“A college degree doesn’t do any good if there aren’t any jobs,” says Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., who chairs the House higher education subcommittee and who has questioned Obama’s graduation goals.
Meanwhile, enrollment continues to grow, despite rising tuition, as students opt for college over trying their luck in the sagging labor market.
The number of full-time students at cash-strapped community colleges is up more than 24 percent since 2007, the American Association of Community Colleges says.
“The wait-lists for classes are insane sometimes,” says Samantha Raad, another student at Macomb, who already has worked three years toward a two-year degree in social work and who laughs when asked how much longer it will take.
Higher education officials acknowledge that Obama’s graduation speech at least has focused attention on the obstacles to graduation.
Governors and legislators in Arkansas, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and other states have changed the way they dole out money to colleges and universities, funding them based not simply on how many students they enroll — the traditional practice — but on how many end up with degrees.
But with continued budget cuts, says Lovenheim, the Cornell assistant professor, the students who get through will be “that sort of heroic individual” like Jake Boyd, who’s still working 16-hour days — and who has resisted the urge to quit on his goal of pursuing a bachelor’s degree this fall and ultimately joining the Peace Corps — “if I can squeeze some more pennies together.”
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