This post was written by Hatchet reporter Ari Boyarsky

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan committed to improving access to high-quality education at an Asian American student conference on campus Friday.

Duncan, the chair of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, gave the keynote address of the East Coast Asian American Student Union’s conference in the Smith Center.

The former chief executive officer of the Chicago public school system, Duncan grew up in Hyde Park, a neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side where President Barack Obama also lived for more than two decades. Duncan said witnessing the disparity between different city neighborhoods inspired him to pursue a career in education.

“Education can be either the great equalizer or continue the system of have’s and have not’s, and the only solution is high-quality education for everyone,” Duncan said.

Kiran Ahuja, executive director of the White House initiative, moderated the discussion between Duncan and students. A longtime leader in the Asian American and Pacific Islander women community, she turned the conversation toward civil and minority rights.

Duncan took a tough stance on bullying, noting recent high-profile student suicides.

“Where school districts are not taking [civil rights violations and mental health issues] seriously, we will move in and work to fix these systems. This needs to be dealt with openly or it will continue,” Duncan said.

Organizers expect the weekend-long, 36th annual conference, which will offer workshops to help students find their passion for particular causes, to draw more than 1,000 Asian-American and Pacific Islander students to D.C.

During Duncan’s time in office, the federal government has implemented an income-based student loan repayment program and expanded the Pell Grant program.

But he said the country is far from achieving the Obama administration’s goal for the U.S. to produce the highest percentage of college graduates in the world by 2020. Duncan said the nation “has not dropped but stagnated in college graduation rates.”

Duncan also urged states to invest more in higher education to help control costs.

“I have talked to many college students who wanted to going into teaching, but just couldn’t because of $60,000 to $70,0000 in debt,” he said.