Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

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Use Restrictions

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Preferred Citation

Records of the Virginia Office of the Secretary of Education, 2018-2022, Accession 53508. State Records Collection, Library of Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Office of the Secretary of Education, Patrick Henry Building, 1111 E. Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, 23219. Accession 53508 transferred and accessioned on January 6, 2022.

Processing Information

Processing archivist imposed a general series and subseries order given the absence of usable order.

Biographical Information

The Secretary of Education assists the Governor of Virginia in the development and implementation of the state's education policy. The secretary provides guidance to 16 colleges and universities, the Virginia Community College System, five higher education and research centers, the Department of Education, the state-supported museums, and other agencies in the Education Secretariat. All secretaries are appointed by the governor.

This collection includes material from the Secretary of Education, Atif Qarni, during the administration of Governor Ralph S. Northam (2018-2022). The Secretariat of Education directed policy for education programs that involve multiple agencies including: Department of Education, Library of Virginia, Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia, Gunston Hall, Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Science Museum of Virginia and Virginia Commission for the Arts. While Virginia's Colleges and Universities are semi-autonomous, the Secretary of Education also plays a role in directing state policy for the following: Virginia Community Colleges, Christopher Newport University, George Mason University, James Madison University, Longwood University, Mary Washington University, Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University, Radford University, Richard Bland College, University of Virginia, Commonwealth University, Virginia Military Institute, Virginia State University, Virginia Tech, College of William and Mary, Roanoke Higher Education Center, Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, and State Council of Higher Education.

Some of the major education initiatives of the Governor's secretariat during these years included Virginia is for Learners, championing K-12 and higher education reforms through programs such as #RealCollege, and investing in public Historically Black Colleges and Universities. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Qarni led the COVID-19 Education Response and Recovery Task Force.

Governor Ralph Northam named Atif Qarni as Secretary of Education on January 6, 2018. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Qarni served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps, followed by teaching at Beville Middle School, Prince William County for ten years. Atif Qarni resigned as secretariat in November 2021. Governor Northam appointed the deputy secretary, Fran Bradford, as the new secretary to finish the remainder of Governor Northam's term ending January 2022.

Scope and Content

The Records of the Virginia Secretary of Education contain the work of the Secretary of Education, Atif Qarni, under Governor Ralph Northam, 2018-2022. The records document the development and implementation of the various educational initiatives of the Northam administration including: K-12 and higher education reforms through programs such as #RealCollege, the work of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), the Tech Talent Pipeline Initiative, and investing in public Historically Black Colleges and Universities. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Qarni led the COVID-19 Education Response and Recovery Task Force. The types of material include agendas, articles, briefings, correspondence, e-mails, grants, handouts, legislation, lists, memorandums, minutes, notes, presentations, press releases, reports, speeches, studies, and surveys.

Arrangement

The records are arranged into four series beginning with subject files, followed by decision briefs, then correspondence, and finally, electronic records.

Where appropriate, the files in each subseries are arranged alphabetically (subject files and correspondence) or chronologically (decision briefs).