Obama addresses importance of community colleges

On Jan. 24, 2012, President Barack Obama gave his annual State of the Union address. In the address, he spoke about several issues America has been facing since before his tenure. Obama's administration has focused primarily on issues such as creating jobs, fair taxation and holding corporations accountable for their actions and manufacturing practices at home and abroad. Obama also addressed the importance of community colleges and their role in healing the American recession. 

"(We) need to give more community colleges the resources they need to become community career centers – places that teach people skills that local business are looking for right now, from data management to high-tech manufacturing," he said.

Obama continued by saying that he "Wants to cut through the maze of confusing training programs." He stated as his goal, "one program, one website and one place" for citizens to go to get all the help and information they need to get an education. He also expressed the desire to turn the unemployment system into a "reemployment system that puts people to work."

Obama challenged Congress to stop interest rates on student loans from doubling and to extend the tuition tax credit. He also warned higher learning institutions by saying, "colleges and universities have to do their part by working to keep cost down … if you can't stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from tax payers will go down. Higher education can't be a luxury – it's an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford," he said.

These ideas for education reform are seen by some as long overdue, while others are skeptical about them being realistic for the economy. Dr. Tom Ramage, President of Parkland College said, "The conversations around this topic are not necessarily new. I'm sure the whole community college system is thrilled that the President of the United States is talking about us as a system and our importance to economic recovery." Ramage pointed out that Parkland has been doing several of the things Obama suggested since the college started in 1967.

In regards to the "maze of confusing training programs" that Obama mentions, Ramage points out, "The reality is that the volume and number of programs that are available to serve dislocated workers, unemployed citizens, and low income individuals are legion; there are tons of them …we've tried to make it as simple as possible in Champaign county in that we operate the one-stop center, which is right off of Mattis, where most of the offices that provide those sorts of programs are co-located … to make that a one-stop website based thing is quite ambitious."

Ramage does agree with Obama in that the financial aid system needs revamping and a great start would be having the community college system better represented.

"Of all the financial aid that is given out in higher education, 10 percent of it goes to community college students, yet 45 percent of the undergraduate population attends a community college, so somehow that seems to be bit out of whack," he explained.

Ramage believes the warning Obama gave to colleges and universities about keeping tuition costs down is more directed toward universities than community colleges.

"The reality is we are equipped and/or funded based on the credit hours we produce in Illinois. Universities have a different funding model so what comes in is what decides how much comes out. The dollars coming in are directly tied to how many students we can serve … if we were forced to reduce or hold tuition, it would limit our ability to staff sections," Ramage explained.

In many ways Parkland is already applying the ideas that Obama has introduced, such as using the Community Based Job Training partnership grant to buy equipment and train students for employment in the community. Since Parkland started, it has been partnered with Kraft, Flex-N-Gate, Plastipak and Guardian West in creating a manufacturing program that helps keep these industries competitive and local.

Another way in which Parkland is already sacrificing for education reform is the college's commitment to helping students succeed, even at the risk of losing money. The Center for Academic Success, which was started about six years ago, receives approximately 47,000 visits by students each year. Although it produces little revenue for Parkland, it's an expense the institution feels is necessary.

"The value of moving a student through their program, whether it's a degree or certificate, by providing academic support was directly tied to our mission," Ramage said. "We didn't get a big chunk of money from heaven to make that happen but it's the right thing to do to move students throughout their academic career."

On the topic of education reform, Parkland Political Science Professor Willie Fowler agrees with Obama.

"(Obama's) saying we will give you the tools and resources that you need to be successful but we will hold you accountable," he said.

Tyler Cravens, Parkland Student Body President, is skeptical of Obama's education reform and his ability to create a more unified program.

"I don't know how (Obama) would plan to turn it into one program," Cravens said. "The nature of all these different things is that they are different programs through different industries. So how you turn that all into one?"

Cravens believes that, "You have to leave the freedom in the hands of the local board of trustees and administrators because they know what is best for their students and their community."

Like Ramage, Cravens believes Parkland is doing well by staying within its budget, which helps keep the costs to students down.

"Our board of trustees has been conservative with (the college's) spending so Parkland is a pretty financially sound school," Cravens said.

Like Fowler, Cravens stresses the importance of being accountable, but doesn't feel a large federal program is the best way to reform education.

"The way the federal government tracks progress is going to be through standardized tests," he said. "While those are important to see how students are doing, every community is different and judging every single community in the nation on the same scale isn't fair."

On the other hand, Parkland student Leonard Morris is pleased with Obama's reform.

"The fact that we spend way more money on our military than our education is a big issue to me and I commend him on his education reform," Morris said. "Our middle class is the backbone of our nation and if (they) can't afford the education it brings us lower as a country. Education is key."

While it would be impossible for Obama to give clear details as to how the country can accomplish a much needed education reform in one address to the American people, many agree that changes need to be made.

"Whether the President of the United States can effect that sort of change on our higher education system remains to be seen," Ramage said.

Fowler hopes Obama's education reform will be a success, but says a lot is left in the hands of Congress.

"He has to have a Congress that will be willing to work with him to pass the funding for some of the measures that he wants to put in place, but I'm hopeful that he will be successful in terms of improving the quality of education and that it be offered at an affordable rate," Fowler said.