"It's a great idea, let's find a way to pay for it." That's generally what two Quad Cities college officials think about President Obama's idea to provide a community college education for free.
Chancellor Don Doucette, from Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, says it would solve two problems. First, the country needs more workers who have skills in manufacturing, information technology, nursing, allied health, logistics, and transportation. And community colleges teach those skills at a low cost.
The second problem is that high student debt is a big drag on the economy. And Doucette says tuition just keeps rising.
Lee Weimer is the Interim Vice President for Instruction and Student Services at Black Hawk College. He says the biggest question is how to pay for giving away two years of community college.
But the president's idea is already working in Tennessee, where Weimer worked in higher education before moving to the Quad Cities.
Both Black Hawk College and Eastern Iowa Community Colleges already have partnerships with private companies that may be willing to help fund programs that teach students skills they need.
Weimer says each state will probably come up with their own funding mix from various sources. And Doucette says, "There's many a slip twixt the cup and the lip." In other words, "there are many obstacles between the first intention and the final product."
