College?

Pennsylvania is among the most regressive states it terms of student college debt and the cost of a state college education. It seems that these issues, which are not only important to people, will eventually cost the state mightily in terms of the kind of folks who stay in Pennsylvania, raise families, start businesses, do research, and all the things that make for a dynamic, healthy economy. For 14 years, there has been little leadership on this issue. Gov. Ridge blew it and Gov. Rendell is currently blowing it.
We has numerous former students who simply cannot afford college. They don't dare shave their work hours to even take a few classes. There are in real fix and their expectations for themselves are shrinking mightily. This is tragic.
But perhaps there are options to consider, as per this morning's Inquirer article:

A private university in New Hampshire is offering students a "no-frills" option: more than a 50 percent cut in tuition if they take courses at a satellite campus and forgo many amenities.

In New Jersey, Richard Stockton College will allow students to take from 12 to 20 credits for a flat rate.

And elsewhere, some colleges are running three-year degree programs, so students can get through school more quickly and save money, using a model common in Europe.

The idea of less costly or "no-frills" universities - as proposed by Pennsylvania last month - is under discussion and in some cases is playing out in other communities around the country, as the economy worsens and the price tag for higher education continues to rise.

"It's an idea whose time has come," said Richard Vedder, director of the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, a Washington think tank. "Right now, we're in a recession, and everyone is more cost-conscious than ever. College costs are rising faster than people's incomes, and this can't continue."

There has been quite alot of good reporting in the Philly papers lately.