Tennessee may be known for its legendary singers and musicians. Today, however, the state has drawn national attention for a different kind of ‘hit.’ It’s drawing high praise for its ambitious state-wide initiative to boost college enrollment.
The multi-dimensional “two years tuition-free” Tennessee Promise program, as it is known, is set to reach a two-year milestone, having gone full throttle toward achieving its goal of significantly boosting high school senior interest in going to college. The program also is seeing enrollments climb in community and technical college programs.
“It’s really jump-started programs,” says Dr. Walter Bumphus, president and chief executive officer of the Washington-based American Association of Community Colleges. Bumphus, who has visited the state and met with its governor and higher education officials, says he is “totally and surprisingly impressed” with the Tennessee effort. “Community college gives you a leg up,” in getting prepared for the world of work and service, he says.
Higher education economist Sandy Baum, a fellow at the Urban Institute, notes the hoopla over the Tennessee Promise program while cautioning higher education colleagues to understand that Tennessee Promise is a “last dollar” program, meaning the poorest of the poor would get some public help without the Tennessee Promise program. It is not an initiative that simply erases tuition from the start, as former President Obama and other advocates suggested and smaller programs, like Kalamazoo Promise, do.
“It does have a support system,” she says, which students really need.
Tennessee Promise officials say they will be able to show data on enrollment gains in two-year institutions and get early readings on whether the program is helping increase the number of students going on to historically four-year institutions.
