Arkansas Blog: Where are the scholars

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Where are the scholars

An interesting angle developed in yesterday's budget hearing for the Higher Education Department. The state has been reporting big surpluses in its college scholarship account -- more money than students. So tell me again why a lottery for college scholarships is vital? Or how we can be sure money will spur more college-going, rather than simply easing the burden on the already-college-bound higher achievers (not that any of them would or should complain)?

Posted by Max Brantley on October 31, 2008 06:18 AM | Permalink

Comments

SEEMS THEY HAVE TO BE ABLE TO GET OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL FIRST.. THEN COMES A NEED FOR COLLEGE FUNDS,

READ WE HAVE A DECLINE IN THAT DEPARTMENT. SO... LETS PUT EM IN UNIFORMS, GET A GRIP ON THE SITUATION AS TO DISCIPLINE, AND GIVE EM A GOOD EDUCATION, THEN WATCH THOSE FUNDS DEPLETE.
LETS DONT LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD, I FORGOT, THE ACLU. SO OBVIOUS ITS GETTIN OLD.

Posted by: LargeAss | October 31, 2008 06:59 AM

Ah its so simple Max.

First there will be a lowering of who can get some aid. The bottom tier of achievement needed for some level of a scholarship (say a $500 grant per semester) will go from a 3.00 GPA and ACT of 23 to something like 2.75 high school GPA and an ACT of 21.

Second we might actually create an additional tier, say 2.5 GPA and ACT of 20 or 19 can get a scholarship if the household income is less than 60%-75% of the state median.

Third, since there will be students getting aid, tuition increases will be passed more easily.

If that won't eat up the money then they can always allow athletic scholarships to be paid out of the lottery windfall. Over at UCA that could help eliminate some of their credit crunch. They are borrowing around $3 million, and award around 150 athletic scholarships at roughly $12,000 per year, that would be $1.8 million taken off the books right there. My recollection is they nearly doubled the number of athletic scholarships awarded when they moved to Division I so the lottery scholarships paying for the extra scholarships could nearly erase their debt.

Posted by: Well | October 31, 2008 10:15 AM

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