Middle-class college students should have more opportunities to "get the best skills possible," as quickly and cheaply as possible, and making community-college tuition free would help achieve that goal, President Obama said on Friday during an address at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis.
Speaking and answering questions from students at the headquarters of one of the nation’s largest statewide community-college systems, the president touted his free-tuition proposal and said that heading straight to a four-year college isn’t for everyone.
"We have this image in our heads that you go through high school and then, right away, you go to a four-year university," he said. "Instead, we should be thinking about, from the time you are in ninth grade until you get a job, how do we make sure you get the best skills possible at the cheapest cost. If there are faster pathways or opportunities to use technology, let’s do that."
After two years, students might have the skills to jump into a job immediately, or they might transfer to a four-year institution, he said, but either way, they would save a significant amount of money by starting at a community college.
Read more at The Chronicle of Higher Education: http://chronicle.com/article/Obama-Says-Students-Should/151733