As deputy assistant education secretary for community colleges with the Education Department, Dr. Frank Chong sees his main responsibilities as listening to and promoting two-year public colleges. With students of color relying heavily on this sector in a struggling economy, raising college graduation rates for diverse populations is never far from his mind.
“If you raise the bar and provide support services, all students can achieve at a high level,” he said in a recent interview with Diverse. “We see community colleges as the way to increase the number of degrees so that our communities will be well-trained for high-paying jobs.”
More than a year into his tenure at the Education Department, Chong describes the job as a “whirlwind” that has included legislative battles in Washington, D.C., and listening tours to 25 states. During that time, Congress approved a $2 billion grant program for community colleges—albeit less than the $12 billion originally proposed—while federal programs faced uncertainty first with a threatened government shutdown and then a potential default.
Given significant cutbacks in state funding for higher education, the $2 billion in new federal money for community colleges is “much needed,” he says. In visiting 25 states, Chong says he was pleasantly surprised to find sector leaders who were hopeful for the future.
“I had expected to find people who were demoralized. Instead, people are focused on getting students through the pipeline,” he said. “I think there’s a great amount of optimism.”
Chong, 53, brings a variety of skills to his current job. His background as a member of the San Francisco Board of Education and as an aide to former California House Speaker Willie Brown gives him formidable political skills. His tenure as president of two community colleges, most recently Laney College in Oakland, Calif., gives him detailed knowledge of needs in the two-year sector.
Among his top priorities are acceleration strategies so students can move quickly through a two-year degree or certificate program. Acceleration strategies also can combine college-level courses with remedial skill-building. Nearly two-thirds of students entering community colleges need remediation, Chong says, complicating the college plans of many students since they may have to brush up on skills they should have mastered in high school.
