Obama, Biden Promise Support for Community Colleges

According to CNN, over the past few years, community colleges have seen a 24 percent jump in enrollment. But with the recent recession, colleges have no choice but to cut back on certain courses. This, in turn, is putting limits on enrollment.
“Unfortunately, because of the burden the recession has placed on state and local budgets, community colleges have been forced to cap enrollments and scrap courses, and even in the best of times, they receive far less funding than four-year colleges and universities,” President Obama told his Economic Recovery Advisory Board at a meeting on Monday.
With America’s unemployed workers seeking higher education at community colleges, this issue became the main topic at a White House summit, which took place on Tuesday. The meeting was hosted by Dr. Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Biden, and a community college professor. Biden and other participants at the meeting discussed the positive affect that community colleges have in contributing to America’s workforce.
“Today’s summit is an important next step in our efforts to meet the President’s goal of having the best educated, most competitive workforce in the world by the end of this decade,” Biden said.
By the year 2020, Obama wants America to gain another 5 million community college degrees and certificates. To boost the graduation rate, the president has proposed $12 billion in spending towards community colleges over a span of several years. More recently, the president signed a legislation that will give community colleges $2 billion over the next four years.
Biden hopes that this spending will help Americans get closer to their dreams of a higher education.
“For more and more people, community colleges are the way to the future,” Biden said. “They’re giving real opportunity to students who otherwise wouldn’t have it. They’re giving hope to families who thought the American Dream was slipping away.”
Via The Washington Post and CNN
Also read:
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Minority and Community Colleges Helped by Education Reform Act
Obama Makes Community Colleges a Budget Priority