White House summit seeks to expand educational prospects

A college presidents summit with President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama Thursday will seek to expand U.S. educational opportunity, the White House said. The 6-hour event, with leaders from the Ivy League to community colleges, will also include heads of non-profits, foundations, state governments and businesses, the White House said. The college and university presidents are expected to promise to increase their enrollment of high-performing low-income students and ensure they graduate -- commitments intended to increase the number of students who "graduate from college with the skills they need to succeed," Obama senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer said in an email titled "Year of Action." The event will include remarks by White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, Domestic Policy Council Director Cecilia Munoz and National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling, the White House said. The president and first lady are expected to address the summit at about 11:15 a.m. Obama has called education vital to the nation's global competitiveness and to the ability of middle- and lower-income families to experience economic mobility. Education Secretary Arne Duncan is expected to participate in a panel discussion at about 2:30 p.m.