Obama: Free community college for all
President Barack Obama revealed Thursday that he will propose free community college “for everybody who’s willing to work for it.
In what his advisers are calling a “State of the Union spoiler,” Obama announced the plan in a video recorded on Air Force One as he traveled from Detroit to Phoenix on the second leg of a three-state tour he kicked off Wednesday.
“It’s something that we can accomplish and it’s something that will train our workforce so that we can compete with anybody in the world,” Obama said, in the video released on the White House’s Facebook page.
Some political analysts say the presidential trip is an attempt to steal the spotlight from Republicans during their first full week in control of Congress.
Obama said in the video, directed to the American people, that he didn’t want to wait two weeks to start talking about “what I think we can accomplish together in 2015.”
The annual State of the Union Address will take place Jan. 20.
“... I hope we have a chance to make sure that Congress gets behind these kinds of efforts to ensure that even as we rebound and grow in 2015, that it benefits everybody and not just some,” Obama said.
The president did not reveal the cost of the plan, or how it would be funded.
“We heard the news today, and it’s very interesting. We’re watching to see what’s next,” said Mark Browning, vice president of community relations and marketing at North Idaho College, a community college based in Coeur d’Alene.
The White House blog at www.whitehouse.gov provided additional details.
The proposal, if fully implemented, is estimated to save a full-time community college student an average of $3,800 per year. It is expected to benefit about 9 million students annually provided they earn good grades and stay on track to graduate.
The following requirements are published on the White House blog:
n What students have to do
Students must attend community college at least half-time, maintain a 2.5 GPA, and make steady progress toward completing their program.
n What community colleges have to do
Community colleges will be expected to offer programs that are either 1) academic programs that fully transfer credits to local public four-year colleges and universities, or 2) occupational training programs with high graduation rates and lead to in-demand degrees and certificates. Community colleges must also adopt promising and evidence-based institutional reforms to improve student outcomes.
n What the federal government has to do
Federal funding will cover three-quarters of the average cost of community college. Participating states will be expected to contribute the remaining funds necessary to eliminate the tuition for eligible students.
The president will travel to Knoxville, Tenn., today where he will discuss the proposal in greater detail. His free community college plan is modeled after a similar program rolled out in Tennessee this year.