Ambitious? Perhaps.
But it’s the long-term vision of the school’s president, Michael J. Sorrell, who delivered the news to an enthusiastic group of students, faculty and staff at a campus town hall meeting yesterday afternoon.
“We think higher education can do more and better for students they serve,” said Sorrell, who has led the Dallas-based historically Black college since 2007. “We are honored to do this for our students.”
At a time when many colleges are slashing academic programs, Sorrell said that Paul Quinn College (PQC) is expanding, and plans to offer new majors in a variety of academics subjects such as English, Spanish, political science, communication and business administration.
PQC students — about 84 percent qualify for the Pell Grant — won’t have to pay for textbooks either, as instructors have opted instead to utilize open source materials for all of their classes.
“This comes about as a result of listening to your concerns,” he told the students, who applauded when he announced that the school’s yearly tuition will decrease from $23,815 to about $14,775 for students who live on campus or $9,775 for off-campus students.
