Toe the Line: Penn Democrats | Obama's State of the Union address: Community College proposal

By Jana Korn 02/03/15 10:47pm

On Jan. 8, President Obama announced his America’s College Promise proposal — a plan to make community college free for all American students as another step toward making a college degree the norm across the country. The administration pledged to work alongside state governments and responsible, hardworking students to make the first two years of college free. The proposal requires that students maintain a minimum GPA and remain enrolled at least part time at the college.

President Obama’s proposal comes at a time when states are investing less and less in higher education. Both student debt and the necessity of a college degree are growing, and students who may have once had the chance to go to college are slipping through the cracks because of the financial burden of a degree. If the proposal was implemented nationwide, it would level the playing field by saving approximately 9 million students each an average of $3,800 per year.

In the coming years, the number of jobs requiring at least an associate degree are projected to grow twice as fast as jobs requiring no college experience. These are jobs that are often closed off to low- and middle-income students. Two years at a community college are uniquely able to prepare students for the fastest-growing jobs sectors because of their ability to partner with employers to tailor training programs to meet specific economic needs. These programs include nursing, health information technology and advanced manufacturing. President Obama’s proposal helps to give a fair shot at these essential jobs and ensures that students who work hard and persevere will not be turned away from higher education because of the financial burden of the two to four years of tuition.

Although at one point in time the United States had the best educated workforce in the world, other countries are now catching up. In order to once again lead the world in education, the U.S. must provide students with the higher education that can and will meet the demands of the growing and changing global economy. The administration’s proposal is a strong step in helping the country meet these new challenges.

The President himself put it best during his State of the Union address as he discussed the proposal, saying, “Will we accept an economy where only a few of us do spectacularly well? Or will we commit ourselves to an economy that generates rising incomes and chances for everyone to make the effort?”

Jana Korn

C’18

Penn Democrats representative

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