In theory, the idea of a free education is wonderful, but I have two major concerns with Gov. Bill Haslam’s Tennessee Promise.
First of all, according to the Drive to 55 website, any high school senior who graduates from an eligible Tennessee high school, or completes a Tennessee home school program, is eligible to receive the Promise.
The only other deciding factor for who does and who doesn’t get the Promise will be where you apply. In its current form, schools will accept half of the applicants for the Promise.
With no real qualifications, other than the ability to successfully graduate high school in a state that has become widely known for some of the best roads and some of the worst education in the U.S., the Promise is set to be more of a handout to underachievement than an opportunity for hardworking students.
If a student is successful in attaining the Tennessee Promise, there is a set criteria that he or she must meet during his or her academic careers.
Students will have to attend all of their scheduled meetings, attend a mandatory college orientation, begin college the fall directly after high school, continue attending for consecutive semesters, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, FASFA, by Feb. 1 of each year, complete at least eight hours of community service each semester and maintain at least 12 credit hours of class each semester.
These requirements I don’t have a problem with. However, I have a serious problem with the last requirement:”[Students must] maintain satisfactory academic progress. At most institutions, this is the equivalent of maintaining a 2.0 GPA each semester.”
At UTM, and most other schools across the state, a 2.0 GPA is literally 0.01 point from academic probation. While I agree that more students, especially those in financially tough situations, deserve the ability to attend college to get a degree, I believe they should have to have more than the academic equivalent of a pulse to do so.
I believe that the reason the standards are so low to receive the Promise is because Gov. Haslam is simply trying to recklessly meet his self-set quota with no regard for the consequences.
The way the Promise is now, it is likely to turn Tennessee into a state that hands out degrees much like high schools have for years. I fear that with the requirements at such a low level, Tennessee colleges could turn into degree factories instead of facilities of higher learning.
While I somewhat half-heartedly applaud the Governor’s efforts to get more students in college, I sincerely hope he will reconsider the current requirements.
