Yosemite Community College District leaders welcome Obama’s ‘promise’

The promise of two free years of junior college was welcomed by local community college leaders. But, they noted, few specifics are known about the initiative unveiled by President Barack Obama on Friday.

“California used to have free community college tuition and it allowed many students the opportunity to participate in higher education without having to pay back burdensome student loans. With the skyrocketing costs of higher education, I am sure many students would welcome the prospect of having some of their college costs covered,” said Yosemite Community College District Chancellor Joan Smith.

Smith, whose district includes Modesto Junior College and Columbia College, said early news reports were the first she knew of the president’s plan. “Some of my questions would be: Does his plan include books as well as tuition? How will all of this roll out? Will the federal government give the states money to fund? My guess is that this is still all in the formulation stage,” she said in an emailed response. “These are certainly interesting times of change in higher education.”

At MJC, President Jill Stearns said the proposal’s focus on getting students through community college in two years meshes well with a new program at the college.

“It is exciting to consider the additional students that MJC may serve as this plan is realized,” Stearns said, “and it fits very well with the new focus on student completion at the college. The Student Success and Support Program plan and Student Equity Plan developed by MJC in the fall provide a new support framework for students focused on student learning and degree completion.”

Obama gave few details about America’s College Promise in Friday’s speech in Tennessee. But a White House fact sheet lays out that the pledge is to cover tuition, not books, housing costs or day care – costs still likely in California to block many young adults’ efforts to continue their education.

“California has the Board of Governors’ Fee Waiver that alleviates a portion of the costs for the neediest students. It waives the $46 per unit fees but does not cover books or other expenses,” said Columbia College President Angela Fairchilds. “If California decides to participate in President Obama’s program, it will provide assistance to a significant number of students who are just above the income threshold to qualify for a BOG fee waiver.”

The White House announcement came at a junior college in Tennessee, where the Tennessee Promise provides free tuition much like the Obama proposal would. The vice president’s wife started off the comments. Jill Biden, a longtime English professor at a community college in Virginia, traveled to 60 JC campuses last year on a Community College to Career Bus Tour.

“I know what happens in a community college classroom, and it is extraordinary,” she said. “This is the moment for community colleges to shine.”

The vice president followed his wife, focusing on community colleges’ role in connecting a wide variety of students with a practical, promising future. “Access to education after high school is critical. It’s critical, as critical as a high school education was for our grandparents,” Joe Biden said.

Junior colleges are the best fit to help the most people, Obama said. “They’re local. They’re flexible,” he said, serving working students, young parents and veterans, and retraining workers.

“Community colleges should be free for those willing to work for it,” he said in announcing America’s College Promise, a proposal to eliminate tuition for students who keep up their grades and move forward toward graduation.

The president suggested the program would also expand employer-linked community college programs. “We’re going to find the programs that work, we’re going to help them grow,” Obama said.

This story was originally published January 9, 2015 at 8:35 PM with the headline "Yosemite Community College District leaders welcome Obama’s ‘promise’."