President Obama is scheduled to deliver a speech on college affordability tomorrow at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The president touched on the subject Tuesday evening in his State of Union address when he said that affordable higher education is a priority and that colleges and universities must work to keep tuition down:
Let me put colleges and universities on notice: If you can’t stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down.
The president did not elaborate, but is expected to offer more details tomorrow.
Last December, the president invited presidents from several public universities and university systems to Washington to discuss ways to keep tuition affordable and encourage state investment in higher education. University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman did not attend the meeting, but offered this public letter to the president. Like Wisconsin, Michigan has experienced deep cuts in higher education funding.