Obama wants $12 billion for 2-year colleges

[babylonsister]

Obama wants $12 billion for 2-year colleges

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE
Associated Press Writer



WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama is proposing a multibillion-dollar investment in the nation's community colleges, a $12 billion effort to help the two-year institutions reach, teach and train more people for "the jobs of the future."

Obama was outlining his four-part program in a speech Tuesday afternoon at Macomb Community College in Warren, Mich.

Under the initiative, schools could qualify for "challenge grants" so they'll have money to give new programs a try, or expand training and counseling.

Dropout rates would be addressed by designing programs to help students who want to earn an associate's degree or transfer to a four-year institution do so.

Money would be spent to renovate outdated facilities or build new ones, and to develop online courses and make them freely available to students and others who want to use them.

The total federal cost is $12 billion over a decade. Of that, $9 billion would go toward challenge grants and addressing dropout rates. Half a billion, or $500 million, would go toward online education. The remaining $2.5 billion would be used to spark $10 billion in renovation and construction nationwide, said James Kvaal, an Obama economic policy adviser.

Some of the money could be available by the 2010 budget year that begins Oct. 1.

more...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_COLLEGE?SITE=CONGRA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[DrDan]

1. EXCELLENT!!!!!

wish it was more, however.

10% of the cost of the war.

[DrDan]

2. oops - dup

[Peacetrain]

3. I am, glad about that

[LynneSin]

4. I wonder if Dr. Jill Biden had any push in this?

She taught at Delaware Tech for years and after the election she now teaches at a community college I believe over in Maryland. Dr. Biden's creditials could have her teaching anywhere she wants but she wants to reach out to community college students. These colleges provide opportunities for those who weren't high grades or don't have the money to attend 4 year colleges. I have known plenty of kids who did 2 years at community college first and then transferred to 4-year to finish school - another great cost savings measure.

[scheming daemons]

5. YET ANOTHER PROMISE KEPT (for the negative ninnies)

[Rosa Luxemburg]

6. I wish universities would do 2 year programs and cut out the 'busy work'

In the USA the degrees are padded with useless stuff that one covered at high school. In other countries they get to the point in the first semester. I would like to see more degrees that actually get you a job instead of classes like Victorian history.

[Pacifist Patriot]

12. I agree with accelerated programs, but...

there is nothing wrong with churning out an experimental biologist with an appreciation for the causes of the Crimean War. ;)

Seriously, I think there is something to be said with not educating people into tunnel vision. One of my favorite quotes:

The fate of specialists in any one area of science (I'd say any area of specialty) is to focus more and more narrowly on their special topic, learning more and more about less and less, until eventually they end up knowing everything about nothing....enabled me to learn less andless about more and more, although as yet I have not quite reached the stage of knowing nothing about everything." - John Gribbin, Introduction to Almost Everyone's Guide to Science

[Rosa Luxemburg]

24. I would want to be a biologist not a historian

they churned history out at high school.

There are things called jobs. It's all very well studying Plato as well as nuclear physics but if one is interested one can read Plato in one's spare time as a hobby. You have to think of the cost of doing extra curriculae such as ancient history. I would rather pay for the claees that will useful in getting a job.

[crimsonblue]

7. fuck that...

put the money in 4 year state universities.. we need it more.

[babylonsister]

8. Kind of selfish of you, isn't it. Not everyone can afford a 4-year

university education.

But there's this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=8522778

Obama Student Loan Plan Wins Support in House

WASHINGTON — The chairman of the House Education Committee has dismissed a last-ditch plea from the private student loan industry and is throwing his support behind President Obama’s plan to end the role of private banks in the federal education lending systems.

Mr. Obama’s plan remains deeply contentious in Congress, and still faces strong opposition from private banks that for decades have earned big profits for handling federal student loans.

But after mulling the issue for months, Representative George Miller, the California Democrat who is chairman of the Education Committee, now plans to introduce legislation next week that would rely on direct government lending to replace the federally subsidized loans made by private banks. Administration officials who have reviewed drafts of the legislation said that it substantially adopts Mr. Obama’s proposal.

more...

[Rosa Luxemburg]

25. each class is very costly unless you have rich parents!

it all adds up and at the end of it you may not have a job!

[Oregone]

9. But Does American need more 4 year graduates?

Its an honest question. Seems like job markets are already so over-saturated. Wouldn't it be more wise to focus on institutions that can create specialists/management in high end blue collar sectors? Shouldn't we start focusing on 2 year degrees and tradesmen, in order to reshift our focus a bit back to a manufacturing economy?

[Gator_Matt]

10. 2 year colleges help people that missed the boat the first time

I've been very fortunate; I went straight from high school to university to graduate school. There are plenty of people that may have goofed off and/or had lack of guidance the first time around are stuck in a rut. Getting into a 2 year school would be an easier way of getting your foot in the door.

[Dappleganger]

11. No

4-yr. institutions have access to alumni giving and far more grants and scholarships than two-yr. schools.

Two year schools have been seriously neglected and need to be propped up for re-educating the unemployed and the underemployed.

[SeattleGirl]

13. What's wrong with two-year colleges?

Not every job needs a 4-year degree.

Not every person wants to go to college for 4 years.

(For that matter, not everyone wants to go to college, but that's another topic.)

Frankly, I like the idea of the two-year colleges getting a shot in the arm.

[Bjorn Against]

14. Two year colleges are great for people working to finish their generals

I went to a Community College for my first two years and then transferred those credits to a four year school for my last two years. My Community College had much smaller class sizes than most Universities do so I got a great education and saved a lot of money as well. I would recommend anyone who is seeking a four year degree to spend the first two years at a Community College.

[Raineyb]

22. That's what I'm trying to do.

I started attending a community college for the Spring semester (because by the time my paperwork went through it was too late for the 4 year schools) but even though I have credits from a stint at a university long ago I'm planning on staying to get the associates degree then transferring to the 4 year school. The classes are smaller and the credits are cheaper and I was able to take summer classes for free. I'm 2 weeks away from earning another 7 credits for my summer work. It's the only bright side to losing my job.

[Raineyb]

23. Dupe

[anonymous171]

16. For what? So you can expand your sports programs?

No thanks.

[Iris]

17. or fund the research efforts of professors who laugh at freshman and sophomores?

[anonymous171]

15. AWESOME!

[donheld]

18. Best news in a long long time

[midnight armadillo]

19. And he'll pay for it...how?

Just asking.

[Nedsdag]

20. Bring it on, Mr. President!

I'm an adjunct professor at two community colleges. The enrollments are increasing, so maybe just maybe, they'll hire full-time instructors.

[Cha]

21. Obama Team is all

about education and this seems like a good place to start. Lots of people go to two year colleges before continuing on in a four year University.

[Starry Messenger]

26. Well that's welcome news!

Excellent.

[PassingTimeHere]

27. We need to be sending more kids to community colleges and this is a great start

Not every job requires a four year degree and a $50,000 student loan. And while I'm for publicly financed higher education, if I had a choice between funding healthcare, childcare and a host of other things, I'd rather fund those right now than prop up four year colleges with more students who don't need to be there. We need to get our priorities straight and debt, debt, and more debt for a 4 year college education that leads to a lousy job shouldn't be one of them.