By Chelsea Reil, News Staff

In the weeks after President Barack Obama announced his proposal for investing billions of dollars in higher education with aims to help ‘an additional 5 million Americans earn degrees and certificates in the next decade,’ Northeastern President Joseph Aoun openly questioned the practicality of the plan through a pair of media appearances.
On July 16, the Boston Globe published an editorial written by President Aoun entitled ‘Millions more going to college?’ One week later, on July 23, Aoun discussed his thoughts on the future of education on National Public Radio’s ‘On Point’ with host Tom Ashbrook and Arizona State University President Michael Crow.
President Obama touted the plan, called the American Graduation Initiative Macomb Community College in Warren, Mich., July 14, saying it ‘will reform and strengthen community colleges from coast to coast so they get the resources that students and schools need ‘- and the results workers and businesses demand.’ The initiative follows Obama’s February announcement of aiming for the United States to have the world’s largest number of college graduates by 2020.
In the Globe editorial, Aoun said Obama’s goals are currently unattainable but the world of higher education is about to see ‘real change.’
‘While some will question whether these prospective students are ready for college, many of us in higher education are asking ourselves:’ Are we ready?’ he wrote, later adding, ‘The short answer is no. At least not without some diversification of the prevailing higher-education model.’
Aoun continued to send this message during his July 23 appearance on ‘On Point.’
‘It can be done if we start looking at the diversification of the system,’ Aoun said in the hour-long show. ‘Every institution to [must] ask, ‘What are we doing? What kind of education are we providing that is different and better than others?”
Aoun spoke at length about making education accessible and convenient for every type of student; a student from Roxbury needs a different type of college than a single mother of two from Milton, he said.
The topic of a ‘no-frills’ university, one of the diversified education models Aoun discussed in the Globe editorial, came up early.
‘A ‘no-frills’ system is a university only focused on giving the instruction,’ Aoun said. ‘We have the best system, the residential system, in the world because we are offering not only a classroom education but education outside the classroom as well. In a ‘no-frills’ system, this part is going to disappear.’
Aoun said he is not advocating for no-frills, but ‘given the need to increase access, we have to look at various models, and this is a model we are going to see.’ He also said he believes higher education will not disappear or be converted to a single model, but instead said there is a need for many systems of education to accommodate many types of students.
Northeastern has been doing its part to encourage students to enroll and stay in school despite the bleak economic outlook, said Mike Armini, vice president of marketing and communications.
‘Northeastern has dramatically increased financial aid during the recession and our College of Professional Studies, where many of our online and part-time programs are, is greatly expanding,’ Armini said.
When asked about Aoun’s recent appearances in the media, Armini cited his standing in the academic community.
‘Higher education is very much in the news these days, in part because of the economy and also because of the Obama administration’s agenda,’ Armini said. ‘President Aoun is a thought leader within higher education, and he’s had greater opportunities lately to express his ideas.’
Ryan Fox, president of the Student Government Association (SGA), said he was surprised to see Aoun’s name in print.
‘It’s not something that we’ve seen, reaching out to the city in that way,’ Fox said. ‘At least not since I’ve been here. He asked a lot of good questions.’