Vice President Joe Biden spoke at Syracuse University Wednesday to talk to middle class families about affording college during what he calls ‘The Great Recession.’

His speech was part of the White House Task Force on Middle Class Families, which has been held in town hall-style meetings across the nation. Biden, an SU College of Law alumnus, was joined on stage by Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, State University of New York Chancellor Nancy Zimpher and other higher education experts.

Biden’s panel spoke on programs and legislation that are part of the American Recovery Act. The stimulus package gave more than $100 billion to proposals and reforms that President Barack Obama’s administration believes will make college more affordable and attainable for the middle class.

In his second visit to SU this year, Biden was more informal than in his commencement speech in May, frequently interacting with the crowd of about 1,000 in Goldstein Auditorium.

Biden stressed the difficulties middle- and low-income families face trying to afford college with annual tuition increases and a devastating recession.

‘They’re poor in their neighborhoods and great in their aspirations,’ he said. ‘This is the biggest commitment our government has ever made to revitalize and reform education.’

During the 30-minute speech, Biden discussed federal financial aid, including the newly implemented American Opportunity Credit which provides a $2,500 per year tax credit for tuition. More personally, he said he was amazed at the percentage of aid available to low-income students at SU.

The panel also praised SU and the city of Syracuse for the Say Yes to Education program, an initiative that allowed 37 Syracuse City School District students accepted to SU this fall to attend the university for free.

Duncan, the Secretary of Education, said he was impressed with the level of collaboration between the university and the city. ‘It looks like every part of the community is coming together and that makes me unbelievably hopeful.’

Say Yes also provides mentoring programs to aid student retention, which Duncan believes is a problem among college students. The nation’s high college dropout rate gave the administration a sense of urgency for reform. ‘This isn’t just an urban problem, or a rural problem, or a suburban problem. This is a national problem,’ he said.

Duncan, along with Biden and the other panel members, fielded questions from the audience about concerns with education policies. The interplay between the panel, audience members and Biden was casual, with the vice president often interjecting and joking with students and parents.

One student wanted to know why nothing is being done to curb incessant tuition increases. While the panel said this was a big issue facing America, they advised American youth to look at three-year degree programs and closely compare tuition of potential colleges to help lower costs.

The panel was questioned about the sincerity of the current administration’s commitment to education because the United States is still heavily involved in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, but Biden insisted education is still a high priority.

‘There is no higher domestic priority,’ he said. ‘It is the single most pervasive change we can make. It affects everything, from crime on the street to our international competitiveness.’

Though Biden largely remained on the topic of education at Wednesday’s speech, he wrapped up audience interaction on a more political note. He said many people have criticized the administration because of its time spent on higher education issues, while the problems with the economy seem more pressing.

‘People ask, ‘Why are you talking about health care? Why are you talking about education? About energy?’ We cannot lead the 21st century with the present education policy, with the present energy policy and with the present health care policy,’ Biden said. ‘There is no way to get there.’

Biden dismissed the criticism, instead saying the government had invested more than $100 billion in education.

‘We think (education) is absolutely essential. We think it is the building block to sustaining America’s position in the world over the next 40 to 50 years. We will not wait. I promise you we’re going to change the table in the next four years on education in America.’

The vice president stayed in town after his speech at SU, speaking at a campaign fundraiser event in the afternoon for Rep. Dan Maffei (D-DeWitt).

blbump@syr.edu

Published on September 9, 2009 at 12:00 pm