President Tom Sullivan met with President Obama and the first lady, while attending a summit at the White House Jan. 15 and 16. 

President Sullivan was joined by the presidents of 79 other American colleges and universities, such as Northeastern University, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, Amherst College and Tufts University, according to the Boston Globe. 

Those who attended the summit discussed ways to make college more accessible for students who come from economically disadvantaged/ or lower income families, Sullivan said.

President Obama addressed the crowd of college officials about the increasing importance of a college education in a global economy. 

“We are here for one purpose: We want to make sure more young people have the chance to earn a higher education,” Obama said at the summit. 

It has become increasingly difficult to move up socio-economically in America despite the energy revolution going on in this country (increased drilling for oil and fracking for natural gas) and the return of manufacturing jobs to the United States, Obama said.  

The equality of outcome is not assured in America, but equality of opportunity should be assured, he added.

Obama explained how his grandfather was able to go to college on the GI Bill after returning from World War II. He went on to call for more programs like the GI Bill that give more people the opportunity to go to college.

Only about 9 percent of low-income high school students would go on to earn a bachelor’s degree by their mid twenties, Obama said. 

“Even after all these steps we’ve taken over the last five years, we still have a long way to go to unlock the doors of higher education for more Americans and especially for lower-income Americans,” he said. 

Sullivan spoke highly of UVM’s New Americans program at the summit. 

“The program aims to identify students and families and give them a very high touch personal approach so that they fully grasp all the steps involved in applying to college and seeking financial aid,” Sullivan said. 

“We want them to feel comfortable and confident so that when they apply, they will be able to understand the pathway to a successful college experience, including a timely graduation,” he said.

There has been a lot of progress in educating young Americans, Obama said during the summit. 

The high school dropout rate is the lowest it has been in 40 years, and the Federal government has doubled the amount of money distributed to college students in grant aid under the Obama administration, according to his speech.

Today more young people are earning college degrees than ever before, he said.  

“Higher education inflation is going up faster than health care inflation,” and one issue that must be addressed is the rising cost of a college education, Obama said. 

The U.S. government cannot continue to subsidize a system with such rising costs, he said. 

Student debt must be addressed, first-year and incoming SGA senator Savanna Miller said. 

“My brother and his ex-girlfriend had to pay $900 dollars a month against their student loans and the accumulated interest. There are people who are still paying off their debt when they are well into their thirties. That’s just ridiculous,” she said. 

“I heard today at the senate meeting that President Sullivan said that he’s planning on decreasing admissions to UVM, Maya Donoghue, first-year and SGA senator said.”

“But that makes you wonder if they are going to keep raising tuition to keep the same amount of money flowing in from students,” she said.