Peters Visits Lansing Community College to Highlight Bipartisan Legislation to Make College More Affordable & Accessible

LANSING, MI – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) today visited Lansing Community College to highlight bipartisan, bicameral legislation he has introduced to expand options for high school students to obtain college credit, making higher education more affordable and accessible while improving high school and college graduation rates. The Making Education Affordable and Accessible Act (MEAA) would expand access to dual and concurrent enrollment programs and early/middle college programs by providing grants to institutions of higher education. The National Alliance on Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships estimates 1.9 million high school students enrolled in a college course during the 2014-2015 school year. He introduced the legislation with Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Congressmen Jared Polis (D-CO) and Tom Reed (R-NY).

Peters was joined by Lansing Community College President Dr. Brent Knight, Lansing Community College Director of K-12 Relations Toni Glasscoe, Director of Michigan Early Middle College Association Dr. Chery Wagonlander, and students enrolled in Lansing Community College’s dual and concurrent enrollment and early college programs.

“Access to higher education is increasingly critical to joining the modern workforce and competing in today’s global economy,” said Senator Peters. “That is why I introduced legislation to ensure a quality education is affordable and accessible for students in Michigan. I am pleased to be at Lansing Community College today to see firsthand how their dual and concurrent enrollment and early college programs are significantly easing the financial burden for students and their families.” 

“College affordability remains one of the biggest road blocks to pursuing higher education, but dual and concurrent enrollment and early college programs can play a significant role in reducing that price tag,” said Dr. Brent Knight, Lansing Community College President. “I thank Senator Peters for his efforts to support these critical programs that give students in Michigan an opportunity to save time and money as they start their college careers.”

“Dual and concurrent enrollment options, as well as early and middle college programs, help students take a giant step closer toward college and career preparedness,” said Lansing Community College Director of K-12 Relations, Toni Glasscoe. “By creating an affordable pathway to a quality education, these programs will equip Michigan students with the education and experience they need to succeed both in and out of the classroom.”

“On behalf of the Michigan Early Middle College Association (MEMCA) and its 23 Michigan-member early middle college schools and 66 early college programs, I am pleased to join Senator Peters today in support of the Making Education Affordable and Accessible Act,” said Dr. Chery Wagonlander, Director of the Michigan Early Middle College Association. “This legislation will help to lessen the financial burden associated with higher education so that the daunting prospect of student debt doesn’t stand in the way of academic success.”

The Making Education Affordable and Accessible Act (MEAA) would allow money from the Higher Education Act Title VII Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) to be used to provide grants to institutions of higher education. These grants can be used to:

• Carry out dual and concurrent enrollment programs as well as early/middle college programming;
• Provide teachers in these programs with professional development; and
• Support activities such as course design, course approval processes, community outreach, student counseling and support services.

Concurrent enrollment provides high school students the opportunity to take college-credit bearing courses taught by college-approved high school teacher, while dual enrollment involves students being enrolled in two separate institutions. Middle and early college high schools and programs are located on college campuses or within schools and allow students to begin working toward an associate’s degree while they complete the necessary coursework for a high school diploma. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) early college students on average earn 36 college credits, and 30% of early college students earn an associate’s degree. There are 23 early/middle college high schools and 66 early/middle college programs in Michigan alone.

Lansing Community College’s Early College program allows students to earn up to 60 college credits tuition free. Beginning in 11^th grade, and continuing through for three years, students take classes full time on LCC’s main campus to fulfill the programs requirements. LCC’s Early College curriculum emphasizes Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) providing the opening for students to leave college with a wide range of career opportunities. Their Early College currently has 178 students participating from thirteen school districts in Ingham County and Eaton Rapids High School.

Lansing Community College’s dual and concurrent enrollment programs provide over 700 high school students with the opportunity to earn college credits while working towards their high school diploma. Through dual and concurrent enrollment, students are given a path to study specific areas of interest that may not be offered at their high school, all while obtaining college credits affordably.

Last year, Peters introduced an amendment with U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) to the bipartisan Every Child Achieves Act, which was signed into law in December. The amendment allows Title I funds to be used to support concurrent and dual enrollment programs at eligible schools, enabling high school students to simultaneously receive college-credit from courses taught by college approved teachers in secondary education. It also allows school districts to use fifth-year program partnerships to allow students to participate in concurrent enrollment in the year after their senior year.

Making college more affordable for Michiganders is also a top priority for Senator Peters. Last year, Peters introduced the bipartisan FAIR Student Credit Act to help private student loan borrowers rehabilitate defaulted loans and remove the default from their credit report after making a series of on-time payments. He also helped introduce the Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act, legislation to allow borrowers with outstanding student loan debt to refinance at lower interest rates available to new borrowers.

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