Obama Calls for Control of College Costs and Renewed Support for Higher Education
President Obama brought his campaign for college affordability to a cheering audience of Michigan college students and local residents here on Friday morning, pledging that his administration would be “putting colleges on notice” over rising costs and issuing a call for continued public support for higher education by states so that the United States does not become a nation where education is reserved for the well-to-do.
“It’s not the future I want for you,” he told the crowd of 3,000, nearly all of whom had camped out for hours in the cold the night before to get tickets and then waited again in the morning darkness on Friday to attend. “It’s not the future I want for my daughters.”
Speaking jacketless with his sleeves rolled up and occasionally responding to friendly shoutouts from the crowd at the University of Michigan’s Al Glick Field House, Mr. Obama struck many of the same themes as in his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, reprising the slogan that, in the 21st century, “higher education is not a luxury—it’s an economic imperative.”
But on Friday, his 35-minute message was more Michigan-centric—the state is crucial to his re-election—and personal. Without grants and loans, he said, his mother would never have been able to attend college, and neither would he, he said. “I am only standing here today because scholarships and loans gave me a shot at a decent education,” said Mr. Obama. “How we keep that promise alive is the defining issue of our time.”
He was also mindful of his audience. While greeting Michigan’s two U.S. senators, he also took a moment to josh with the university’s star quarterback, Denard Robinson, who was seated with the VIP’s and was cheered when the president noted that he would be returning to school in the fall. “They’re trying to draft you to run for president,” Mr. Obama joked.
Hours before the speech, the White House released a package of proposals aimed at pushing colleges and states to make higher education more affordable, effective, and consumer-friendly. “You know how well a car stacks up, you should know how a college stacks up,” the president said as he described new programs like the proposed College Scoreboard.