July 6, 2016
Page 7
O PINION
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Breaking Barriers to Earn a College Degree
Congratulations
Class of 2016
M arC h. M orial
Congratulations,
graduates.
Whether you’ve walked across a
stage to receive your high school
diploma and begin your journey
into a new world of independence,
or you finally have your college
diploma and are ready to step
out into a world outside of lec-
ture halls and dorms, you deserve
much congratulations on your
achievement.
Today, you are set to begin a
new chapter in your life. Cele-
brate and bask in your well-de-
served feeling of accomplishment
now, because tomorrow is a new
day and there is much work to be
done.
Two years from now, it is pro-
jected that over 60 percent of all
jobs will require some college ed-
ucation. As you prepare to become
a part of the American workforce
with your degree securely in hand,
our nation faces a looming cri-
sis because we are not producing
enough men and women like you:
graduates.
College enrollment and attain-
ment rates have been steadily
increasing in our country across
racial and ethnic groups, but the
problem is not that there are not
enough people enrolling in col-
lege. The problem is that there are
not enough people finishing col-
by
lege. And from among those who
do attain that now vital postsec-
ondary degree, large racial divides
in degree attainment persist.
If we, as a nation, do not com-
mit to figuring out what it takes to
graduate from college, we risk di-
minishing the lives of our citizens,
who are more likely to find better
and better-paying work with a de-
dream and work hard to one day be
in your shoes may see their dream
deferred or discontinued because
of financial need, academic un-
preparedness and perhaps even
coming from a non-college-going
culture.
When you translate those barri-
ers to obtaining a college degree
into hard numbers, the statistics
The solutions to college
attainment and completion will be
both economic and social—from
providing students with grants and
low-interest loans, to providing
better teachers in our grade schools
and middle schools...
gree. We risk the loss of critical
skills and training that will keep
our national economy prosper-
ous and thriving. And we risk our
country’s ability to remain com-
petitive in the global, 21st century
workforce.
At the National Higher Educa-
tion Summit hosted by the Nation-
al Urban League and USA Funds,
a nonprofit corporation that en-
hances preparation for, access to
and success in postsecondary ed-
ucation, panelists addressed many
of the obstacles that derail college
completion for students of color.
Many young men and women who
are sobering. Over the period
from 1990 to 2014, the gap be-
tween whites and blacks attain-
ing a bachelor’s or higher degree
widened from 13 to 18 percentage
points, and the gap between whites
and Hispanics widened from 18 to
26 percentage points, according to
a study by the National Center for
Education Statistics.
As long as large numbers of
students of color remain ill pre-
pared to navigate and succeed in
our postsecondary system of ed-
ucation, we will continue to have
an urgent, national conversation
about income inequality. The lack
of financial aid that doesn’t drown
students in future debt, the lack of
high-quality teachers in K-12 in
communities of color and the lack
of guidance from professionals
about the college experience is a
recipe for disaster that will contin-
ue to trap our nation’s future into
poverty. You see, when a young
man or woman is denied access
to opportunity through education,
we all lose.
The solutions to college at-
tainment and completion will be
both economic and social—from
providing students with grants
and low-interest loans, to provid-
ing better teachers in our grade
schools and middle schools and
providing academic remediation
for students who need support
with college courses. A college ed-
ucated populace and workforce is
a national imperative that requires
the across-the-board support and
collaboration of all stakeholders,
from families to education profes-
sionals, employers and politicians.
Despite whatever obstacles you
may have faced, you have earned a
degree that is promised to reward
you with a life you may not have
had without that diploma. You
have worked hard to be given ac-
cess to jobs and opportunities that
your degree merits. You have beat
the odds. Now go out and change
the world!
Marc H. Morial is president
and chief executive officer of the
National Urban League.
Stairs (12-16 stairs - With
Other Services) : $25.00
Area/Oriental Rugs:
$25.00 Minimum
Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool) :
$40.00 Minimum
Heavily Soiled Area:
Additional $10.00 each area
(Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying)
UPHOLSTERY
CLEANING
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Sectional: $109 - $139
Chair or Recliner:
$25 - $49
Throw Pillows (With
Other Services) : $5.00
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