Free Community College

In recent months, there has been lots of talk about offering free community college education for all American students. I agree with the idea that education should be available to every student in this nation. I do not agree, however, that the promise of free education should extend to the community college level. In the interest of transparency, I wish to make sure my readers know that I am currently an adjunct faculty member of a junior college. The opinions expressed in this post (and all others on Livin' Life) are my own. It should not be assumed that these statements reflect the opinions of other members of the faculty or staff of MSCC.

Why am I against offering tuition-free education at the post-high school level? Here are a few of my thoughts.

• If no tuition is required, the value of the education will be reduced by the general public. American society holds to the premise that "you get what you pay for." If you want quality service, there is a cost associated with it. No matter how much we want to argue otherwise, reduced or no tuition institutions will experience fiscal challenges that will ultimately be passed on to the faculty. Those professors who are most qualified will leave the junior college setting in search of positions that offer better financial packages. With the exodus of quality instructors, the level of instruction and assessment suffers. Even if some great professors stay behind for various reasons, the assumption of the public will be that a free education is markedly inferior to one that requires the payment of tuition. The varied costs of the services at different quality levels is a basic premise of the free market that we enjoy.
• The situation will result in increased government involvement in the community college, essentially making the two-year college an extension of public education. Let's face facts -- public education in the United States is horrible in those areas that have the greatest federal oversight. If the Department of Education cannot successfully educate the minds of our children and youth, why in the world would we want to see their increased presence in higher education? (The government already has enough of a presence to make the task of educating the next generation difficult.) With increased involvement, you can be certain that the government will establish guidelines and regulations that must be met in the community college. We have watched highly motivated teachers leave our elementary and secondary classrooms while many of them cite their frustration with federal programs and requirements to "teach to the test." I can see the same thing happening in the nation's two-year colleges as well.

 I agree that quality higher education should be available to deserving students. It is time, however, that we admit that the college experience is not suitable for every student and it is not the only path to success and fulfillment of the American Dream. I would prefer to see excellent vocational programs instituted at the high school level, preparing those students who are not suited for a college preparatory program with marketable skills that will provide a stable income upon graduation. Students who complete the college prep pathway successfully could then receive sufficient financial assistance to fund their collegiate career. By no means is this a perfect situation, but it does ensure that we are serving our most gifted students effectively rather than focusing so much of our attention on those who have little hope of completing their degree because of our false promise of higher education for all.

I welcome your comments on this topic in the section below. It is important to emphasize that there are many sides to this discussion. Share your opinions with the attitude of respect for those who disagree with you or your post will be deleted from the thread.  (That's one of the benefits of being the blogger and moderator of comments!)

~Kennith