"When someone says we can’t afford this bill, I would say we have to afford it," she said. "If we are saying to students in the 21st century that college is your ticket to financial security, it becomes a matter of public policy for the country—that’s the challenge the president’s thrown out."



Financial issues aside, the most crucial part of the proposal perhaps lies in its scope. Obama has repeatedly mentioned two key phrases: "non-traditional students" and "vocational programs." Under the Tennessee Promise and other state efforts, only high-school graduates have been eligible for free community college. Yet community colleges typically serve much more than this young demographic. The average age of community-college students is 29; many of them are juggling jobs and families on top of school, too.



The merits of the community-college system itself have also been subject to debate. Over half of the students at two-year institutions have to take remedial-education courses upon enrollment. These courses are designed to catch students up on concepts they should have learned in high school. And while the classes are necessary to graduate, they don’t come with college credits, so they can easily prolong a student’s track to a degree; the longer students spend in college the less likely they are to graduate.

These are just a few of the many problems that plague community-college students and make attaining degrees so difficult. Cochrane of TICAS wonders if the plan would truly address the whole spectrum of problems affecting higher education—not just the superficial outcome of enrolling more students in school. "Our task is not just to get students to enroll but to to help them succeed once they’re there," she said. "What good is it to enroll if you can't afford your textbooks or if you can’t get to or from campus?"

Meanwhile, Obama’s goals for vocational education—training for a particular trade that’s typically offered at two-year institutions—have been celebrated. The American obsession with elite academia has excluded the people who don’t want—or need—to attend college. This higher-education culture has pushed hoards of students into expensive four-year institutions and, subsequently, massive debt. Of course, this cultural tendency has its merits: College degrees are more important than ever in today's economy. Still, that push has contributed to stigmas about practical skilled labor.

Obama touts the expansion of vocational programs as a solution to this trend. And ultimately, the decision to implement Obama’s community-college plan is up to Congress—a Republican-controlled body whose members are largely opposed to the president’s goals. Moreover, its implementation would take a long time: The potential beneficiaries are likely in middle school or younger right now.



However, perhaps debates about the community-college initiative are too concerned with public policy at the expense of important philosophical questions, including those about the hope it could instill in Americans. Potential students who might have otherwise assumed they would never gain access to higher education may now see it as a viable option. "I think the simplistic messaging is really appealing," Cochrane said. "There are benefits to making the program universal, as such proposals have more political support."



And the prospect of the plan’s impact on the country's overall prosperity is, indeed, encouraging. "Most of us aren’t pole vaulters who can jump to the highest rungs of the ladder—we have to climb up it and that's what opportunity means," Weingarten said. "That’s what public education is: You have to meet kids where they are not where you want them to be."