West Hills College chancellor meets with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

Monday, November 25, 2013 - 12:31pm

Dr. Frank Gornick

U. S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan was in Chicago recently to meet with a handful of college leaders, including WHCCD Chancellor Frank Gornick who told him the one-size-fits-all approach to education coming from Washington is not the best fit for the Valley.

“I specifically addressed the issue of over-reliance on student loans for first generation community college students,” Gornick said, “and that greater flexibility to use work-study programs is essential to meeting the needs of our students.”

Gornick said Duncan was “genuinely interested in our points of view. Our discussion about federal policies that affect our colleges was extremely beneficial.” Gornick was one of about a dozen college leaders from around the country who were invited to meet with the Secretary while attending the College Affordability Roundtable, sponsored by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).