the college is the first choice for higher education for residents of Prince George’s County. Collaborative partnerships, responsive degree and training programs, and a commitment to student success enable PGCC to address diverse education and workforce development demands. For more information, visit the college website at www.pgcc.edu. Prince George’s Community College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104; (267-284-5000); www.msche.org.The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation.

About College Promise Campaign:
The College Promise Campaign is a nonpartisan, nonprofit higher education initiative that builds widespread support for funding the first two years of a community college education for all hardworking students. Chaired by Dr. Jill Biden and former Governor Jim Geringer (R-WY), the Campaign works to build broad public support that community college education is an investment in America’s future and a necessary continuation of K-12 education. In the 21st century, a high school diploma is no longer enough to lead Americans to a good job and decent quality of life. CPC is an initiative of Civic Nation, a 501(c)(3) organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes. Learn more about the College Promise and the Campaign at CollegePromise.org.

About Dr. Martha Kanter:
Dr. Martha Kanter leads the College Promise Campaign’s national initiative to increase college access, affordability, quality, and completion in American higher education, starting in the nation’s community colleges. She is also a Senior Fellow at New York University’s Steinhardt Institute for Higher Education Policy. She specializes in policy efforts to identify innovative education interventions, financing models and behavioral incentives at the local, state and national levels to raise America’s high school and college graduation rates from two and four-year colleges and universities. Her academic interests include: The Confluence of Access, Equity and Excellence; The Intersection of Policy and Politics in American Higher Education; and The Contributions of America's Community Colleges to the Nation's Social Fabric, Civic Future and Economy. In 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Kanter to serve as the U.S. Under Secretary of Education, with oversight responsibility for all federal postsecondary statutory, regulatory, and administrative policies and programs for the U.S. Department of Education, including the $175B annual federal student aid programs, higher education, adult education, career-technical education, international education and 6 White House Initiatives. From 2009-2013, serving under U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Kanter and her team took bold steps to increase college access, affordability, quality and completion to implement President Obama's goal to have the best educated, most competitive workforce in the world by 2020. She oversaw the successful implementation of the Direct Student Loan program that resulted in a 50-percent increase in the college enrollment of low-income students, growing from 6 to more than 9 million Pell Grant recipients. Previously, Kanter served as President of De Anza College and then Chancellor of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District for sixteen years. She began her career as an alternative high school teacher. She holds a B.A. degree in Sociology from Brandeis University, an M.Ed. from Harvard University, and an Ed.D. from the University of San Francisco.