“For millions of Americans, community colleges are essential pathways to the middle-class because they’re local, they’re flexible.”
This is how President Obama introduced his new plan, America’s College Promise, to a crowd at Pellissippi Community College Jan. 9 in Knoxville, Tenn.
“I’m announcing an ambitious new plan to bring down the cost of community college tuition in America,” Obama says. “I want to make it free. Community colleges should be free for those willing to work for it—because in America, a quality education cannot be a privilege that is reserved for a few. I think it’s a right for everybody who’s willing to work for it.”
With such a large task at hand with this roughly $60 billion plan, some are wondering what exactly it entails, and what it means for the average college student.
Obama has ensured students that this proposition “isn’t a blank check.” He has explained that this free community college will be given only to those who are “willing to work for it.”
Obama considers this to be those who attend community college at least half-time, can maintain a 2.5 GPA and “make steady progress toward completing their program.”
Thus, it is easy to see how this proposition will become very appealing to students who are entering college and don’t want to have a lifetime of debt on their hands. Under this plan, more students might be inclined to enter into the realm of higher education.
“(This plan) might end up attracting more students overall,” says Martha Stolze, dean of admission at North Central College. “Students who otherwise would not have attended college at all might then decide to pursue their bachelor’s degree after they complete a free two years.”
As community colleges give students an opportunity to receive a higher education at a lower cost, the push towards colleges with this plan may benefit many students.
“It was so much cheaper,” says senior David Sutton, reflecting on his time at Waubonsee Community College. “It allowed me to really focus on what I wanted to do academically and where I wanted to go with my degree, without having to worry about some of the other costs.”
Sutton says that attending a community college before going to a four-year school gave him an opportunity to explore without having the financial burdens that are typically associated with college. Sutton says that community colleges offer a way for students who want to start their college careers, but who might not have the financial means, a chance to do so.
Additionally, receiving some type of college degree, whether it’s an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree, has become increasingly important in today’s job market. With the annual unemployment rate at 5.7 percent, the rate among those over 25 years-of-age with some college or an associate’s degree is at 5.2 percent, while the rate among those with a bachelor’s degree or higher drops even lower, to 2.8 percent.
These figures indicate that any amount of higher education increases a person’s chances of employment, which is one of Obama’s main objectives with this plan.
In terms of the roles that community and four-year colleges could play among each other under this plan, Earl Dowling, vice president for student affairs at the College of DuPage, a community college located in Glen Ellyn, Ill., says that the partnership between these schools could grow even more. As the two types of schools will have to work even more closely with each other to ensure an ease of transfer, Dowling said, “It’s going to enhance a nice relationship that we’ve had for a long time.”
Despite all of the positive aspects of this plan, however, some believe that it might not be the savior that it appears to be.
To start, the financial burdens that are taken off students under this plan are then put on the state and federal governments to cover. Under this plan, the federal government would cover 75 percent of each student’s tuition, while participating states would have to make up the remaining 25 percent. Therefore, this responsibility could deter states that can’t afford this from participating in the program.
Additionally, this plan could put more stress and strain on community colleges than some are prepared to handle.
Not only will community colleges have to ensure that they are properly staffed, well-equipped and have enough space for any increase in incoming students that they might experience, this plan also calls for these colleges to “offer programs that either (1) are academic programs that fully transfer to local public four-year colleges and universities… or (2) are occupational training programs with high graduation rates and that lead to degrees and certificates that are in demand among employers” (whitehouse.gov).
Overall, this plan asks community colleges to better meet their student’s needs and to increase their graduation rates.
“Some community colleges will have to do a better job of helping their students become more successful,” Dowling explains.
“I think there are some community college professors who do a really good job, and take it very seriously and want to engage students and take them to the next level,” Sutton says.
Despite this, however, Sutton does explain that there are some community college professors who tend to use a more high school level structure, which he says does not help to prepare the students for four-year colleges. “When I came (to North Central), there was still a little bit more expectation on the students compared to the community college level.”
Asking community colleges to improve their programs is not at all bad, of course, but perhaps it’s something that some of them will have to work hard on over the course of the coming years. These colleges, then, would not be prepared to participate in this plan at this time.
In addition to this, any program that does not fall under one of the two categories mentioned above will not be eligible for free tuition, which could exclude some students who need the financial help, but who are looking at different programs.
Along with a shift in the student population at four-year colleges, this plan could also affect how some people view expensive schools.
Stolze says, “the challenge for four-year institutions, as their tuitions increase every year, is to be able to explain to prospective students and their families why we feel that we are the better value, and why it’s worth paying more.”
“Right now, to attend a community college, for most students, is a much more economical option,” Stolze continues. “But students see the value of attending a four-year institution… There’s something to be said for doing all four years at the same institution in terms of the community you’re able to build (and) the relationships that you’re able to foster with faculty members.”
Regardless of the many ways in which this plan can be viewed, the question now is whether or not it will get through Congress.
As of now, it does not look as though Congress has any real intention of passing this plan. Some of their key players are instead urging individual states and cities to create such programs on their own, such as Tennessee and the city of Chicago have recently done, rather than making it an unanimous, nationwide decision that they believe the country can’t afford (cnn.com).
Although this plan seems unlikely to pass in the near-feature, it nevertheless brings attention to the benefits of a higher education to the American people.
As Stolze says, “the long-term economic health of the country depends on having a well-educated citizenry.”
