Biden Touts Free Community College Educational Plan During Speech At North Campus
Speaking to a room filled with Miami Dade College students, Vice President Joe Biden was at times boisterous, charming and funny, while discussing an educational plan that would make the first two years of community college free for high-achieving students.
“It’s about time we level the playing field,” Biden said during his speech at MDC’s Science Complex on Sept. 2.
The plan, announced by President Barack Obama in January, could potentially benefit nine million students each year, saving them about $3,800 in tuition costs. To be eligible, students would need to maintain a 2.5 GPA, attend college at least half-time and be making progress toward graduation. Congress would need to approve the plan.
Cost for the program could potentially be about $60 billion throughout the next 10 years. Biden views the program as an investment toward helping regrow the middle class.
“We need the best educated, most skilled, workforce in the world,” Biden said.
To reiterate his point about the importance of access to a quality education, Biden spotlighted the story of Stephanie Nolasco, who introduced him at event.
Nolasco, who serves as Student Government President at North Campus, has assisted in building a library for orphans in Nicaragua, creating an edible garden for a local middle school in Miami and helping a rural community in Honduras get medical care.
“Stephanie has such an ease in front of people, it’s’ unbelievable,” Biden said. “…Your sense of commitment about what you want to do just oozes out of you. As I said to Stephanie when she finished, she is going to have an extremely successful career and a lot of people are going to benefit from it.”
Biden stressed that schools like MDC must continue to build partnerships with companies to provide internships, apprenticeships and training opportunities for students. Of particular interest, he said, is the need for building skilled workers in the nursing field, biotech and information technology.
North Campus President Malou C. Harrison said MDC is well positioned to help accomplish that.
“Our school of science, in particular, has been a leader in promoting science, technology and math,” Harrison said.
During the visit, Biden received a tour of the biotechnology labs at the Science Complex lead by students wearing white lab coats.
However, neither the lab coats nor the students were able to shield Biden from the question everyone wanted to ask: Is he running for President in 2016?
Eventually, several reporters asked him if he had presidential aspirations.
Biden exited the stage without answering.
Staff Writer Brayan Vazquez contributed to this report.
