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Dr. Lori Cortez, SVCC’s Dean of Institutional Advancement, says they’ve been planning this program with local business and school leaders for a few years. Since January, they’ve started fundraising for it before it opens to students in 2022.
“We have reached the $2 million mark and we are fairly certain we will be able to secure an additional million dollars in the next 60 days, she said. And so that puts us well ahead of schedule.”
They’ve even had some young students investing in the future of their education amid the student debt crisis.
Joe Biden Wants To Make Community College Free. Can Progressives Push Him Further?
Making community college tuition-free has “no political downside.” Free four-year degrees are a tougher political sell.
Susan Walsh/Getty Images
First lady Jill Biden and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona arrive at Quad Cities International Airport in Moline, Illinois, on April 19, 2021. Biden and Cardona will be touring the Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon.
DIXON, Illinois ― President Joe Biden’s administration is set to push to make community college tuition-free across the country, a potentially revolutionary policy that could nonetheless disappoint progressives who hope to persuade him to turn a campaign plan to make four-year public colleges free into a reality.
By Kevin Bessler - Illinois Radio Network
In her first visit to Illinois since moving into the White House, Jill Biden stressed the importance of community colleges to the nation’s economy.
The first lady made remarks Monday at Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon.
“What starts in one community college classroom, can create a chain effect that is eventually felt by every single American,” Biden said.
Biden was joined by U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, who said the pandemic has been especially tough on the country’s community colleges.
“We acknowledge that the pandemic has had a significant impact on community colleges,” Cardona said. “There was over a 10% decline in community college enrollment this year.”
By Grace Barbic
Capitol News Illinois
SPRINGFIELD First lady Jill Biden and U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona visited Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon on Monday to discuss how the American Rescue Plan will support higher education in Illinois.
After touring the facility, Cardona and the first lady announced President Joe Biden’s investment in higher education through the American Rescue Plan, the latest federal COVID-19 pandemic relief package, which includes $40 billion for higher education infrastructure projects and programs to make education more accessible.
Gov. JB Pritzker was also in attendance for the visit on Monday, along with other Illinois lawmakers, but did not speak publicly.
Jill Biden touts benefits to higher ed institutions from pandemic relief funding during Illinois visit dailyrepublicannews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailyrepublicannews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.