Would you take a vow to remain in Wisconsin for ten years after graduation if the state offered you free tuition in return?
A state commission is exploring the idea, as reported by the
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The commission is considering recommending free tuition for all students who agree to remain in the Dairy State after getting their degrees, reversing an exodus of college graduates and potentially transforming the state's economy.
Wisconsin's brain drain is a widely recognized - and increasingly serious - problem. Wisconsin residents and out of state students come here for the great education offered by UW schools, but quickly leave the state upon graduation, seeking more lucrative opportunities offered in trendy urban centers. This trend is particularly strong amongst UW-Madison graduates, many of whom only return to the state for the holidays and homecoming after recieving their degrees.
As the theory goes, a captive work force of college graduates would attract new industry to Wisconsin, along with higher-paying jobs. Those workers, in turn, would pay more income taxes and sales taxes, providing the state with the millions of dollars needed to offer free tuition.
But will the proposal find any popularity amongst the students it targets?
At UW-Waukesha, students voiced mixed feelings about the idea of accepting a free college education in exchange for spending the first 10 years of their careers in Wisconsin.
"It would be a tough call," said Mike Robinson, 19, a communications major who hopes for a career in broadcast journalism.
But the offer was irresistible to Ashley Waldbillig, 19, a health care major who dreams of moving to Arizona or somewhere else in the Sun Belt. Waldbillig said she would be willing to endure a few more Wisconsin winters for the chance to attend college free of charge.
"No problem - I would do it," she said.
It isn't clear, though, whether or not such a program would be optional, or mandatory.
O'Connell said he envisions the state requiring a 10-year commitment from anyone who earns a bachelor's degree here, or a five-year commitment in exchange for an associate's degree from a two-year college or tech school.
If a graduate decided to leave Wisconsin early, that person would be free to go - with a bill in the mail to reimburse the state for the free tuition.
I'm glad that innovative ideas such as this are under consideration and constant development. Serious challenges face our University system, the students it serves, and the state of Wisconsin as a whole. Creativity and outside-the-box thinking are Wisconsin traditions that truly are the hallmarks of the Wisconsin Idea upon which our University system rests.
The program would attempt to kill two birds with one stone. First, tuition is continually rising, effectively pricing out thousands of Wisconsin residents from the quality college education they need and deserve. It also will attempt to keep those students here to make Wisconsin a better place to live. By improving the quality of life, it will conceptually make students want to stay after graduating, as Wisconsin will be just as sexy to young people as cities like Boston, Minneapolis, DC, and Denver.
However, I'm not convinced that this is the right answer. In fact, as I'll explore below, I don't think the commission fully understands the extent of the reasons that push young people away from Wisconsin. If they do, they aren't addressing them (because, in fairness, they are problems that no financial program can adequately address).
I'll start of by noting that O'Connell's vision for a mandatory commitment to attend a school sends the wrong message about the UW system. I believe that a college education is a right, not a privelege.
A taxpaying Wisconsin resident who meets the academic requirements necessary to achieve admission to a UW school has the right to attend, provided he or she covers the mandated tuition costs. We don't require a minimum time commitment for any other public good that the state provides (that I can think of, at least). I simply do not believe that a student should be denied an education if they are willing to pay the tuition cost instead of give the time. Any program that merits serious consideration should include the aspect of choice.
This leads to a larger problem. Those most likely to leave are generally from UW-Madison. I would assume that the state natually needs to retain a disproportionate amount of these to attract the more worthwhile employment options that fuel economic growth (and pay for the proposal in the first place).
However, I'm not convinced that this program would raise the quality of life in Wisconsin enough to compete with other options that most UW graduates recieve merely by obtaining a UW-Madison degree. Paying back student loans won't seem like to large a burden when land ing a 100,000 dollar a year job. Sure, perhaps more top companies will come to Wisconsin and salaries could increase, but those are only small pieces of the puzzle.
