White House, and Kushner, Dig Into Higher Ed
Source: Inside Higher Ed
Office led by President Trump's son-in-law holds a series of meetings on higher education policy, signaling high-level attention from the administration.
By Andrew Kreighbaum
August 10, 2018
As the Department of Education refines the next phase of its higher education agenda, the White House is apparently weighing in on the new policy direction. ... The special office headed by Jared Kushner, a senior adviser to and the son-in-law of President Trump, held a meeting last week with officials from the department, outside higher ed groups and funders of postsecondary research, with accreditation at the center of discussions. The topic reflects the focus of a new round of rule making recently announced by the department, which wants to rethink the role of accreditors as gatekeepers of federal student aid.
The meeting, one of several to take place recently, also signals a closer interest in higher education policy by the White House, which for the first year and a half of the Trump administration has largely limited its interest in postsecondary policy to work-force training issues like apprenticeships.
Among those in attendance at the meeting last week were Diane Auer Jones, the top higher ed official at the Department of Education; Michael Poliakoff, president of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni; and a representative from Strada Education Network, a nonprofit that uses philanthropic investments to identify improved pathways from education to employment.
A spokeswoman for the department confirmed that the White House had held a series of recent meetings focused on higher education and that department officials have been at the table for each. ... Lucia Weathers, a spokeswoman for Strada, said the nonprofit was invited to participate in a small group discussion by the White House Office of American Innovation, which Kushner directs. Because the discussion itself was off the record, she said Strada could not share details about the talks.
Read more: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/08/10/kushner-team-convened-higher-ed-meeting-white-house-focused-accreditation
You can see why Betsy DeVos would be concerned that schools need accreditation. Lack of accreditation could derail a lot of scam schools, the only purpose of which is to fleece students.
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Bring back Trump U and give them student loans. Argh! 
