Vice President Joe Biden at West Los Angeles College (Jonathan Tolliver/Neon Tommy)

Biden was flanked by school administrators and students enrolled in the school’s Dental Hygiene program. The program was recently selected by the California Community Colleges Board of Governors as one of 15 community college programs to offer a bachelor’s degree. Community colleges typically offer two-year associate degrees with credits that can be transferred to a four-year college or university. 

“We have a gigantic opportunity to position the United States of America in the second half of the second decade of this century-this is not hyperbole-to lead the economy of the world for the next 50 years,” said Biden.

The Vice President’s Southern California pitch comes on the heels of President Obama’s forceful State of the Union Address. His community college plan was just one of a slate of ambitious proposals laid out during the address. 

READ MORE: President Obama Gives 6th State Of The Union Address

President Obama is facing pushback after announcing a federal plan that would subsidize community college, in part by taxing college-saving accounts. The White House said that about 80 percent of families with tax-free college savings accounts make over $250,000.

Biden stressed that the Obama Administration “won’t waste taxpayer money” on the community college proposal. He said students and colleges would be required to meet a series of performance goals. 

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