Senator Marshall Champions the Benefits of Community Colleges During HELP Committee Hearing

Washington – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) participated in a hearing today on the state of higher education in the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions (HELP).

As someone who attended a community college, Senator Marshall spoke about his own experience that allowed him to receive an excellent education while making smart financial decisions. Senator Marshall touched on the importance of financial literacy and using high school years to obtain college credits to get ahead.

Senator Marshall’s firsthand experience is one of the many success stories of Americans attending a community college. The Senator was the first in his family to attend college and worked part-time jobs throughout his education to pay his own way instead of borrowing money. After graduating from Butler County Community College, he went on to receive his bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University and his Medical Doctorate from the University of Kansas, spending more than 25 years practicing medicine as an OB-GYN.

Senator Marshall also questioned Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, Chancellor of the Austin Community College District, about how community colleges compare to traditional universities and Pell Grant flexibility.

Click HERE or on the image above to watch Senator Marshall’s full line of questioning.

Highlights from the hearing include:

On Senator Marshall’s higher education story:

Senator Marshall: “I was the student that graduated first in a class of 200; had ACT scores that were really good. I applied to Kansas State, Kansas University, thinking this is where I’m going to go, but I would have had to borrow money to do it. So instead, I chose a community college. Near as I could tell, calc one was calc one. Comp one was comp one. And you know, my point I’m trying to make is everybody makes decisions, and part of it should be financial…

“… You know, I made decisions through my whole life on whether to borrow money or to work. So, I worked part-time jobs in high school, community college, college, med school, and even residency. I worked part-time jobs rather than borrow money. When we had our first child in medical school, I chose to join the Army Reserve as opposed to borrowing money. And I understand that… some people are going to do better in a private college. You know, knock your socks off. Some people are going to do better. I just can’t imagine that a student… couldn’t do just as good at a community college. And somehow, financial literacy should be important to making that decision.”

On the cost of community colleges versus traditional universities:

Senator Marshall: “… The tuition at a community college on average, $5,000 a year. A State University, $12,000. If you’re going to an out-of-state university, it’s $30,000 and a private school is $43,000. So that first year in community college… today you’d spend $5000 versus $43,000, and I would note that the cost of living, typically in community college cities, is a lot less than the big university cities as well. So, I think the question is, at what point should the federal government reward people for making financial decisions that they should be responsible for?

“But it’s a lot more than just choosing the school. Students today, they’re told to take five years to go to college, when it should easily be done in four years. One way you can do that is to rack up some credits in high school. It’s why we support the Perkins grants as well… a lot of students today had the opportunity to enter that first year of college and already have a semester underneath their belt. So, I think that’s a false narrative out there that it should take five years.” 

On the advantages of attending a community college:

Senator Marshall: “Dr. Lowery Hart, you’re my community college person here. Do your kids struggle when they go on to universities and on to med school, or was it okay that they started there at a community college? How much money did they save?”

Dr. Lowery-Hart: “Well, depending on where they went, the level of savings will vacillate, but they all saved money, starting at a community college, and the data is pretty clear. My colleagues will affirm, if they go back to their [Institutional Research] IR shops, community colleges that transfer to universities, perform at or better than students that originated in those universities, they’re well prepared, and it’s because of what you just mentioned, Calc, one, comp, one, are the same. The difference at a community college is they’re being taught by a Master’s or PhD-prepared, experienced teacher, not a graduate assistant. I think the instructions in those basic courses are better at a community college because our faculty are more experienced in teaching in those areas.

“The dual enrollment piece, Senator Marshall, is really critical. It can be a solution for making college more affordable. It was for my own three kids, all of which went to a community college before University. The challenges for the millions of adults that need to come back and up-skill … and how they can afford it while still working, is why I think Pell eligibility is particularly important.”

On Pell Grant flexibility:

Senator Marshall: “Just speak a little bit more about the flexibility of a Pell Grant. More and more, the great-paying jobs. If we can just get them in the door for six or eight hours at a time, how important would that be to you?”

Dr. Lowery-Hart: “Really important. There are level-one certifications that can lead to a family-sustaining wage. Those students can enter that profession, whether it’s at Tesla or Samsung, work for six months, come back, and get the next level of certification.

“Those stackable credentials are what will change their families’ generations to come but also ensure that our communities are able to meet the moment that we’re in, an economic challenge that we have.” 

Senator Marshall: “… You see time and time again, the story of a person that came back in a year or two and continued that education, and that particular person ends up being just a superstar on the job site.”