U.S. Under Secretary of Education Ted Mitchell will address the second Summit on College Affordability Wednesday in Menlo Park, California. Mitchell will discuss America’s College Promise, President Obama’s proposal to 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.
The free community college plan is contained in the administration’s proposed fiscal year 2016 budget and would enable students to earn the first half of a bachelor’s degree and gain skills needed in the workforce at no cost.
Mitchell’s comments will be delivered as part of an interview at the opening session of the summit by President and CEO of the Campaign for Free College Tuition Morley Winograd.
The first summit was held in January in Washington, D.C. Among those attending Wednesday’s event will be opinion shapers, elected officials, technology industry leaders and California higher education administrators.