Upcoming Event - February 26 - National Debate

The debate will be held this coming Friday. For our readers who will not be able to attend, our friends at the Miller Center are compiling a broadcast schedule for various markets across the US. You can access it here.

The debate will also be available online at www.millercenter.org. Below are the details for the event.

Does the United States need more college graduates to remain an economic power, or is college just too expensive to benefit many Americans? That will be the focus of a debate that the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, in partnership with MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, is holding Friday, February 26 at 7:00 pm at the National Press Club in Washington DC. It will air on PBS stations across the country.

Participants include:
•Richard Vedder, Director, The Center for College Affordability and Productivity; Economics Professor, Ohio University
•George Leef, Research Director, The John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy
•Margaret Spellings, former U.S. Secretary of Education
•Michael Lomax, President and CEO, United Negro College Fund

Paul Solman, business and economics correspondent for “PBS NewsHour,” will moderate the debate.

Today, about 40 percent of Americans, aged 25 to 34, have graduated from college. That figure has remained stable for decades, while graduation rates in other countries, including China, have increased dramatically in recent years.

Debate participants will argue several questions, including:
*To remain an economic superpower, does the U.S. need to focus on jobs that require innovation and critical thinking, skills best acquired in college, because it cannot compete with the world on the price of labor?
*Are college graduates better off financially and socially? Or with annual tuition averaging $20,000 for public colleges and $30,000 for private schools, does the cost of college outweigh the benefits for many Americans?
*Is it sound public policy to urge Americans to go to college, with the personal savings rate at its lowest since the Great Depression?

If you’re interested in attending, please e-mail or call one of the contacts listed below:

Kristy Schantz
202-758-3918
kkschantz@virginia.edu

Kim Curtis
434-243-2985
kcurtis@virginia.edu