Education Secretary Announces National Commission on Future of Higher Education

U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings has announced the formation of a national commission that will make recommendations for ensuring that the nation’s higher-education system remains the best in the world.

The commission, which includes university presidents, corporate executives, policy-makers and researchers, is scheduled to submit a final report next August.

Speaking at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, Spellings said, “We need a coordinated approach to meet rising enrollment numbers and new economic demands.”

The secretary noted that the commission will tackle questions such as:

• How can we ensure that college is affordable and accessible?
• How well are institutions of higher education preparing our students to compete in the global economy?

Spellings noted that, even though federal dollars make up about one-third of the nation’s total annual investment in higher education, “we don’t ask a lot of questions about what we’re getting for our investment.”