Does the U.S. Really Need More College Graduates?

News provided by

Feb 25, 2010, 12:03 ET

U.Va.'s Miller Center Kicks off National Debate Series with Education Debate

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 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 p.m. at the National Press Club. It will air on PBS stations across the country.

(logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080917/NPCLOGO)

Participants include:

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

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?

This debate is part of a series that the Miller Center will produce this year:

Date: March 24

Resolution: The United States must ration costly end-of-life care.

Moderator: Susan Dentzer, Editor-in-Chief, "Health Affairs"

Date: April 27

Resolution: The business model of higher education is broken.

Moderator: Ray Suarez, Senior Correspondent, "PBS NewsHour"

Date: May 18

Resolution: Democracy is threatened by the unchecked nature of information on the Internet.

Moderator: Robin MacNeil, MacNeil/Lehrer Productions

If you're interested in attending any of the debates, please e-mail or call one of the contacts listed below.

The Miller Center of Public Affairs is a leading nonpartisan public policy institution aimed at bringing together engaged citizens, scholars, members of the media and government officials to focus on issues of national importance to the governance of the United States, with a special interest in the American presidency.