Seventy percent of the UW-Madison undergraduate student body is from Wisconsin. After a worldclass education, many just may not want to continue living in some podunk Wisconsin town. Because let's face it, Appleton isn't the Big Apple. Many of us leave because we want to experience something different, something fresh. Going out into the world is exciting, and allows personal growth. It forces us out of what is a lifelong comfort zone, and often provides the first significant tests of our skills and values.
(It also isn't clear how students could pursue graduate programs that aren't at a Wisconsin school. A significant portion of UW-Madison graduates continue study after their undergraduate careers, and most of them do it somewhere else.)
I suppose I should be honest and say that even if these quandaries were resolved, I still wouldn't sign onto such a proposal. I think the reasons I'm about to cite would be echoed by a number of my peers.
(Let me just say that despite its flaws, I love Wisconsin. I'm irritated at its recent choices much like a parent angers over the juvenile immaturity of a child. It is a frustration born from affection. After all, it's sort of hard to hate Wisconsin when you're in the UW Marching Band.)
Other than the Madison area, Wisconsin is in many ways completely backward. The recent passage of the gay marriage ban only highlights this. Our state is trying to actively court young people into staying here on one hand. But on the other, it forces old, outdated "moral" systems upon us that oppose our most basic beliefs. We've got gay friends. Some of us might be gay ourselves. And guess what? Our generation thinks that gay people and gay families deserve the same rights as everyone else. Wisconsin just placed discrimination into its constitution over the loud protests of its young people, much to our embarassment, and now remembers that it needs us to stay? Please. While I don't want to delve into it further, anyone with half a brain clearly understands the ramifications of the amendment on young people, gay or straight.
Wisconsin also has the highest African American incarceration rate of any state. Sadly, this is most likely related to continued racism. In many regards, Wisconsin feels like Alabama.
(That's a bad thing.)
Ultimately, we desire diverse, friendly environments that are based on freedom, respect, equality, and a certain level of "live and let live" cultural maturity. We'd also like these environemnts to be safe, trendy, fun. They also should be places where there are cutting edge, well-paying employment opportunities that offer networking, social opportunities, and the ability to move up the rungs of the career ladder.
Is that alot to ask? Of course. But are there places out there that meet all of these requirements? You betcha.
As much as it pains me to say it, Wisconsin isn't really one of those places. Madison has many of these qualities, but for many of us, after four years here we're itching for a change. Milwaukee doesn't meet many of these criteria, and the rest of the state in many instances actively works against providing these positives.
So how would the commission's proposal fix the real culprits - Wisconsin's regressive cultural flaws - which are pushing young people away? That is the question that truly needs examination.
O'Connell said taking that concept one step further - making college free - could jump-start the economy so much that the state could afford to both pay off the tuition bonds and make quality-of-life improvements in Wisconsin.
"We will attract smart young people," he said. "They will stay here, and they will want their children to stay here."
I'd never consider raising a family here. I do recognize that the bitterness that fuels my desire to leave probably isn't as widespread as I might like to think among my peers, but I resolutely believe that the ramifications of the ban will be much broader than costing a few Republican legislators their seats.
The proposal has another damning flaw, beyond what I've already mentioned. As Madison grads are the most likely to leave, a program like this needs to specifically target us. Unfortunately, the increasing tuition of the past decade, combined with other economic factors, have priced out most students from challenged socio-economic backgrounds.
Why is that a problem?
UW-Madison has almost gotten to the point where the students coming in are well-enough off that a vast majority of them can afford to pay tuition without any great worry. As this is the case, there's no need to make such a committment.
"Free tuition? Well, that's nice, but I can afford to pay it already. Besides, I'll make more elsewhere and there are just better places to live and raise a family - places where hatred and discrimination aren't celebrated and championed. So there's really no reason for me to pledge to stay here. I'll take the education and leave, thanks."
A narrow take? Perhaps.
A distinct possibility? You betcha.
