Presidents agree on free college

President Barack Obama?s proposal Friday to bring the cost of two years of community college “down to zero” for all Americans met with strong approval from North Shore Community College President Dr. Patricia Gentile.?Anything that helps a struggling family send its children to college at an affordable rate is a good thing,” Gentile said Friday.Obama?s proposal is based on a popular Tennessee program signed into law by that state?s Republican governor. However, the idea and its $60 billion federal price tag over 10 years would have to make the grade with a Republican Congress that is showing little appetite for big new spending programs. Obama, who plans to push the issue in his Jan. 20 State of the Union address, argued that providing educational opportunity and creating a more skilled U.S. workforce shouldn?t be a partisan issue.?Community college should be free for those willing to work for it because, in America, a quality education should not be a privilege that is reserved for a few,” he said in a speech at Pellissippi State Community College. He said a high school diploma is no longer enough for American workers to compete in the global economy and that a college degree is “the surest ticket to the middle class.”Gentile listened to the speech and participated in a conference call afterward with White House staff members.?There weren?t a lot of details spelled out,” she said. “(Obama) spoke about it in broad terms, and it will take a while for anything to happen. But this will spark a national discussion on what affordable education might mean. It will address some of the issues today in education people, and what they mean to families.”Gentile says that in observing students at North Shore, “a lot of them struggle ? not necessarily with retention or with learning, or because of their academic abilities, or their hopes and goals, but because it?s difficult for them to afford even our two-year program, and our low tuition.”She said that in talking to potential employers, “they are really concerned about our future work force ? whether they?ll have the skills necessary to fill jobs. And really, you get those skills in post-secondary education.”And that, she says, is one of the two main goals of Obama?s plan.?The president is looking at two things,” she said. “The first is obviously the promise that everyone can get two years of higher education and the size of your pocket books doesn?t have to factor into it.?The other thing,” she said, “is there?s a need for more technical education, ensuring that students and workers of any age have the technology and the technological skills. This is the beginning, I hope, for a very positive discussion about the future of higher education.”The White House estimated that 9 million students could eventually participate and save an average of $3,800 in tuition per year if they attend fulltime. Students would qualify if they attend at least halftime, maintain a 2.5 grade point average and make progress toward completing a degree or certificate program. Participating schools would have to meet certain academic requirements.Obama is calling the idea America?s College Promise, modeled after Tennessee Promise, which Republican Gov. Bill Haslam signed into law last year to provide free community and technical college tuition for two years. It has drawn 58,000 applicants, almost 90 percent of the state?s high school seniors. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Obama?s former White House chief of staff, has a similar program for students in his city.?If a state with Republican leadership is doing this and a city with Democratic leadership is doing this, how about we all do it,” Obama said.Material from the Associated Press was also used for this report.