Syracuse University’s chancellor says the school would look “very good” in President Barack Obama’s proposed rating system for colleges— one of three reforms he introduced during his speeches in Buffalo and Syracuse on Thursday.

The system would rate colleges based on how much value they offer to students.

“We care deeply about socioeconomic diversity and we have a very substantial financial aid program, and care about who we’re bringing in,” Chancellor Nancy Cantor said. “I think we’re going to do fine.”

Cantor gave her thoughts on how SU would fare in the ratings in a brief interview after the speech.

Obama spoke at Henninger High School in the Eastwood neighborhood of the city, talking about college accessibility and affordability with an emphasis on the middle class. His stop in Syracuse was one of several on a two-day bus tour through New York and Pennsylvania.

In the interview, Cantor also talked about Obama’s two other proposed reforms: one that would encourage colleges to embrace innovation, as well as programs to help make student loan debt manageable.

She said programs such as the Connective Corridor and Say Yes to Education— which Obama specifically mentioned during the speech— are very important, and are examples of innovation in the city.

Talking about debt, Cantor appeared to agree with the president’s message that loans are sometimes a necessary investment to go to college— if they can easily be paid off.

During his speech, Obama said some college students are still going to have to take out loans even if tuition costs are controlled, but that the key is manageable debt. Obama also called higher education “the single best investment you can make in your future.”

“It’s not saying, ‘Debt isn’t a good investment,’” Cantor said. “It’s saying, ‘It’s got to be manageable and the nation owes that to people’.”

College Scorecard is a tool from the U.S. Department of Education that shows students about how much it costs to go to a particular college. SU students borrow an average of $24,300 in federal loans for an undergraduate education— $279.65-per-month payments— but default far less often on these loans than the national average, according to the university’s scorecard.

About 3.9 percent of SU students defaulted on their student loans within three years of entering repayment, compared to the national average of 13.4 percent.

Last summer, Cantor went to the White House and committed to greater transparency in financial aid and the cost of college.

Published on August 23, 2013 at 12:16 am

Contact Dylan: dmsegelb@syr.edu | @dylan_segelbaum