President Barack Obama is expected to discuss college affordability and access to quality higher education on Tuesday in an address to Georgia Tech students.
In a planned one-day visit to Atlanta, the president will also help raise funds for the Democratic National Committee.
Cecilia Muñoz, White House Director of the Domestic Policy Council, said Obama’s talk will focus on initiatives to make college more accessible. Earlier this year, Obama unveiled the America’s College Promise initiative that would make two years of community college free to qualifying students.
“What he’s really trying to do is establish a new norm so that at least a couple of years of higher education is as accessible as high school,” Muñoz said Monday. “That’s really what we’ll need to succeed economically.”
The U.S. no longer leads the world in college attainment rates, she said. The president has long aimed for the country to reclaim the No. 1 position by 2020.
Muñoz said Georgia Tech is ideal for the event because its students have high job placement rates, the school’s “promise program” offers debt-free educations to qualified instate students, and it’s among the first major universities to offer a master’s degree in computer science exclusively online. Georgia Tech’s online offering could serve as a model to help reduce the cost of education, she said.
The trip marks the president's third major event in the South in recent days. Last week, Obama visited Benedict College in South Carolina to discuss education, youth programs and civil rights issues. The president and First Lady Michelle Obama later attended the 50th anniversary of the voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. on Saturday.
The president’s arrival isn’t expected to disrupt Atlanta’s notorious morning rush hour traffic, but could pose problems for some commuters in the evening.
Doors to the Georgia Tech event open at 10:30 a.m., with his remarks scheduled for 1:30 p.m.. Obama will finish his day in Atlanta at a 4:30 p.m. DNC fundraiser at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Atlanta.
According to a DNC official, the president is expected to attend a roundtable with 25 to 30 supporters, each contributing upwards of $33,400.
A spokesman for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport said officials there do not anticipate any significant delays for travelers due to the president’s visit.
Gov. Nathan Deal, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and Fulton County Chairman John Eaves are each confirmed to be among the local officials who will greet the president upon his arrival. A spokeswoman from Reed's office said the mayor will also attend the DNC fundraiser.
The president last visited Atlanta in September during the height of the Ebola crisis. In 2013, the president delivered the Morehouse College commencement address.
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