President Obama discussed the cost of higher education in the annual State of the Union Address Tuesday.
Focusing on community colleges, Obama said that these institutions should be free for all students. He cited the Republican state of Tennessee and the Democratic city of Chicago as support, saying that both locations have successfully instituted free community college education.
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“Whoever you are, this plan is your chance to graduate ready for the new economy without a load of debt,” Obama said. “Understand, you’ve got to earn it. You’ve got to keep your grades up and graduate on time.”
Obama also encouraged companies to offer educational benefits and paid internships.
“(These are) opportunities that give workers the chance to earn higher paying jobs even if they don’t have a higher education,” Obama said.
In addition to this, Obama focused his speech on the fight against terrorism and “middle-class economics,” which he defined as the chance for all Americans to be successful.
Obama did not discuss costs for students at four year universities.
Collegian Diversity Beat Reporter Hannah Ditzenberger can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter at @h_ditzenberger.
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