CHEA President Cynthia Jackson Hammond Appointed as a Commissioner to the Council on Higher Education as a Strategic Asset (HESA)
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – AMENDED ON SEPTEMBER 14, 2023
Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) President Cynthia Jackson Hammond Has
Been Appointed as a Commissioner to the Council on Higher Education as a Strategic Asset (HESA)
The Council on Higher Education convenes top U.S. leaders to recommend
new models for higher education policy, funding, and collaboration
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) today announced that President Cynthia Jackson Hammond has been appointed as a commissioner to the Council on Higher Education as a Strategic Asset (HESA). In this role, she will advise HESA in efforts to develop and propose recommendations for ensuring that higher education institutions can deliver the workforce and educated citizenry necessary to address the United States’ most critical national priorities.
“As the voice for higher education institutional quality and as the authoritative validation of the highest educational academic standards, CHEA’s mission closely aligns with HESA,” said CHEA President Cynthia Jackson Hammond. “It is our goal to ensure that higher education institutions’ contributions to students, families and the public are clear and significant, which, ultimately, will help to deliver a highly educated and high-quality workforce.”
Historically, higher education has been central to national prosperity and security, especially during periods of intense industrial and technological progress. According to the National Governors Association, the United States currently has more than 10 million job openings, but only 5.7 million unemployed workers are actively looking for work. Many of these open positions, including in crucial areas such as health care, cybersecurity, data analytics, engineering, and more, require specific skills and specialized educational programs that higher education institutions offer to students.
As other nations readily embrace higher education as a strategic asset to strengthen their global competitive positions, the United States must develop new approaches at speed and scale to ensure it remains competitive. HESA’s goals are to maximize the impact of higher education not only on U.S. national security and democratic strength but also the economic prosperity of its population.
HESA plans to deliver its recommendations to the president of the United States and targeted members of the administration, select members of the U.S. Congress, state governors and legislators, and higher education governing boards and chief executive officers by June 2024.
About CHEA: The Council for Higher Education Accreditation serves its members, students; and society through advocacy for the value and independence of accreditation, recognition of accrediting organizations, and commitment to quality in higher education. To learn more, visit CHEA.org.
About HESA: The Council on Higher Education as a Strategic Asset is a multi-sector coalition focused on ensuring America’s global competitive position by proposing new models for higher education policy, funding, and collaboration to develop the human capital required to support our national interests at speed and scale. Working with our nation’s leaders, HESA’s goal is to maximize the impact of higher education on global competitiveness, national security, democratic strength, and economic prosperity. For more information, visit HESAUS.org.
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Contact: Jeanne Hamrick, Director of Communications, 202-372-9258, [email protected]
About CHEA: The Council for Higher Education Accreditation serves its members, students; and society through advocacy for the value and independence of accreditation, recognition of accrediting organizations, and commitment to quality in higher education. To learn more, visit CHEA.org.
About HESA: The Council on Higher Education as a Strategic Asset is a multi-sector coalition focused on ensuring America’s global competitive position by proposing new models for higher education policy, funding, and collaboration to develop the human capital required to support our national interests at speed and scale. Working with our nation’s leaders, HESA’s goal is to maximize the impact of higher education on global competitiveness, national security, democratic strength, and economic prosperity. For more information, visit HESAUS.org.
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Contact: Jeanne Hamrick, Director of Communications, 202-372-9258, [email protected]