President Obama Wants Students to Get That Degree
The president wants more students to graduate even if it takes a little bit of nagging from a parent or mentor.
“Nagging works,’’ U.S. President Barack Obama said. “Michelle and I are big believers in nagging.’’
It’s no secret that the rising tuition prices and the monstrous loans to pay for college can scare prospective students away from going after a degree.
On Thursday afternoon, President Obama spoke at the second White House Summit for College Opportunity. The summit focused on ways to help increase the graduation rate in the United States.
“Everyone understands that some form of higher education is a necessity,’’ Obama said. “But if they’re enrolling and not graduating and not getting the skills that they need, then we’re not delivering on the promise.’’
The Obama administration has increased the amount of the Pell grant and implemented a 10 percent income cap on student loan payments. Since January’s summit, colleges have also been taking the initiative.
More than 2,000 schools are now waiving application fees for low-income students, and there has been an increase in STEM scholarships. One school, Georgia State, has started giving small grants to students who are behind on their bills.
In conjunction with Thursday’s summit, the White House released a progress report from January which focused on how the institutions tried to improve their number of grads. The report listed more than 100 colleges, including Boston-area schools Harvard, MIT, and Bunker Hill.
While more Americans with college degrees are important to the economy, Obama said they also represent civic values ingrained in the county.
“As a nation we were founded on an equal ability to succeed,’’ Obama said. “Where you start should not determine where you end up.’’
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