In Nicholas Kent, Education Department Lands a Tremendous Asset
Preston Cooper
August 5, 2025
Last Friday, the US Senate confirmed Nicholas Kent as Under Secretary of Education, a top Education Department official who will oversee the agency’s work on postsecondary education. Kent’s distinguished career in higher education policy—previously, he served as Deputy Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia—renders him ideally suited to confront the unique challenges the Department faces today.
Kent’s first letter to Education Department staff lays out his top priorities. Citing flagging public confidence in colleges and universities, Kent says about the Department:
We must right the ship of higher education to better serve students, employers, and taxpayers. High school graduates should enter college with a clear direction. The taxpayer money spent on their education should have a direct impact on their ability to contribute to the workforce.
