WASHINGTON ― Community college leaders met in Washington to discuss legislative priorities for the upcoming reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. At the heart of the conversation was a focus on balancing community college’s traditional mission of access for all and the national conversation about college completion rates.
“As we can consider the HEA reauthorization, we want full victory for community colleges and the understanding of how public policy is different for these community colleges,” said Daniel Phelan, president of Jackson College in Michigan, at a community college panel on Capitol Hill on Monday.
Community college students differ from the type of student who graduates from high school and goes straight on to college, community college presidents and policy experts said. Approximately 12.3 million students attend community college in the United States and their average age is 28. That means they are coming to college later in life and therefore have more responsibilities, such as a job or a family to care for. A further 36 percent of community college students identify as first generation to college and 58 percent of community college students depend on some form of federal aid.
Tim Sheehan, vice president for government and community relations at Salt Lake City Community College, said that, in the 2013-14 school year, more than 3.5 million community college students received more than $11 billion in Pell Grants, or more than 36 percent of the total Pell Grant expenditures for that year. Federal loan policies and changes to Pell Grants therefore have a large impact on the community college student population.
Community college students in particular would benefit from the restoration of the year-round Pell Grant, Sheehan said. Year-round Pell Grants help students work more toward a degree and also aligns better with short-term certificate programs. The program existed from 2008 until it was eliminated in 2011. The maximum Pell Grant will be $5,815 as of July 1.
In addition, Sheehan called for linking annual increases in the maximum amount awarded in the Pell Grant to the consumer price index. Although community colleges still rank as some of the most affordable postsecondary institutions, tuition costs have been rising, particularly in states where support for public higher education has been lessening.
Community college students are also increasingly reliant on federal student loan programs as the total cost of attendance at community college increases. “Almost one out of every five community college students take out a federal loan now,” said David Baime, senior vice president for government relations and policy analysis at the American Association of Community Colleges. “Twenty years ago, that percentage was about 4 percent.”
