Posted 3/13/2004 08:17:00 PM by Douglas

Come for the education, now get the hell out. Texas Tech introduces a plan to encourage students to get out in four years.

The school will pay for all required courses beyond four years if students are kept from graduating on time because classes weren't available. The same deal's available for five-year academic programs.

In return, students must select a major by the end of their freshman year and take 15 credit hours a semester, allowing them to get the 120 hours required for most degrees. For degrees that require more hours, students must take summer classes or more hours in the fall or spring semesters. There is no penalty if a student fails to comply with the terms.

This, like most things in life, has both good and bad associated with it. It's trying to discourage the "professional student" status that is rampant at most colleges, but it will also hinder those in college that are utilizing that narrow band of four years of their lives to actually discover which direction their lives are going. While I wouldn't think it's a tragedy if there no more "American Studies" graduates in the world, it's just as bad if everyone majors in business, finance, engineering, marketing or accounting just to get out the door on time and find a cookie-cutter job. That would reduce the University experience to that of a glorified trade school.

"I think it's a great deal," said Jeremy Brown, Tech's Student Government Association president. "It shows the administration is looking at ways to bring down the cost of education."

Good for you, Jeremy, and I hope your father gets you a great job in his firm after you graduate. But with skyrocketing tuition costs in Texas, I think it's myopic of you to think that it's going to be of much savings to the students if they leave in four years. It's going to be a huge savings to the universities, because by then, they'll have another batch of wide-eyed freshmen that don't have a clue.