Under Secretary Ted Mitchell will give the keynote address at Maryland Higher Education Commission’s Stride to 55 College Completion Convening at 12:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 7, in Hyattsville, Maryland. A Q&A session will follow.
Mitchell will discuss the Obama Administration’s initiatives to expand college access and ensure families have the finances they need to succeed in their college pursuits and help reach the President’s goal for America to once again lead the world in college graduation.
Named Stride to 55 for the statewide goal that 55 percent of Marylanders will hold a postsecondary degree by 2025, the event is bringing together some 250 stakeholders and educators from throughout the state to discuss best practices, innovations, and challenges and progress thus far in meeting the goal. One focus will be on initiatives funded by the Lumina Foundation and Complete College America.
The Obama Administration has made historic investments to increase the maximum Pell grant award by $1,000, create the $2,500 American Opportunity Tax Credit, and enact effective student loan reforms that eliminated subsidies to banks and reinvested in America's students and families to make college more affordable.