Obama tells Mich. crowd schools must control costs

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) - President Barack Obama told a crowd at the University of Michigan that colleges, universities and states must do more to ensure that higher education is affordable.

Obama on Friday noted that the Ann Arbor school is among those that have made efforts to control costs, proof that what he wants is possible. He told the crowd at Al Glick Field House that he understands how students feel, since he and first lady Michelle Obama went into debt to pay for higher education.

Afterward, school President Mary Sue Coleman says she welcomes the challenge from the president but notes that states must reinvest in education.

Many students were in the audience of about 4,000 as the president also talked about the auto industry, his views on taxes and energy policy.