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The Case for College

What's the case for college these days?

What's the case for college these days? For much of the last fifty years, research very clearly suggested that college was the key to unlock the American Dream. A college degree not only ensured a route to a stable career but was also strongly correlated with future financial well-being. Events of recent years, along with the affordability challenges, seem to have stood that conventional wisdom on its head.

And yet, more than 15 million students are enrolled in undergraduate programs at close to 4,000 institutions. And despite the headlines about name-brand private colleges and universities, it's important to remember that more than 70% of those students are at public institutions--community colleges and state schools that prioritize affordability alongside educational quality.

To make the case for college in these turbulent times, we'll hear from the President of one of the more affordable higher education institutions in Northeast Ohio, the chief executive of the regional organization that supports more than 42,000 individuals every year, and the best-selling author of The Black Family’s Guide to College Admissions: A Conversation about Education, Parenting, and Race.

Speakers

Timothy Fields
Author; and Senior Associate Dean in Undergraduate Admission, Emory University

R.J. Nemer
19th President, The University of Akron

Moderator

Dr. Michele Scott Taylor
Chief Executive Officer, College Now Greater Cleveland