The UW Fond du Lac Dean says he’s excited about president Barack Obama’s proposal to make publicly fund community college available to all Americans, but acknowledges it faces an uphill battle. The proposal will likely be a centerpiece of Obama’s State of the Union address this month. UW Fond du Lac Dean John Short says making higher education as accessible as a high school diploma would help boost weak U.S. wages and skills for the modern workforce. “I think it was very positive because whenever there is an initiative that emphasizes education the amount of return that you get not only in terms of economic development, making us more competitive in a global economy, but the intangible benefits that we see as we have more college graduates, you have more individuals who are less likely to be unemployed, more likely to be healthy, more likely to be involved in their communities, more likely to give back, high quality of life. The benefits are enornous,” Short told WFDL news. If all 50 states were to participate, they would have to pick up the tab for one quarter of the tuition cost.
