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California Community College Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley will take a temporary position as special advisor to US Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, according to a ad leaders of the system on Monday.
Oakley will begin his role in the Biden administration on July 26 and return as chancellor in late fall. Vice-Chancellor Daisy Gonzales will assume the duties of Acting Chancellor in her absence.
Pamela Haynes, chairman of the system’s board of governors, called the move “a victory for California and the nation.”
“Responding to this call for service is recognition of the work our system is doing,” she said in the announcement.
Oakley became chancellor of California Community Colleges, which serve 2.1 million students on 116 campuses, in 2016. He also serves on the Board of Regents of the University of California system and was previously Superintendent and President of Long Beach City. Middle School.
He said he plans to help advance President Biden’s “very aggressive and comprehensive agenda” for higher education policy, including the administration’s efforts to make two years of community college free. nationwide, increase the Federal Pell Grant, put funds to increase student persistence and graduation rates, and support colleges and universities that welcome low-income students, students of color and first generation students.
“What I’d like to do is talk to individuals in all 50 states… and really focus on how these proposals together address the challenges that most working-class Americans face, especially in this post-pandemic economy, ”he said in a statement. interview. “It will be my priority, talking to ordinary Americans about why this is important, why it is not a Democratic or a Republican problem. It is a Central American problem. It is an American working class problem. . This is my hope and this is the message I am going to focus on. “
California’s community college system, like many community colleges across the country, has seen a staggering drop in enrollment during the pandemic. Enrollment fell 12% between fall 2019 and fall 2020, a loss of 186,688 students.
“The past year has certainly been a challenge, and I think that’s why it’s important to focus on resuming the types of communities served by California community colleges and community colleges across the country.” Oakley said. “It’s a sensitive time in California and across the country. And I think it’s also a critical time to ensure that the president’s agenda is adopted and implemented as soon as possible to help more Americans. to recover from the pandemic. “
He said the state’s community college system will experience a smooth leadership transition during his temporary leave and will not “skip a beat” with Gonzales at the helm.
Higher education leaders celebrated Oakley’s selection for the job.
Michele Siqueiros, president of the California Campaign for College Opportunity, said in a declaration that Oakley has had “an indelible impact on our community colleges through its support for student success and its dedication to closing the racial equity gap.” She was also excited that Gonzales would be acting Chancellor, the first Latina to hold the post in California’s community college system.
“Her appointment as acting chancellor of the nation’s largest community college system is monumental for students and good for California,” Siqueiros said in a statement. “She is a strong advocate for improving student outcomes and addressing the racial inequalities that persist in higher education.”
Walter Bumphus, president and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges, said he was initially surprised by Oakley’s decision to join Biden’s team because Oakley is such a “fixture. In the California community college system. Nonetheless, he was “extraordinarily happy”.
“Eloy is such a passionate person about student achievement and completion,” said Bumphus. “And he has the ability to work really well with others. He has such intelligence and such experience. He is a natural leader. People tend to want to follow him.
Bumphus also said Oakley has consistently focused on the needs of low-income students, which appears to be well aligned with the higher education priorities of the Biden administration.
Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, said Oakley’s selection is another sign of Biden’s commitment to community colleges and their mission.
“The Biden administration has from the start signaled its support for community colleges and has signaled its understanding of the importance of community colleges, and I think Eloy’s appointment strengthens that,” he said.
Mitchell added that he was “phenomenally excited” for both Oakley and Cardona to hear the news.
“They have with a date really brought into the department someone who is both a visionary and a really insightful performer,” he said. “I think Eloy will help immediately as the department and secretary work to put the finishing touches on Biden’s education plan.”
Mitchell described Oakley as “an important leader in understanding, building and promoting community colleges,” but also as someone capable of forging partnerships between two and four year institutions as a board member of administration of the University of California.
“In the world of higher education, it is often divided into silos between community colleges and state colleges and independent institutions,” he said. “Eloy sort of personally broke those silos and barriers. This kind of translation between the two-year system and the four-year system, it had a remarkable impact. “
As an example of Oakley’s leadership in bringing the two sectors together, he pointed out that Oakley created the Long Beach Promise program, which provides students with one year of free tuition at Long Beach City College and admission status. privileged at California State University after their transfer.
Larry Galizio, president and CEO of the Community College League of California, an association for community college leaders in the state, said Oakley’s time as head of the system would leave him well-equipped to manage the higher education policy at the federal level, given its work with state legislators and the diversity of California students and community colleges. He pointed out that the system encompasses both rural colleges and colleges in large cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles.
“I think the incredible diversity of students we have is representative of many states and the mission of community colleges,” he said.
For his part, Oakley said his stint as chancellor in a state like California gave him valuable experience and prepared him for his new role as an adviser.
“California is a big and complicated state,” he said. “We have urban communities, rural communities, communities of color, white middle class communities. So we have the range of communities, backgrounds and needs in California that I think will help me understand the different challenges people across the country face. “
Mitchell said California can be an indicator for the rest of the country in terms of economic and demographic changes, as a “majority-minority state” and “a state in which economic inequalities are increasing rather than decreasing.” He said Oakley comes to the job with “a little bit of knowledge” of what it means to lead amid these trends.
“We Californians often talk about California as the future of the country,” he said. “Eloy saw the future, and this is us.”
Galizio believes Oakley will continue to be “absolutely committed to diversity, equity and inclusion” in the new role of the department. He pointed to the California Community Colleges System Strategic Plan for the Chancellor’s Office as an example of Oakley’s priorities, and said “fairness permeates the entire policy, budget and advocacy structure.” . The objectives described in the Vision for the success plan include increasing graduation through guided pathways, increasing the rate of transfer of students to four-year institutions, and working with state legislators to expand financial assistance to cover expenses non-academic students.
“He is a cohesive voice for students and underserved communities, those who have been hit hardest by the pandemic,” said Galizio. “He changed the whole discussion at California Community Colleges and put diversity, equity and inclusion at the forefront of California Community Colleges’ concerns, and I imagine he will continue to do so at the federal level as well. . “
