Although higher education has not been a topic of much discussion in this year's presidential campaign, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton is talking up the issue with his accomplishments in his state.

"Education is one of the most important things to Clinton," said Mary Ellen Glynn, Clinton's news secretary.

Clinton's record on education in and out of Arkansas reflects this, Glynn said. Clinton drafted the national education goals that were presented at the National Education Summit in 1989, she added.

In Arkansas last year, the number of seniors attending college reached 51.3 percent, up from 38.2 percent in 1982. Clinton also worked to establish a scholarship program in Arkansas that helped provide financial aid to more than 25 percent of the state's high school graduates.

If elected president, Clinton plans to create a national trust fund that would allow anyone to borrow money for college, Glynn said. Students can then choose to either pay a small percentage of their income over a long period of time or enroll for two years of public service, she said.

Students who choose to do public service would return to their hometowns and work as teachers, nurses, social workers or police officers -- jobs where "young vibrant people" are needed, Glynn said.

"It's imperative that we educate our people," Glynn said. "The cost of education is getting to the point where the middle class cannot afford it. Clinton believes that everyone who wants to go to college should be able to go to college."

Robert Hendrickson, professor of education, agreed that in terms of student aid, the federal government could play a greater role in higher education but "the states will continue to dominate."

Hendrickson also noted that the Constitution mandates that states are responsible for education.

Clinton recognizes that education is the states' responsibility, Glynn said. "While he would like to raise the standard of education, he's not asking for conformity," she said.

Another aspect of Clinton's education platform is research and development. To make up for the research funding lost from defense budget cuts, Clinton plans to allocate more money to civilian reseach projects, Glynn said.

As an alternative to higher education, Clinton has proposed a national apprenticeship program in conjunction with private industry that would enable high school graduates who aren't bound for college to train for high-quality jobs, Glynn said.