Dr. James T. Minor was appointed by the White House as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of Postsecondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education. James was selected to provide overall leadership and administration for federal programs designed to expand access to higher education, strengthen institutional capacity and to promote postsecondary innovation. He is responsible for administering and leveraging programs available for postsecondary institutions such as the State College Access Challenge Grants, GEAR-UP, Title III and Title V programs, The Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), and TRIO are a few programs totaling nearly $3 billion dollars annually. Currently his office is responsible for more than $7.5 billion in active grants across the nation and U.S. territories.
Prior to joining the U.S. Department of Education Dr. Minor served as the Director of Higher Education Programs at the Southern Education Foundation in Atlanta, Georgia while holding a faculty appointment at the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia. He served previously as an associate professor of higher education policy at Michigan State University and a Research Associate in the Pullias Center for Higher Education at the University of Southern California.
A native of Detroit, Dr. Minor earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Jackson State University, a M.A. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin Madison in Educational Policy Analysis and Leadership. In 2010 he received the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Education. His scholarly work has focused on academic governance, higher education policy, and improving institutional performance. He is also a recognized thought leader on Minority-Serving Institutions, higher education policy development as well as issues related to improving degree completion nationally. He has published numerous articles in journals such as the Review of Higher Education, Educational Researcher, Thought & Action, Academe, New Directions for Higher Education, and the American Educational Research Journal.
Dr. Minor continues to take an active role in educational reform. He has worked with and spoken to many school, community, and civic organizations to inspire social and educational advancement.