Higher education is no longer a luxury

Posted 1/25/17

To the Editor: As I sat in the chamber of the House of Representatives listening to Gov. Gina Raimondo deliver her State of the State address, I was particularly pleased to hear her proposal for the Rhode Island Promise Scholarship initiative. Simply

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Higher education is no longer a luxury

Posted

To the Editor:

As I sat in the chamber of the House of Representatives listening to Gov. Gina Raimondo deliver her State of the State address, I was particularly pleased to hear her proposal for the Rhode Island Promise Scholarship initiative.

Simply stated, the proposal would provide free tuition for two years for Rhode islanders attending any of the three public colleges in the state. It would waive the tuition costs and mandatory fees for in-state students in good standing at Rhode Island College, the University of Rhode Island, and the Community College of Rhode Island.

The concept of public support for college tuition is something I strongly support and believe in, and is one of the prime reasons I chose to support Bernie Sanders in last year’s presidential primary race. Higher education is simply no longer a luxury – a perk for those who can afford it. Nor should it be a difficult-to-reach aspiration for those willing to sacrifice themselves to an eternity of debt.

Just as a high school diploma became a necessity for self-sustaining survival 50 years ago, a college degree is now necessary for even a modicum of success in our increasingly complex new economy and competitive global market. We cannot expect our situation to improve or our economy to blossom without investing in our young people and making certain that they are equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to secure gainful employment.

Such a bold step, I believe, would cause a chain reaction. A skilled workforce is very attractive to businesses looking to invest. The added attraction of a state that’s eager to invest in education would only serve to encourage those executives who want not only to do business here, but to reside here and raise a family as well. All told, this proposal may help to strengthen our state’s overall economic well-being.

Of course, it’s one thing to propose and another to execute.

While free tuition would go a long way toward helping us to achieve all these goals and benefit all of society, an annual price tag of $30 million is nothing to take lightly. It will take a lot of work to iron out just how the state will afford – and sustain – such a bold plan. I look forward to delving into the details of the governor’s plan.

I also look forward to the deliberations that will come about from this proposal. There’s a lot to think about here. For instance, the current proposal would apply to students who maintain a 2.0 grade point average. Perhaps a higher GPA would be a more appropriate incentive, but I look forward to hearing from all sides on this issue.

In short, I support the governor’s plan to make Rhode Island an educational leader, and I look forward to hearing all of the details.

James Sheehan 

North Kingstown

The author, James C. Sheehan, is a state senator representing District 36 in North Kingstown and Narragansett. He teaches social studies at Toll Gate High School.

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