Millions more going to college?

Joseph Aoun:

THIS WEEK, President Obama unveiled a multibillion-dollar proposal to boost enrollment in the nation's community colleges. His plan seeks to graduate 5 million more Americans from two-year colleges by 2020, and follows a more sweeping goal he announced during his first address to Congress in February: for America to once again have the highest number of college graduates in the world by 2020.

While some will question whether these prospective students are ready for college, many of us in higher education are asking ourselves: Are we ready?

In the months following the president's congressional speech, there has been spirited debate in the education community about whether or not the president's goal is attainable. A member of a federal commission on higher education called it "sheer fantasy.'' Others have said the deadline should be pushed from 2020 to 2025.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at July 17, 2009 1:54 AM
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