News release: “As college completion rates continue to climb in other parts of the world, a new report released today by Lumina Foundation shows that we must do significantly more to build on the modest gains in higher education attainment seen here at home. Experts gathered at the Rayburn House Office Building to announce the latest findings, highlight what is working and discuss how a stronger sense of urgency is needed to better position America for success in the knowledge economy. According to the report, A Stronger Nation through Higher Education, 38.3 percent of working-age Americans (ages 25-64) held a two- or four-year college degree in 2010. That rate is up modestly from 2009, when the rate was 38.1 percent and 2008, when the rate was 37.9 percent. The report measures progress toward Goal 2025 which is a national movement to increase the percentage of Americans with high-quality degrees and credentials to 60 percent by the year 2025. The Stronger Nation report shows that if we continue on our current rate of production, only 79.8 million working-age Americans (46.5% of those aged 25-64) will hold degrees by 2025. Since this will leave us more than 23 million degrees short of the national 60 percent goal, the need to rapidly accelerate degree attainment levels is clear.”