U.S. Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter will give the keynote address at the 2013 Higher Education Programs (HEP) Annual Project Directors Meeting at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 28, in Washington, D.C. Kanter will discuss the Obama Administration's second term education agenda and discuss strategies for meeting the President’s goal that the United States produce the world’s highest proportion of college graduates by the year 2020.
The meeting – which brings together some 4,000 grantees, national experts, and Education Department project directors who administer over $2 billion in grant funds each year — marks the first time ED has convened all the program grantees at one time for the myriad of programs housed in the Department’s Office of Postsecondary Education. These programs include the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, TRIO and GEAR UP, programs to strengthen HBCUs, HSIs, and others that support low-income and minority students, international education programs, and more. The meeting gives grantees an opportunity to share promising practices and learn from each other, as well as to meet with Department staff for technical assistance to guide their projects effectively.