President Barack Obama spoke at the first ever White House Summit on community colleges, which brought together community colleges, businesses and policy leaders to continue working on their goal of increasing the number of graduates from community colleges across the country.

The summit was chaired by Vice President Joe Biden’s wife Jill Biden, who has taught English at a community college for 17 years and still teaches at a college close to the White House several days a week, according to a report by the Associated Press.

Biden said the summit is an important step to help meet Obama’s goal of having best educated and most competitive workforce in the world by the end of the decade.

Biden added Obama has set a goal to have an additional 5 million community college graduates by 2020.

“Reaching that goal will take the commitment of everyone in this room, and all of the hardworking community college leaders, faculty and students you represent,” Biden said.

Madison Area Technical College social studies professor Suzanne Sublette was one of 40
community college faculty members from across the country who was
invited to attend the event, according to a statement from MATC.

Sublette was unavailable for comment.

MATC Spokesperson Bill Bessette said they were broadcasting the summit on campus during the day on Tuesday.

Howard Cosgrove, University of Wisconsin Colleges spokesperson, said no one from the UW System’s 13 two-year schools would be attending the summit.

Cosgrove said this is because the UW Colleges are different from a lot of other two year or community colleges in other states because they are a part of the UW System. He added many community colleges in other states are independent from the state universities.

Biden said the summit is a good way for community colleges to promote themselves.

“This is an historic and exciting opportunity for all of us in the community college world. For years I have said that community colleges are one of America’s best-kept secrets,” Biden said. “Well, with the President of the United States shining a light on us, I think that secret is out.”