Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Bill Peduto. (Kirk Carapezza/WGBH)

Recently, more than 25 newly-elected mayors met at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics to discuss the challenges they'll face, everything from responding to a disaster to dealing with the media. Among the issues is college access and affordability. 

New figures show more than 70 percent of college students carry student debt. Up from 68 percent four years earlier. That's according to the Institute for College and Success.

We caught up with two of the new mayors: Seattle's Ed Murray and Pittsburgh's Bill Peduto. 

WGBH's Kirk Carapezza asked them about the role higher education plays in economic growth.