The White House Summit

Career College Central summary:

President Obama will convene a meeting with more than 100 college and university presidents Thursday — a chance for his administration to pivot away from its stalled legislative agenda to executive actions and also a rare opportunity for White House-level attention for a large group of academic leaders.
Not only is such a large gathering of college leaders by the U.S. president unusual, but it also comes as the administration’s push on accountability in higher education has rankled many of very same leaders with whom Obama will share space with at the summit on Thursday. Private college presidents have been among the most vocal critics of the administration’s proposed, but still largely undefined, college ratings system.
Administration officials have said in planning meetings with college presidents that Thursday’s event, however, is unrelated to the work the Education Department is doing to develop metrics for its ratings system.
The summit Thursday will focus instead on improving college access for low-income students — a cause that aligns with the focus of the First Lady Michelle Obama’s new outreach to underprivileged students to encourage them to apply for and attend college. Both President Obama and the First Lady will address college leaders in the daylong sum
For-profit college leaders were excluded from the event. The Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities issued a statement Tuesday saying it was "unfortunate" that the Obama administration had not extended an invitation to its members.

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