NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — Record enrollment at the University of Arkansas is good news.
It doesn’t dampen the pride and enthusiasm of this moment to remind everyone that this is just a good new beginning.
Arkansas college enrollment figures were always in line with national averages.
We rank near the last among states in college graduates as a percentage of the population, however. The reason for that is because of an awful statewide graduation rate.
We commend the university, which has put great effort into retaining students. We encourage other colleges and universities around the state to do the same.
All the facts and figures came up during the debate on the state scholarship lottery. The No. 1 reason Arkansas students give for dropping out of college is financial hardship. The lotteryscholarship was designed for the clear purpose of alleviating that.
That simple fact should never be forgotten.
Well begun may be half done, as Mary Poppins would put it, but it does no harm to remind everyone - including the newly enrolled students with their freshly minted scholarships - that there are far fewer excuses left for failing to carry on to graduation.
The state’s institutions of higher learning should also be held accountable if this incoming class does not succeed by finishing this course.
What’s at stake here is not just a good chance at a better educated workforce and the opportunity that provides.
What’s at stake here is also better educated parents, along with a better educated citizenry, community and state.
The best hope of many a languishing Arkansas small town - and some big ones - is that some youth from that town will get a college degree and come home - to start a business, or a medical practice, or become mayor.
This is Hope, with a capital “H,” because we’re not asking Washington for some vaguely defined gift. The lottery is something we set up ourselves. Even if you opposed it, your criticism weighed in the design and administration of it, and will in the future.
The stakes are high. We haven’t seen a payoff yet.
If we fail to get these students to graduation, all the scholarship lottery will have done is waste the money of people who bought lottery tickets and burdened high school graduates with student loan debt they would not have incurred if we hadn’t enticed them to enter college.
So far, 3,458 freshmen have enrolled at the University of Arkansas, an increase of more than 14 percent from last year.
We state the obvious by pointing out that this comes in the middle of a recession, when even the financially secure families aren’t making money off of investments like they used to.
The lottery scholarships are clearly a factor here.
True, many people go to college to get more skills because that is a good option in a recession - if you can afford it. The scholarship lottery lets more people afford that option.
We’re glad, but we’re not complacent. We’re hopeful, but not taking success for granted. We have no reason to believe this isn’t the beginning of something great. We’re just watchful.
Opinion, Pages 5 on 07/28/2010