Ivy Tech, JCTC Presidents To Attend White House Summit

Two Hoosiers and two Kentuckians will be attend the first-ever White House Summit on Community Colleges Tuesday in Washington. The summit will be focused mainly on improving education accessibility and attainment.Among those invited to the summit are Jefferson Community and Technical College president Tony Newberry, Hopkinsville Community College president James Selbe, Ivy Tech student Michael Rice and Ivy Tech president Tom Snyder.Snyder says he's not sure what exactly will be discussed, but he hopes Pell Grant reform will be on the agenda."The way the system works with Pell Grant financial aid is the more you charge, the more Pell Grant money your students get," he says. "Well, because we try to keep our costs low, we tend to disadvantage our own ability to grow because it's a third-party payer system and we're the low-cost provider."Snyder says he expects to field several questions as well, since Ivy Tech is a statewide system, and community college presidents may be looking for new ways to work with campuses in other counties and states.