U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. will hold a roundtable with U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, U.S. Rep. Marcia L. Fudge, Cuyahoga Community College President Alex Johnson and students on college access and affordability at 12:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 19, in Cleveland, Ohio. At the roundtable, King will hear stories from students and campus leaders about innovative strategies that increase access, affordability and positive outcomes for all students. There will be a media availability immediately following the roundtable.
Since the start of the Obama Administration, the U.S. Department of Education has worked to make college more affordable and increase college success, including doubling investments in Pell grants and tax credits to help students and their families pay for college, releasing better information on debt and outcomes through the College Scorecard that helps students and families make strong college choices, and allowing borrowers to affordably manage their debt through repayment options like President Obama’s Pay As You Earn (PAYE) plan, which caps monthly payments at 10 percent of income. The President’s budget includes funding for America’s College Promise, which would provide two years of free community college for responsible students through a $60.3 billion investment in a new federal-state partnership over the next 10 years.
Cuyahoga Community College has maintained a commitment to student access since its opening in 1963. Tuition at the college is the among the lowest of all colleges and universities in the state. Nearly half of the students enrolled in the college are federal Pell Grant recipients.