Mitt Romney, Republican candidate for president, has named University of Arkansas professor Robert Costrell to his advisory committee on education.
Costrell holds the Twenty-First Century Chair in Education Accountability in the College of Education and Health Professions. He joined the faculty in 2006 after a career that included seven years in major policy roles for three governors of Massachusetts. He was then-Gov. Romney’s education adviser.
Romney’s campaign said his Education Policy Advisory Group comprises 19 individuals with “deep and diverse experience in a variety of roles across K-12 education, postsecondary education, and workforce training in both the public and private sectors.”
Costrell was named a fellow in education reform at the George W. Bush Institute last year and previously served on the National Technical Advisory Council as an appointee of former U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings. He holds a doctorate in economics from Harvard. Much of his research centers on teacher pension reform.
University of Arkansas policy states that university employees have the right to engage in political activity. Costrell is not being paid for the advisory role in Romney’s campaign.
