tuition grant (was Re: alumni Digest, Vol 39, Issue 11)

[Allen Briggs]

I think I've lost the basic point you're trying to make, Nick.

Is it that you think that the tuition grant as it stands is a waste
(or misuse) of taxpayer money?  Do you further suggest that any
modification of the grant would also be a waste (or misuse) of
taxpayer money?

I think it would be useful to review where you're coming from
because some of the discussion seems to be off the main track.

I agree with most of your assertions about the distribution of
wealth and its impact on 'merit based' awards.  I don't see much
that can be done to "level the playing field"--especially by
10th/11th/12th grade or college entrance.  Emily's post has an
anecdote that I suspect would be firmly backed up by data showing
(among other things) that there's a clear difference between kids
at an early age--probably not correlated even primarily to native
intelligence (or whatever term you want to use) so much as
environment.

Let's look back at what the tuition grant was (purportedly at
least in my memory) meant to address: a lot of the state's best
students were leaving NC for out-of-state schools.

It may or may not follow from that that students are more likely
to stay in-state after graduation or that they are more likely
to contribute to the economy.  I think Scott's arguing that it's
too early to tell if one or both these will be the case.

Another question is whether or not students who go out of state
return after graduation (I suspect some do and most don't, but
it's just that--a suspicion).

I suspect that graduate school will take a number of people out of
state.  Perhaps the ones that the grant was trying to keep in-state.

In any case, I've always been divided on whether I think the grant
is a worthy use of taxpayer funds.  I think it's a better use than
$0.41 of every federal tax $1.00 going to the military.  Using NCSSM
admissions as the qualification is not really fair if it's meant to
be a measure of merit.  Not for the protectionist reasons cited in
the N&O letter to the editor mentioned earlier, but for a number
of reasons.

So what were we talking about, exactly?

-allen

-- 
Allen Briggs  |  http://www.ninthwonder.com/~briggs/  |  briggs at ninthwonder.com