President Barack Obama outlined a series of policy proposals impacting community colleges and their students during his 2008 Campaign.
Here are highlights of some of the major proposals AACC has identified:
Pell Grants
Obama's campaign material asserts his strong support for Pell Grants, including the fact that the first bill he introduced as a senator would have increased the maximum Pell Grant from $4,050 to $5,100. (The current funded maximum is $4,731.) Obama has stated that he will continue to work to increase the maximum Pell Grant award for low-income students. He also has proposed tying the maximum grant award to increases in college costs.
American Opportunity Tax Credit
The President proposed a new tax credit that would consolidate the existing Hope and Lifetime Learning tax credits and the college tuition deduction. The credit would cover $4,000 of college costs and be fully refundable. These changes are strongly supported by AACC. As proposed, the consolidated credit would cover two-thirds of the cost of tuition at the average public college or university and make community college tuition completely free for most students. Recipients of the credit would be required to conduct 100 hours of community service each year.
Community College Partnership Program
The President has proposed a Community College Partnership Program to strengthen community colleges by providing grants to (a) conduct more thorough analysis of the types of skills and technical education that are in high demand from students and local industries; (b) implement new associate degree programs that cater to emerging industry and technical career demands; and (c) reward those institutions that graduate more students and also increase their numbers of transfer students to four-year institutions. These efforts are designed to ensure that community college students are able to directly use their skills in the workforce following graduation and be prepared to continue their higher education. No specific funding authorization was mentioned for this program.
Immigration/DREAM Act
Proposals from the Obama campaign team do not specifically address the DREAM Act, but in the Senate Obama was a strong supporter of the DREAM Act, and he mentioned his support for the DREAM Act in debates. One of Obama's closest allies in the Senate, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), has been the prime Senate backer of the DREAM Act. Therefore, Obama can be expected to advocate on behalf of the DREAM Act. Obama also supports comprehensive immigration reform. This includes altering legal permanent resident visa programs and the H-1B Visa program. It also includes bringing undocumented individuals who have otherwise obeyed the law "out of the shadows," and to begin the process, after appropriate penalties, of becoming citizens.
Workforce Education Legislation
For the Workforce Investment Act, Obama supports increased funding, improving the transition from adult education to postsecondary education, and ensuring that WIA covers transition training, such as English as a second language, remediation, and GED preparation. Obama also has supported extension of Trade Adjustment Assistance, and expanding the program to include service industries. Obama also has backed "flexible education accounts" to help workers retrain and to provide assistance to workers vulnerable to dislocation, before they lose their jobs.
Federal Student Financial Aid Application Process
The President has championed eliminating the Federal Application for Student Financial Assistance (FASFA). He proposes instead an application based on a much simpler yet equally accurate formula, so that potential students can predict their eligibility well in advance of applying. The aid process would be streamlined by enabling families to apply simply by checking a box on their tax form, authorizing their tax information to be used for the application process, thus eliminating the need for a separate application. (The recent Higher Education Act reauthorization provides the Department of Education the authority to test a similar approach.)
New College Credit Initiative
The President has endorsed the creation of a national "Make College a Reality" initiative, which has as its primary goal increasing to 50 percent by 2016 the number of students taking AP or college-level courses. In the Senate, Obama supported legislation that would have funded dual enrollment programs at community colleges that lack them.