 When we think about the founding fathers of this country, the thing that they understood is that education was the key to not only opportunity, but to an educated citizenry and from their perspective was one of the very basic safeguards of true democracy. I think the challenge for us is to really ask ourselves whether we are willing and prepared to make the same commitment to our children and to our grandchildren that our forebears made in us. I'm Miles Maine. I'm a senior up at UVM. I'm a history major with a polysine minor that takes up most of my time, but I'm also in, like, pet band. I'm in a couple of choirs. And yeah, I'm having a really good time, so that's what I've been up to for the past three years now, going on four. And it's amazing. I understand how lucky I am. Everybody starts out in debt nowadays, because that's just how it works. You know, I realize that without all these organizations, without all these grants and people giving, I'd still be here. And I'd be okay, but, you know, I'd either be in debt at school or I wouldn't be in school at all and I'd be working my butt off. So yeah, that's financially how I go to school. A lot of our generation that didn't go to school promote what we know. Hard work. Just get up, go to work, get a job in the middle, because that's basically what there is around here, a mill. And you can survive and you can raise a family. Things are difficult. You don't have vacations. You don't drive nicer cars. You don't... But it's possible. And everyone's done it. So college is like, it's a whole foreign idea for a lot of people of smaller towns, I would think. There are so many kids. They just don't have the support. So many of Miles' friends, you know, this table would be full. And I can tell you, you know, three out of ten are going to have the ability to get from A to B, because there's nothing left at home. For the low-income families, you know, families typically making, you know, appellageable family might be making somewhere between $20,000 and $40,000 a year. So their ability to just maintain their home life and support their family in pursuing education, they do really need the support of institutions and the federal government to make that possible. There's no excess funds there. Back in 1965 when the United States made its first really major commitment to broad-based access to post-secondary education, our vision was on creating opportunity for our students, regardless of their social or economic circumstances. The biggest competitive challenge we face is that while we have stood still, other countries have entered the race and are making significant new major investments in their post-secondary education systems. And in making sure that all of their students have access to those systems. The old-generational work-hard-get-paid model isn't surprising anymore. You need to have the skills. And in order to get those skills, you need assistance a lot of times. Some people don't need assistance. Who plough for them? Awesome. But there are kids like myself, a lot of my friends, who do need assistance and it's not by any laziness or any lack of ambition or lack of foresight on your parents' part. It's just where you're put. For many, many years, the goal of federal higher education policy and to some extent state education policy was very focused on the lowest-income students. As college costs increased and real incomes for middle-income families decreased, what we've seen over the last 15, 20 years is that middle-income families now are really struggling. I really hope that we don't lose sight of the middle class. When I say middle class, I'm talking to those people who are just for financial aid purposes, just on the other side of Pell Grant eligibility. Those are the people who are taking the brunt of a lot of the changes in loan programs, interest rates and fees, and we need to keep focused on them. This is where there's a true partnership between the federal government and the institution. Right now, the federal government's not partnering in the way that I think they need to be for that population. My name is Mary Rowley. I'm a sophomore nursing student at UVM. I guess it was probably my senior year of high school when it kind of was starting to hit me and how to pay for college, which is crazy when you look at different schools, how expensive it is. Unfortunately, we haven't benefited from grants. I do wish there were more Pell Grants, I think, and especially acknowledging outstanding students. I feel strongly that there needs to be more grant monies for the middle class. People are working to make ends meet and it's unrealistic expectations that these dollars aren't available for hardworking students. Talking with some of my upperclassmen friends and you joke around, like, next year's the real world and it is kind of daunting to face that, like, to find a job and then from there where you're going to live and how much debt that you're already taking on and how to save money now for later and that's definitely daunting. I think that's hard to look forward to. I need to keep that investment coming to educate our future students that would help the world all around. These are our leaders and we need to educate them and it costs money. If we want to continue to be an international leader, socially, culturally and economically, we really need to remain at the front of the pack in terms of the percentage of our citizens who have access to the education and training they need. These students and parents, they're not looking for a handout. They're just looking for a leg up, some kind of help, ease that burden. They're willing to make their commitment and they are making their commitment. Students aren't coming to us saying, no, I want my education with no loan debt. They understand that they're going to have to make an investment in their own education. They're partnering with us. My name is Antoine Williams. I'm the owner and a financial planner and wealth manager of Antoine Williams and Associates of Financial Services. I'm originally from New York City in Manhattan. I went to school at the Bronx High School of Science in the Bronx. I came up to Vermont, the beautiful state of Vermont, to go to the University of Vermont. If things change or if I feel like we need to... My final success is being able to do what you want to do when you want to do it. And at 44 years old, I could say that I'm lucky enough to do that. As a young boy, I always knew that I would go to college. Just the question is, how would I do that? Without the federal funding allowing me to get the education, I clearly wouldn't be where I am today. The absence of support, ultimately if you ask me, is a downfall of a society over time. I mean, we've seen it happen over and over where if you've got groups to just take care of themselves, that's just not enough. That's not enough. The thing that makes my parents' practices is that I was recipient of the Kitter Medal. It's the medal for outstanding senior male for character, leadership, and academics. To me, that was huge because I felt as I didn't just go to University of Vermont. I didn't just come here, pay my tuition and leave. I think that I impacted the student body and I continue to do that today. You know, I'm on the board of advisors. I was on the business school board. It was such a positive experience for me. It's one that I'll always remember and it's one that will always have a big piece in my heart. It comes full circle. I was given these same opportunities by other people. 20, just 20 years ago, now I'm able to give some of them back to other people. So that's a, you can't ask for more than that. Good morning, Sam. Hey, Miles. You coming tonight? What? Coming to the game? Of course. Okay, I'll see you there. I feel very lucky, very blessed because I got a lot of help. Federal aid was a big part of it. Without it, I would not be where I am. The stuff that I've learned in those experiences are vital to me becoming a better member of society and contributing and without college and without financial help. I don't think that would be possible. Higher education really is not just the path to being able to earn a livable wage, but it really is the path to being able to earn a middle class income. Part of our challenge has been that we've not been successful in creating that sense of urgency that says we need to make investments today to make sure that we leave our grandchildren with the skills and the resources that they will need to be able to successfully compete in the world.