Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

President Obama argued for the need to reform the current education system on Monday, citing a statistic that in one generation the United States has fallen from first in college graduation rates to 12th. To reverse this trend by 2020 and return the United States to having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world, Obama said that his administration is taking action.

In a conference call with college and university student-journalists, Obama answered any pressing questions students might have. Prior to taking questions from reporters who had called in to the conference, Obama issued a statement, highlighting aspects of his education and jobs policies.

First, Obama claimed that his administration wants to make college more affordable for young Americans.

“Instead of handing over $60 billion in unwarranted subsidies to big banks that were essentially getting this money even though the loans were guaranteed by the federal government, we’re redirecting that money so that it goes directly to students,” he said. “And that’s allowing us to support community colleges and make college more affordable for nearly eight million students and families.”

In addition to giving loans directly to students, the Obama administration is tripling the investment in college tax credits for middle class families, raising the value of Pell Grants and making sure that future borrowers are able to choose a payment plan that doesn’t require students to pay more than 10 percent of their salaries toward loan repayments. For those who go into public service, whatever debts are remaining will be forgiven after ten years. Finally, the administration is continuing to simplify financial aid forms.

Obama highlighted the benefits afforded to students under the Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as the “health care bill.” Young adults are able to remain under their parents’ health plans until age 26, which gives students the opportunity to take the first job offered to them, even if it does not include health insurance as part of its compensation package.

Another priority Obama wants to fulfill is training a strong workforce that may be ready for the occupations in the future. He sees community colleges playing a large role in such training.

“Community colleges are going to play a critical role in getting there, and I’ve asked Dr. Jill Biden to hold the first-ever White House Summit on Community Colleges,” Obama said. “That way stakeholders are going to be able to discuss how community colleges can make sure we’ve got the most educated workforce in the world in relevant subjects that help people get jobs.”

While Obama recognizes that it will be up to students to complete their degrees, the government can help remove certain barriers, especially for those Americans who are in school while holding a job or raising a family.

“I’ve long proposed what I call a college access and completion fund, which would develop, implement and evaluate new approaches to improving college success and completion, especially for kids from disadvantaged backgrounds,” he said. “We’re also making sure our younger veterans are supported through a post-9/11 GI Bill.”

Obama and his administration seek to make college access easier for those students whose parents brought them to the United States illegally. Through the DREAM Act, which has not passed Congress, these students would have the opportunity to obtain legal status through education.

The president succinctly summarized the objective of his higher education program.

“The key here is, is that we want to open the doors of our colleges and universities to more people so they can learn, they can graduate, and they can succeed in life.”

Student Life, as well as the student newspapers of Radford University, Pennsylvania State University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison participated in the conference, along with many other participants.

Colin Daileda, a participant representing southwest Virginia’s Radford University asked the president about the realities of the “lost generation.”

“I’ve heard some of my professors call our generation the ‘lost generation’ because we get out of school with a ton of debt due to student loans and not be able to…get a steady job…and the economy is in the shape it is currently in,” Daileda said. “So I guess my question is, do you think there’s some truth to that? And do you think it will take a longer time than usual for our generation to get on out feet?”

Obama responded with optimism: “Don’t let anybody tell you that somehow your dreams are going to be constrained going forward,” he said. “You’re going through a slightly tougher period. But if you think about it, what we called ‘the greatest generation,’ my grandparents’ generation, they had a situation where unemployment reached 30 percent and they ended up essentially building the entire American middle class to what it was and making this the most powerful economy in the world. So right now we’re going through a tough time, but I have no doubt that you guys are going to be successful.”

Obama also noted that for the coming election, it is important for the current generation of college students to participate.

“And so even though this [election] may not be as exciting as a presidential election, it’s going to make a huge difference in terms of whether we’re going to be able to move our agenda forward over the next couple of years,” he said. “And I just want to remind young people, they’ve got to get re-engaged in this process. And they’re going to have to vote in these midterms elections. You’ve got to take the time to find out where does your congressional candidate stand on various issues, where does your Senate candidate stand on various issues and make an educated decision and participate in this process—because democracy is never a one-and-done proposition.”