Community Chat

[Cha1k]

On 1/10/2015 ROMARY 1 said:

There really isn't much or any need to raise property and whatever else taxes when there is a healthy lottery in place.

I've read that of the 44 states that have a lottery, Tennessee ranks 6th in the amount of money it brings in.

[SnowPink]

On 1/10/2015 Cha1k said:

On 1/10/2015 SnowPink said:

Dave Ramsey was just talking about this on his radio show the other day.

Dave Ramsey is a Tennessean.

Yes, I know.

[Cha1k]

An interesting side note to those who think the federal government shouldn't fund college education. Approximately 48% of the students who have applied for Tennessee Promise already qualify for Pell Grants which will provide $5500 per year toward community college/technical school funding. That is more than enough to pay the tuition in Tennessee schools.

So, after applying federal monies, Tennessee will not need to kick in anything extra.

One of the key components of the Tennessee Promise program is the dissemination of information through the mentorship initiative. That and the publicity the program has generated will get more students into the mode of thinking "maybe college is a possibility for me".

[Cha1k]

On 1/10/2015 RoughDraft said:

Is there a proviso where the students must maintain a certain grade point average? The mentoring program sounds slightly daunting but I hope it works out.

From the Tennessee Promise website:

"Tennessee Promise is both a scholarship and mentoring program that will begin in the fall of 2015. It will provide students a last-dollar scholarship, meaning the scholarship will cover tuition and fees not covered by the Pell grant, the HOPE scholarship, or TSAA funds. Students may use the scholarship at any of the state’s 13 community colleges, 27 colleges of applied technology, or other eligible institution offering an associate’s degree program. While removing the financial burden is key, a critical component of Tennessee Promise is the individual guidance each participant will receive from a mentor who will assist the student as he or she navigates the college admissions process. In addition, Tennessee Promise participants must complete eight hours of community service per term enrolled, as well as maintain satisfactory academic progress (2.0 GPA) at their institution."

[RoughDraft]

Thanks Cha1k.

[Suziepeach]

NM, wasn't important anyway...

[Blahblahvampemer]

On 1/10/2015 ROMARY 1 said:

There really isn't much or any need to raise property and whatever else taxes when there is a healthy lottery in place.

You don't raise any other taxes, you just raise the requirements to get the grant. Georgia did that when revenues ebbed, and wham, the students lost their funds in a New York Second.

[Blahblahvampemer]

On 1/10/2015 Cha1k said:

An interesting side note to those who think the federal government shouldn't fund college education. Approximately 48% of the students who have applied for Tennessee Promise already qualify for Pell Grants which will provide $5500 per year toward community college/technical school funding. That is more than enough to pay the tuition in Tennessee schools.

So, after applying federal monies, Tennessee will not need to kick in anything extra.

One of the key components of the Tennessee Promise program is the dissemination of information through the mentorship initiative. That and the publicity the program has generated will get more students into the mode of thinking "maybe college is a possibility for me".

Sounds nice, but to give something like this, you have to take something...from the taxpayers. Local to federal still comes from the same people, and with unfunded liabilities, we may well be looking at over 100 TRILLION in debt. In short, we're beyond broke.

[Snowpuppy]

Community Colleges are very good at what they do, short term technical training, retraining for a new career or preparation for transferring to a 4 yr university.

That said before you begin to cheer or jeer, check your local community college's graduation rates. Statistically they are extremely low, less than 20% ever stay long enough to graduate.

That factors two things. One is that many students go for a few classes as refreshers to enter the workforce or renew some skills. They don't stay to graduate.

The other is community colleges generally have no admission requirements other than HS graduation and many waive that. There are no ACT/SAT scores so these students are generally not able to get into a state university.

Here in Mi the reception was very cool to the proposal. U of M and MI State run the board of regents here and they make transferring from a CC to a University very difficult.