Obama's Higher Education Promise: "Yes We Can," but Will We?

In 2007, prior to the primary, Obama's campaign speeches rang out with promises of sweeping changes to America's postsecondary education system and--unsurprisingly--he received overwhelming support from the primary voters and caucus-goers on the nation's college campuses. However, according to Sandy Lakoff, political science professor at the University of California, San Diego, "Since he won the nomination and has had to court a broader segment of the electorate, he has alluded to these proposals only vaguely."

In a time when the faltering economy has brought parent and student savings down, funding for educational grants and scholarships down, lender participation in student loan programs down--the only thing going up seems to be postsecondary tuition costs--a major contributor to the high cost of education. Acknowledging these higher costs, Obama initially focused on college affordability, which also brought out the youth vote in educated droves.

In these last few days of President Bush's "No Child Left Behind" education program, the higher education community and Obama supporters on college campuses are eagerly waiting to see whether President-elect Obama will be able to live up to his education reform promises given the current economic state of the union. New programs always come with a hefty price tag.

Presidential Wish List for Education Reform

Here's a look at the promised educational reforms over the next four years:

• Implement an educational tax credit. A fully refundable $4,000 credit based on prior year income would be available before postsecondary enrollment rather than after tax returns are filed.
• Eliminate the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). At 5 pages and 127 questions, many see the application as a deterrent, particularly to low income and minority students. In 2004, some 1.5 million students--who would have been eligible for a Federal Pell Grant had they applied--failed to complete the FAFSA. A proposed needs analysis system would use information directly from tax returns.
• Increase funding to community college programs. Facilitate partnerships that would make transferring from community colleges to 4-year institutions easier, and to implement new degree programs in response to emerging industry and technical career demands.
• Enhance competitiveness in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Increase the numbers of science and engineering graduates, boost representation of women and minorities in these fields, and make recruiting talented teachers for these areas a priority.
• Increase Federal Pell Grant funding. Federal Pell Grants are targeted to the neediest students; the feds would need to pony up an initial $1.5 billion to fund an increase in the annual maximum Pell Grant from the current $4,050 to $5,400 and add substantial additional funding in the future to keep pace with tuition cost inflation.
• Encourage increased school participation in the Federal Direct Loan program. This educational loan program is less costly to administer than the privately funded Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program. The Department of Education recently implemented a "bailout" of sorts by agreeing to purchase 2007-08 academic year FFEL loans to "ensure uninterrupted and timely access to federal student loans," with a possible price tag of up to $6.5 billion through February 2009.
• Work with business, labor, and educational institutions to ensure opportunities for skills development in the 21st century. This program would provide funding for training, retraining, on-the-job training, professional development, equipment and computer purchases, and other similar improvements.

A Giant Step in the Right Direction

President-elect Obama's emphasis on reforming what many consider to be a badly broken postsecondary education system is certainly to be applauded. However, the projected fixes will cost money--lots and lots of money. Will Obama be able to afford the tab on his education promises while trying to sort out the financial challenges he'll inherit from the current administration? That remains to be seen. And the education community as well as the young voters most affected by the higher cost of education will certainly be watching. It is widely hoped that President-elect Obama, who graduated magna cum laude in law, can be first in education as well.

Sources:
Barack Obama: Preparing America for 21st Century Jobs
Black on Campus, Obama's Plan for Higher Education, by Ajuan Mance
Diverse Issues in Higher Education, Obama administration could mean more money, scrutiny, by Charles Dervarics
Macleans.ca, Obama's promises for post-secondary education, by Dale Kirby
Newsweek, What Kind of Education Secretary Will Obama Pick?, by Paul Wingert
The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, How the Election of Barack Obama as President of the United States Will Impact African-American Higher Education
The UCSD Guardian, Obama's Education Plans Uncertain, by Henry Becker
U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings Announces Additional Action to Ensure Access to Federal Student Loans, press release published November 20, 2008