- Dems balk at plan to move CTE programs to DOL
- Houston Community College has a new name
- Stout to step down as ATD chief next summer
- MassBay recognized for its cybersecurity programs
Dems balk at plan to move CTE programs to DOL
Congressional Democrats are calling on the Trump administration to halt its efforts to transfer career and technical education (CTE) programs from the Education Department (ED) to the Department of Labor (DOL).
House and Senate Democratic leaders this week sent a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon calling the proposed move — which would pertain to CTE programs under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act as well as adult education programs — illegal.
“Perkins CTE and adult education are education programs whose purpose is to expand educational opportunities to youth and adults,” the June 18 letter says. “Any attempt to move these programs to Labor would fundamentally alter the purposes of those programs and risk turning them into short-term job training programs, no different than those that are funded under WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act). Most importantly, it would upend decades of work that took place at the state and local level to embed CTE programs into secondary and postsecondary offerings and improve the quality of CTE and adult education.”
The lawmakers added that ED’s attempt to transfer administration of grant funding for CTE programs to DOL while maintaining some policy functions at ED would create more inefficiency and trouble for everyone who depends on the programs.
If Trump administration has ideas for changing which agency should administer CTE programs, then it needs to propose them to Congress through the normal legislative process, the Democrats said. The letter was signed by House Education and Workforce Committee ranking member Bobby Scott (D-Virginia), House Appropriations subcommittee ranking member Rosa DeLauro (D-Connecticut), Senate Appropriations vice chair Patty Murray (D-Washington) and Senate Appropriations subcommittee ranking member Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin).
The interagency agreement was disclosed during a recent status report regarding ED’s efforts to comply with a court’s preliminary injunctions related to operations of the department. Joining the lawmakers in opposition to the plan are several CTE advocates, including the Association for Career and Technical Education and Advance CTE.
Houston Community College has a new name
Houston Community College (HCC) is changing its name to Houston City College to more accurately reflect its expanding academic offerings, which include four-year degrees.
The HCC board of trustees on Wednesday voted 6-3 to approve the name change, which is effective immediately.
“This new name reflects our expanding mission of offering baccalaureate degrees while maintaining the value and qualities people know and expect from HCC,” Chancellor Margaret Ford Fisher said in a release. “As Houston City College, we will continue to provide quality, affordable instruction through certificates, associate and baccalaureate degrees at a community college price. This new name represents all the communities the college represents and positions the institution to serve with a ‘local focus and global reach.’”
HCC leaders had been considering the name change since August 2024. In 2022, HCC’s accreditor approved the college’s proposal to offer workforce-focused bachelor of applied science degrees. The inaugural graduates from these programs received diplomas in May, according to the college.
Stout to step down as ATD chief next summer
Karen A. Stout, who has led Achieving the Dream (ATD) since July 2015 and expanded its programming to help community colleges better serve their students, will step down as the organization’s president and CEO next summer on June 30.
Stout said in a release that her decision to step away as “a self-imposed sabbatical” to give her the time and space to determine how and where she can continue to make a difference.
“With Dr. Stout’s leadership, ATD has transformed from a small nonprofit advancing a narrowly focused reform strategy to a comprehensive organization that supports campus-wide institutional change by focusing on student success through college completion and beyond,” said Gregory D. Williams, president of Odessa College (Texas) and chair of the ATD board of directors.
ATD’s network includes more than 300 community colleges and 33 tribal colleges and universities, according to the organization.
In 2022, Stout received the American Association of Community Colleges Leadership Award and entered its Hall of Fame. In 2024, she received the prestigious Robert Zemsky Medal for Innovation in Higher Education from the University of Pennsylvania.
Prior to ATD, Stout was president of Montgomery County Community College (Pennsylvania), where she served for more than 14 years, beginning in 2001.
MassBay recognized for its cybersecurity programs
Massachusetts Bay Community College (MassBay) is the first community college in the state and the fourth in New England to earn the Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense designation.
The National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity give the designation to higher education institutions seen as instrumental in helping to reduce threats to the national infrastructure by promoting higher education and research in cyber defense, as well as providing the nation with a pipeline of qualified cybersecurity professionals, according to a release. Nationally, only 429 colleges and universities have the designation.
“Our cybersecurity programs are cutting-edge, and we have been educating the country’s future workforce to protect our privacy and the national cyber infrastructure for many years now,” said MassBay President David Podell.
MassBay is not only training the next generation of cybersecurity professionals, but it is also strengthening the state and country’s workforce, economy and national security, added Gov. Maura Healey.
