I love my 96 1/2 year old grandfather in-law. I always learn something from him. You just have to ask the right questions. I have asked him the difference between staw and hay (don't remember the answer, but it made sense at the time), and how many ears of corn does a stalk produce-one.
Great Ralph, as he is known, attended Cornell's Agricultural school. I asked him this weekend more about college. He came from a 4th generation farming family. I asked him why he attended college and he said "everybody I knew was going, it was the thing to do". So then I asked him why Cornell. He told me that it was between Syracuse or Cornell. I was thinking that those 2 schools were close to his home, but it was more than that. Both Syracuse and Cornell offered close to a free education in their Agricultural schools. (Syracuse eliminated theirs right after Ralph started Cornell).
So, imagine today, some of the greatest colleges offer in-state discounts (almost a free ride) in the programs/degrees needed in that state or our country (science and math)? Sure, that sounds idealistic. If we want to compete with the education in India, we'll have to do something more than offer the exclusive, cost-prohibative eduction we have today. Why does it cost so much for college anyway?
Why does higher education have to be a priveledge, rather than a right? Shouldn't anyone with the desire to learn be able to attend a college to get that knowledge? It is time for colleges to wake up and smell the coffee.
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