Oregon's Student Success Act promises a big increase in education
funding over the next two years. However, higher education was not
included in that bill and many college students will face another
tuition hike this fall. At a time when a post-secondary education is
required for a vast majority of jobs, why is Oregon investing so little
in our future workforce?

Join us as we examine higher education policy in Oregon and consider the
opportunities for a stronger higher education system in the future.

Speakers

Ben
Cannon is the executive director of the Higher Education Coordinating
Commission. In this position, Cannon oversees state funding allocations,
policy-setting, and coordination for Oregon’s higher education system,
including community colleges and public universities. Cannon is a former
teacher, state representative, and education policy advisor to the
Governor. Elected three times to the Oregon House of Representatives
(2006-2011), he chaired House committees with jurisdiction over
environment, energy, and water policy, and served on committees related
to health care and education. From 2003 to 2011, he taught humanities to
middle school students at the Arbor School of Arts and Education. He
earned his BA from Washington University, St. Louis, and attended Oxford
University, England, on a Rhodes Scholarship, earning graduate degrees
in comparative and international education and philosophy, politics, and
economics.  

Mark Mitsui
is the president of Portland Community College. Previously, President
Mitsui served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Colleges
within the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education for the U.S.
Department of Education. In Washington he worked to advance President
Obama’s community college agenda through partnerships with numerous
federal agencies and national stakeholders. In this capacity he co-led
the My Brother’s Keeper Postsecondary Completion interagency team
working to improve college access and completion for the nation’s young
men of color.

Before serving in the Obama administration, he was president of North
Seattle College in Washington state from 2010 to 2013. In 2013, he was
honored with the Rhonda Quash Coates Award for contributions to the
Multicultural Student Services Directors Council of Washington state.

President Mitsui holds a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from
Western Washington University, and completed a master’s degree and
doctoral studies in Education at the University of Washington.