Photo: Troy Aidan Sambajon/The Christian Science Monitor.
Tyrie Daniel poses in the library at the Charlestown campus of Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, Sept. 10, 2024.
I think most people would agree — maybe even college presidents would agree — that the cost of higher education has gotten out of hand. Two of our grandchildren, being half Swedish, could get educated for free in Sweden, but free higher ed is not an option for most Americans. That’s why Massachusetts is joining the states that have been offering options to students who could use the help.
Troy Aidan Sambajon writes at the Christian Science Monitor, “Cambridge resident Tyrie Daniel was almost at the finish line when he dropped out of Bunker Hill Community College in 2015. He just needed 16 more credits to transfer to a four-year school. But life just came hard. His family was scammed, he says, and their Social Security numbers were stolen.
“ ‘When your stomach keeps growling and you have nothing in your fridge, you can’t even focus on school,’ says Mr. Daniel, who is 33 years old. His family was struggling to pay bills at home and provide for their household of six. … ‘I had to choose between school or food on the table.’
“With five classes to go, he dropped out. He worked as a cleaner, in his family’s spice business, and in real estate. More than thrice, he contemplated returning to school. But he couldn’t reenroll until his overdue fees were paid.
“Now, Mr. Daniel is back at Bunker Hill. This time, he is debt-free and his tuition is covered by MassReconnect. The program, which started in 2023, made community college tuition free for Massachusetts residents over 25 who don’t have a degree. Mr. Daniel says he feels both enormous relief and a new motivation to succeed. …
“Says the cybersecurity major, ‘Now, I’m actually back in school to further my career in something that I really am interested in and passionate about.’
“This fall, Massachusetts is widening the halls of higher education even further. For the first time, all residents with a high school diploma can attend one of its 15 community colleges for free. Since Tennessee first pioneered tuition-free community college for all in 2017, it has spread rapidly in both red and blue states.
“With the launch of MassEducate, the Bay State becomes the 20th to offer tuition-free community college regardless of age, income, or GPA. Another 14 states offer programs targeting specific demographics, such as people over 25, or high-demand majors, such as nursing. …
“Douglas Harris, chair of the economics department at Tulane University and director of the National Center for Research on Education, Access, and Choice [says] promising universal access to community college ‘wipes away that complexity and the risk and uncertainty that goes with it.’
“ ‘Going to college is complicated,’ he says. … ‘When it gets cheaper and simpler, it makes people say yes.’ …
“ ‘This is going to change family trees for generations to come, for the better,’ says Nate Mackinnon, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges. … ‘More families are turning to public higher education and discovering that these institutions offer excellent quality at an affordable price.’
“Why free tuition now? The Bay State needs workers. Massachusetts has 42 available workers for every 100 open jobs, categorizing its workforce shortage as ‘most severe,’ according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Meanwhile, 700,000 residents have some college credits but no degree. …
“In MassReconnect’s first year, 2023-24, some 8,411 students enrolled through MassReconnect. That was a 45% increase in students over 25 from the previous academic year. …
“As of this August, with the launch of MassEducate, total enrollment is up another 20% compared with last year. ‘It’s like the advertising value of free college is giving you a pretty big bang for your buck,’ says David Deming, an economist from the Harvard Kennedy School. … ‘The challenge in the long term is maintaining the quality of education with more students. If local colleges themselves are not getting any extra funding to accommodate the influx, the quality of the service itself might decline.’ …
“For recent high school graduates like Erick Peguero, free tuition means his family can save money while he takes classes in the hopes of transferring to a four-year program. … When he graduated from Brooke High School in June, Mr. Peguero didn’t have plans to go to college this fall. It wasn’t that the resident of the Dorchester neighborhood wasn’t interested, but his family lives in Section 8 low-income housing. When community college became free last month, he jumped at the chance to continue his education. …
“Some community college leaders say they welcome the challenges that more students in classes bring.
“ ‘I’ve been waiting my entire professional life for this moment,’ says [Pam Eddinger, president of Bunker Hill Community College]. ‘I’ll be damned if I’m going to turn anyone away. Because if I turn somebody away now, where it takes so much for them to come to me, they may not come back.’ ”
More at the Monitor, here.
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