Dear Friends,
It has been just over a year since CFCT launched, and every day since, you’ve joined us in our dedication to making college tuition free in all fifty states. Since then, the notion of free college has gone from a crazy idea to the center of debate in the initial stages of this year’s presidential campaign. But there’s still so much more to be done.
CFCT will be hosting our first-ever webinar on July 16th. Join us to discuss CFCT’s plan to make free college tuition a reality and get the latest exclusive resources and information. Click here to sign up.
Since our launch, our plan to create National Promise Scholarships that would make both two and four year colleges tuition free without increasing federal income taxes has been the subject of discussions with policy makers from both sides of the aisle. Those conversations have only accelerated this year with the announcement of President Obama’s America’s College Promise proposal to make the nation’s community colleges tuition free.
We have been honored by the presence of U.S. Under Secretary of Education Ted Mitchell at two of our Free College Summits since then as well as a national conference call with our online supporters. He has tentatively committed to joining us this summer to continue these important discussions.
At the state level, we remained inspired by the work of Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam (R) who has made his state’s community colleges tuition free and are supporting efforts in several states seeking to bring similar benefits to their residents. We are particularly proud of the work CFCT has done in promoting the idea in California where legislation to document the impact early commitment to college has on both high school and college performance is moving through the legislature. AB 1145 has already passed the state’s lower house unanimously and was cleared for Senate action just this past week.
We can use your help in securing support for the bill when it is taken up by the State Senate in the fall and ensuring the Governor’s signature of this critical first step in creating a California Promise. Click here to sign up for the July 16th webinar - where you’ll hear a lot more about this initiative.
Last week, we saw legislation to make college tuition free overwhelmingly pass in the Oregon State Legislature. Now, it only awaits the Governor’s signature. If passed, all graduating Oregon high school students and residents with a GED will have their tuition waived if they attend any in-state community college.
This is big news: momentum for free college tuition is growing around the country.
At the community level, the Campaign for Free College Tuition was able to bring on our first full time organizer, Norma Orozco, this spring. She is now embarked on her own campaign to identify CFCT Ambassadors who can work to activate promise programs in their own communities. We want to tell you all about this idea in our webinars in July.
The first webinar is an interactive training session where you will have the opportunity to discuss Free College Tuition with like-minded people and help grow a community of Higher Education champions near you. Sign up now and let’s start spreading the word that college tuition is already free for tens of thousands of Americans and should and can be free in your community and state as well.
Join me in celebrating a very successful first year - with another great year to come.
Morley
Our goal is to make higher education a possibility for every American, without regard to their financial circumstances.
We have a lot to do and not much time to do it, so your support is critical for our campaign to succeed. It’s with your investment that we can fundamentally reform how higher education is financed in this country, opening the doors to a more equitable society.
If you agree with our goal, our plan, and the urgency of the problem, we ask that you give what you can to help us write the next chapter in our nation’s history of continuously expanding access to universal, free education.
