Issued January 09, 2015
Washington, D.C.-- President Obama has announced a proposal to make two years of community college free for responsible students. Below is SEIU President Mark Kay Henry's statement about the president's proposal:
Access to affordable education for America's students is essential to building a vibrant future for our economy, workforce, and communities. Today, too many hard-working students face skyrocketing tuition bills from poor quality for-profit institutions. President Obama's community college proposal is an important step in the right direction toward expanding access to affordable education for more students.
"Community colleges are by far the most affordable and accessible higher education institutions. They allow students to combine high-quality education programs with the ability to remain in their communities. This investment in community colleges will both improve student opportunities and increase stability for a largely contingent faculty workforce.
"Sixty-one percent of faculty at America's community colleges are part-time and often poorly paid. Many must teach at several different institutions just to make ends meet. To position our students for optimal success, we need to ensure that the faculty they depend on have stable positions and are available to them on their campus.
"Students who want to get ahead are drowning in debt before they can even gain a footing in our economy, so President Obama's community college proposal comes at a pivotal time. Access to affordable educations will build more opportunities for success for our students and create an academic environment where their teachers can focus on their needs with increased stability."