Proposed federal investment could help CCRI

President Barack Obama on Tuesday proposed a $12 billion investment in the nation’s two-year colleges in hopes of getting more students an education and then jobs that could bolster the economy.

It’s not known which schools would get the money, but a share could certainly help the Community College of Rhode Island.

Steve Maurano, the state’s acting higher education commissioner, said that CCRI’s enrollment is up more than 10 percent from last year, with more than 18,000 students.

The federal money, if approved, would likely be given out to community colleges across the country in the form of grants.

The money would be spent on job training programs, expanding online classes, and infrastructure improvements.

“That’s an area where Rhode Island could certainly use an influx of cash for infrastructure projects, especially at the Warwick campus and probably at the Lincoln campus as well. As you probably know, the higher education sector has been cut by about $28 million in state appropriations over the last two years. So, any additional money that we can get for the community college sector from the federal government would be most welcome,“ Maurano said.

Obama made the announcement in Michigan, which has been hit hard by job losses and has the highest unemployment rate in the country.