Rochester Institute of Technology President Bill Destler spent Sept. 9 in Syracuse discussing college access and affordability as part of a panel led by Vice President Joseph Biden.

The White House Task Force of Middle Class Families session, held at Syracuse University, included Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Education Secretary Arne Duncan. Biden and the invited experts focused their conversation on how to help families save and pay for college.

The task force chose central New York for today’s session to draw attention to the “Syracuse Say Yes to Education” program, which promotes lifelong success for Syracuse City School District students and their families by dramatically increasing high school and college graduation rates. RIT is a program participant, providing aid to students whose annual family income does not exceed $75,000.

The White House Task Force on Middle Class Families has held similar forums around the country focusing on raising the living standards of working families.