Obama's Higher Education Summit 2014

Recently, President Obama convened a summit of higher education institutions.  Inside Higher Ed notes that:

Not only is such a large gathering of college leaders by the U.S. president unusual, but it also comes as the administration’s push on accountability in higher education has rankled many of the very same leaders with whom Obama will share space at the summit on Thursday. Private college presidents have been among the most vocal critics of the administration’s proposed, but still largely undefined, college ratings system.
Administration officials have said in planning meetings with college presidents that Thursday’s event, however, is unrelated to the work the Education Department is doing to develop metrics for its ratings system.

Both President Obama and Michelle Obama addressed the participants.  He noted:

Everybody here is participating, I believe, because you know that college graduation has never been more valuable than it is today. Unemployment for Americans with a college degree is more than a third lower than the national average. Incomes -- twice as high as those without a high school diploma. College is not the only path to success. We’ve got to make sure that more Americans of all age are getting the skills that they need to access the jobs that are out there right now. But more than ever, a college degree is the surest path to a stable, middle-class life.