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After President Obama announced a plan to create a rating system to gauge the affordability and value of colleges and universities nationwide, and to tie federal student financial aid to the scores, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ President Clayton Spencer was among the Maine higher education leaders the Portland Press Herald  sought out for reaction.

In a written statement, Spencer said, “I am very pleased to see President Obama’s focus on access and results in higher education. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ has been committed to these principles since its founding in 1855 as one of the first liberal arts colleges in the nation to be coeducational and to welcome students of color.

“ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½’ total cost of attendance for 2013-14 is $58,950 but our average net cost, as reported on the White House for 2013, is $21,402. More than 45% of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students receive financial aid, with an average grant for those on aid in excess of $38,000. We work hard to support all of our students for success, and 93 percent of those who enter ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ graduate with a bachelor’s degree.”

In a story the next day, the paper quoted Spencer’s entire statement, though not in the exact order in which it was presented.

Two related points are that the average cumulative loan debt from federal student loan programs for ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students graduating in 2012 was $17,070 — nearly $10,000 lower than the national average of $26,000 — and that 60 percent of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students graduate with no loans.

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