ACE President Reacts to President Obama's Speech

Molly Broad Corbett, president of the American Council on Education, released the following statement today about President Barack Obama's speech before Congress last night and what his vision means for higher education:

“No president in modern times has used an address to a joint session of Congress to make such a clear case for higher education's role in providing the solutions America needs to compete in the world economy—I applaud President Obama for his vision, and can say with certainty that every college and university in the country is ready to help him achieve it.

Especially important is the president's appeal to the national interest and the responsibility of every citizen to aspire to at least one year of postsecondary study. If America is to compete economically—if we are to pull ourselves out of this recession—we must have a competitive work force and a new generation of innovators and entrepreneurs. We cannot afford to lose a single citizen—so important is this new investment in human capital.

The education components of the new economic stimulus package prove that President Obama will back his words with resources and action, and so I remain confident that his administration will focus its energy on reaching these ambitious new goals for student aid, educational attainment and research capacity. I trust the president knows that his efforts in these areas will be leveraged by the work of faculty and administrators at more than 4,000 colleges and universities. Working together, I believe we can achieve this goal and literally change the future of our great country.”