President Obama seeks to gain more support for tuition-free community college

President Barack Obama pretends to wipe a tear during his speech at Macomb County Community College Wednesday, September 9, 2015, in Warren, Mich. The president said he’s “a little freaked out” that his oldest daughter, Malia, just started her senior year in high school.

The White House announced Jill Biden will lead Obama’s new College Promise Advisory Board, putting her in the spotlight as Joe Biden gauges whether his family is emotionally ready for a White House campaign following the death of his son Beau from brain cancer in May.

Obama has called on lawmakers to reverse mandatory spending cuts enacted two years ago, while Republicans have sought to maintain the caps in many areas.

During remarks at Miami Dade College last week, the vice president joked that he is “known at every community college in America and other places as Dr. Jill Biden’s husband”. When he asked her why he should run, she said, “We think you can unite the country”.

“She doesn’t like politics”, Frank told Biden, according to the vice president’s 2007 memoir, “Promises to Keep”.

During his speech, Obama noted that Tennessee saw the enrollment of 15,000 students in its own community college program this fall. “And if you work had then community college should be free”.

Jill Biden speaks before welcoming President Barack Obama.

“It’s an idea whose time has come”, Obama told an audience at Macomb Community College. The board will try to recruit more states and communities to do likewise and will also enlist celebrities in a public awareness campaign to press for tuition-free community college.

“From day one, we have made education a priority, from investing in early childhood education to ensuring more students graduate high school to making college more affordable”.

Obama says “it’s an idea that makes sense”.

And the Southeast Michigan Community Alliance in Taylor was awarded a $4 million grant to work with various organizations to establish or expand apprenticeship programs based on evolving needs in automotive and transportation.

But if the Obama Administration is going to get its message heard by young people, it will need to meet them where they’re at.