Obama should think long term, provide details on college affordability plan
Photo/Mark Nash
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President Barack Obama must provide more details and think in the long term about the latest government proposal he has laid out for millions of college hopefuls.
During his upstate New York tour last week, Obama outlined plans to make higher education more affordable by using strategic federal pressure. His plan includes a rating system to illustrate how much progress colleges are making in increasing scholarships, diminishing costs and admitting more disadvantaged students. The further the progress, the more aid these colleges would receive to support incoming students.
This rating system could potentially push colleges to drive down tuition, which would attract applicants toward education that was once financially out of reach.
The plan could even affect fellow peers. Chancellor Nancy Cantor said she thinks Syracuse University would rate highly on Obama’s rating scale.
SU has both the socioeconomic diversity and strong financial aid program to rate high enough to get additional aid. According to the White House’s College Scorecard, the median amount of money an SU student borrows is $24,300 in loans.
However, before underprivileged students get their hopes up about this proposal, Obama must lay out more of its details. Currently, it is too vague to fully support.
More graduates will eventually enter the workforce, so Obama must think long term about this proposal.
He must continue to focus on building jobs within the economy. This will ensure there are plenty of jobs open for the stream of students he hopes to help one day attend and graduate from college.
It is important that Obama has stepped forward and started to lead the discussion on the affordability of higher education.
Alongside Obama, Congress should put partisanship aside and work to make the country’s system of higher education more affordable.
The next generation of college students will be the future of this country. Obama’s proposal could allow for the education of an underprivileged student who might just be the next generation’s great innovator.