PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — There has been a lot of talk about free college in the United States, especially thanks to President Joe Biden's American Families Plan. Part of it would allow some students to enroll at community colleges for free.
But some educators say addressing the cost of college only goes so far to solving the biggest problems facing students in America right now.
It's all about redesigning higher education, according to Dr. Eileen Strempel, dean of music at UCLA and co-author of the book "Beyond Free College, Making Higher Education Work for 21st Century Students."
"Education is a fabulous way to invest in the infrastructure in our country and a way to really transform this generation as we're trying to emerge from the pandemic stronger, together," she said.
Strempel recently told the KYW Newsradio In Depth podcast that about 36 million Americans have attended college, but have no degree.
"Having a motto of no credit left behind," she suggested, "of making sure whatever credits Americans earn that that investment that we as American citizens are making actually results in a credential that will result in higher earnings for folks."
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Strempel suggests changing the landscape of college. She says there should be an easier path to get a certification, then an associate degree, followed by a bachelor's degree, and so on.
"That's what I would urge Biden and all Americans to really focus on," she said. "It's not access. You can go to a community college. They take everyone, they're open access. That's the beauty of community colleges. That's not what we need to focus on folks. It's degree completion."
However, she also said that more than a quarter of college students today are parents who may need more help. That's one reason she believes it shouldn't be free for just anyone.
"I can afford to send my kid to community college. That money that I could be paying, that could be money to pay for someone else's child care," she said.
"So there needs to be more of a communal approach that we're all taking. It needs to be nuanced. It can't be free college for everyone. It could be but you're leaving a lot of money on the table. There are wiser ways of investing that are really going to transform society and I think that's where our focus needs to be."