A new emphasis on community colleges and a financial aid form that doesn't read like the federal tax code are just two of the ideas coming out of the Obama administration in an effort to make college more affordable.

And the administration's tone on this topic is in line with ideas NYSUT has already embraced, says NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi.

"I think the direction the administration is taking with respect to making college affordable allows us to address the high expectations that are fundamental to addressing the achievement gap," Iannuzzi said, after taking part in a panel discussion about college affordability that was led by Vice President Joe Biden.

The Sept. 9 event at Syracuse University also featured U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

They joined Biden in presenting the president's plan to make college more affordable and increase college graduation rates.

Panelists who appeared with Iannuzzi included Dennis Van Roekel, president of the National Education Association, and SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher.

Among the ideas discussed by administration leaders:

• A recognition of the valuable role of community colleges in the recession. The Obama administration announced a plan to provide $12 billion in additional funding to community colleges.
  "As the country is getting back on its feet, community colleges are responding," Duncan said.
• A revised and simplified financial aid form. All three administration officials said the current federal financial aid form may actually prevent students from applying because it is so complex.
• An expanded GI bill that takes into account the vast numbers of veterans returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ellen Schuler Mauk, president of the Faculty Association of Suffolk College, who chairs the NYSUT Higher Education Council, said the promise of more attention for community colleges couldn't come at a better time.

"We are glad to hear that community colleges will be valued and appreciated in the administration's long-range plans," Schuler Mauk said.

"We also hope this will highlight the incredible job our community colleges have done for so long, with so little."