Adam Kissel's Appointment Reflects Brilliantly on the Trump Administration

A friend just forwarded an article in Reason.com about  Education Secretary Betsy DeVos's appointment of Adam Kissel to deputy assistant secretary for higher education programs.  I worked with Adam on a grant several years ago when he was with the Charles G. Koch Foundation, and he was professional, knowledgeable, and effective. He had previously worked for the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, where he also had done important work.  Adam combines a restrained brilliance with integrity and a commitment to civil liberties. President Trump's appointments of Deputy Assistant Secretary Kissel, Secretary DeVos, and regulatory czar Neomi Rao augur well for the course the Trump administration will take.

My Letter to Secretary De Vos In Support of Gail Heriot's Nomination

PO Box 130

West Shokan, NY 12494

February 18, 2017

The Honorable Betsy Devos

Secretary of Education

US Department of Education

400 Maryland Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20202

Sent by First Class Mail and Email

Dear Ms. Devos:

This is a letter in support of your appointing Gail Heriot to head of the Office for Civil Rights.  As a member of the National Association of Scholars, I have learned with dismay about abuses under Title IX.  As well, I have been concerned about overreach in a variety of areas, including sexual assault and the current obsession with transgender students.  

I briefly corresponded with Professor Heriot last year because I admire her brilliance and courage. There is no better choice.

Frankly, I prefer to see a demotion of the Department of Education to the level of an office within another cabinet-level department and a closure of the Office for Civil Rights. These are state-level responsibilities, which the federal government has bungled.  However, given that the Department of Education will be with us, there is no better choice than Professor Heriot.

Sincerely,

Professor Mitchell Langbert