HOLYOKE – Following last week’s announcement of President Barack Obama’s plan to make two years of community college free for all Americans, reaction has been predictable – most Democrats have cheered, some Republicans have booed and everyone is wondering how such an endeavor would be paid for.
For administrators at Holyoke Community College, the ambitious plan – which would cost in the neighborhood of $10 billion in federal and state funds over the next decade – puts an institution like HCC in the spotlight.
“I think it’s a recognition that more and more folks are understanding that community colleges can play a critical role in the economic development of the country,” said HCC President Bill Messner. “Over the last 15 years, policymakers – both liberal and conservative – have come to an understanding that workforce issues aren’t going away and that we need an educated workforce.”
Messner believes Obama’s support has been a key step in legitimizing community colleges as more than just the “poor cousins of higher education” as he feels they have been portrayed and that removing large obstacles such as tuition would help more people get educated.
“Even with federal student aid, many Americans, even low-income Americans who are able to access federal aid, are shut out of education,” he said. “The cost of education isn’t just what you pay in fees, it is what do you pay for all the ancillary issues of transportation, childcare, food and housing… all of those issues come to the fore.”
Messner said he hopes to soon speak with Massachusetts Congressman Richard Neal of the 1st District and Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey regarding the breakdown of how the Obama proposal would potentially be funded.
“We’ll go into those conversations with our eyes open. We know the state has budget issues right now,” he said, adding that recently inaugurated Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has his work cut out for him. “The last thing he probably wants to hear about is a new initiative that is going to cost significant dollars. We’re realistic about the chances in the short run of this proposal getting legs, but the important thing is that it is out there and getting discussed.”
Ken White, dean of community services at HCC, said that he has felt a sense of excitement come over those people he has spoken to with regarding last week’s announcement.
“Classes don’t start again for another two weeks, but we want to hear more,” he said. “It is all about the students. We serve a lot of folks who are at low income levels or are unemployed and, without an education, there are not a lot of opportunities.”
The prospect of helping the most vulnerable of students is nothing new for White, who also assists Westfield Community Education (WCE) in instructing the High School Equivalency Test, or HiSET, formally the general equivalency diploma (GED).
The WCE is slated to graduate 15 students at their first ceremony of 2015 on January 28 at 5:30 p.m. at the Westfield Atheanaeum and White believes that some of these students may consider HCC as a next step in their education.
“Employers want knowledgable individuals who are fully capable, that can read, write and calculate, who have the ‘soft skills’,” he said. “We’re providing the opportunity for them to get their high school equivalency so they can go to college.”
“We live in a very technologically advanced time and folks need to have this to survive in a time that is very rapidly changing,” said White.
Regardless of whether Obama’s ambitious plan is enacted within the remainder of his administration, after 2016, or ever, Messner believes that the announcement starts a more in-depth conversation within higher education – and that is a good thing.
“It may not come to fruition within the next three months, six months or a year, but my hunch is that you’re going to hear a lot more about community colleges than you ever did before,” said Messner. “The notion isn’t going to go away.”
