President Obama announced in his State of the Union Address on Jan. 20 his intentions “to lower the cost of community college – to zero.” The President announced his plan in front of a new Congress, just weeks after Republicans took control of the Senate. also This proposal would provide two years of community college for free to students who meet the criteria.
According to a White House press release, students will need to attend half-time, maintain a 2.5 GPA, and progress through their education within three years.
Community colleges, like Delta, have been praised by the Obama administration for offering affordable tuition, open admissions and convenient class schedules. The proposal will increase federal spending by $60 billion over ten years and cover 75 percent of student tuition costs, with states being called on to cover the remaining 25 percent.
The President modeled his plan on similar initiatives already practiced on the state level, such as the Tennessee Promise, a program that offers free community college tuition to any student who graduates high school. Since enacting the program in 2014 community college enrollment has swelled in the state. Tennessee has seen recieved over 58,000 applicants, more than twice as many as analysts expected.
To pay for the proposal the President plans to close tax loopholes and reform the tax code on existing college loans and trusts. The President also hopes to raise funds by raising the taxation of capital gains investments to the same rate it was under President Reagan.
Offering two years of community college for free will open up a lot of doors for young Americans who may otherwise not be able to attend college. The Obama administration estimates that the plan could cover over 9 million students, saving each $3,900 in tuition costs a year.
In order for the United States to continue competing in an era of information, the American workforce requires the highest degree of education possible. As the country begins showing signs of economic activity not seen since before the recession, there is no better time for America to invest in its workforce.
According to a study by Georgetown University, in 2020 30 percent of jobs will require some college experience or an associate’s degree, and 35 percent of jobs will require a bachelor’s degree or higher. For Americans joining the workforce today, a college education is becoming as important as a high school diploma.
“By the end of this decade two in three job openings will require some higher education, two and three,” the President said in his address. “And yet we still live in a country where too many bright striving Americans are priced out of the education they need”
The importance of the President’s plan has not so much to do with just this particular proposal, but with the conversation it has sparked across the country. For the first time in recent memory American’s are openly discussing their rights in regard to higher education.
The cost of tuition is rising across the country; in the fall of 2014 Delta College Board of Trustees members voted to raise tuition by $2.80 a credit hour. While financial aid and Pell Grants continue to offer relief for low income Americans, the rising cost of tuition coupled with skyrocketing student loan debt is threatening to unravel America’s commitment to higher education.
Something has to be done; this is a first step. Lowering the cost of entry-level education will give students more time to prepare for the costs of their education, and inspire millions to further their own goals. By treating education as a right for all, we will chip away the walls of inequality and build a better future for American workers.
-By GREGORY HORNER, Staff Reporter.
