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Beebe proposes scholarships for low-income student Wednesday, Sep 6, 2006 By Doug Thompson Arkansas News Bureau FAYETTEVILLE - Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mike Beebe on Tuesday proposed earmarking up to $12 million for college scholarships for low-income Arkansans. The scholarship program, which would offer scholars of $1,000 per year each, would be the first phase of Beebe's proposed Educational Enhancement Grant program. "This is an investment in our people and in our state that we can't pass up," Beebe said in a statement. "The benefit for Arkansas will be nearly 10-fold, and the benefit to individual lives will be immeasurable. I know. I was one of the kids who could have benefited from more need-based help." A recent study by the Tennessee Board of Regents found that for each dollar invested in an individual's higher education, society may expect a return of $9.30, he said. The scholarships would go to Arkansas high school graduates whose families earn less than $25,000 a year and who are accepted into an Arkansas college or university. "My mother raised me on a waitress's tips and I got through college with a lot of hard work and student loans. I know how expensive it can be to get an education for a chance at a better future. That's why I am committed as governor to expanding opportunity for higher education," Beebe said. Asa Hutchinson, Beebe's Republican opponent in the Nov. 7 general election, said Beebe's proposal lacked incentives for academic achievement. "I went to college on student loans and hard work, too, but I knew that my financial aid depended on my meeting academic standards," Hutchinson said. "Mr. Beebe's proposal doesn't seem to include any provisions to ensure student achievement, which is critical to ensure that students perform and graduate." Hutchinson said he was surprised that Beebe would propose creating an entirely new program that duplicates existing federal programs, like Pell Grants, and "steers precious taxpayer dollars from the state scholarships that we have." "It would be much more effective to invest additional state funding in the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship program, which includes strong requirements to reward hard work and academic achievement and needs the funding, than to create an entirely new program," Hutchinson said. In the last decade, there has been a trend for state scholarships and other financial assistance for higher education to go to scholastic achievers, Beebe said. Those academically proficient high school students are less likely to need financial assistance, he said. Policies restricting participation to the already proficient students are likely to exclude those students in need of an extra push toward college attendance, he said. In an interview, Beebe said lower-income students are also more likely to stay in the state after their college education is complete than academically proficient students. The Arkansas Governor's Scholars and Distinguished Scholars programs are merit-based scholarships that Beebe said he supports. In 2005, the number of merit scholarships available through the Governor's Scholars and Governor's Distinguished Scholars increased from 275 to 325, rewarding the most academically competent but directing taxpayer money away from the neediest students, he said. In a development related to the governor's race, Hutchinson began airing the first television advertisements of his campaign on Saturday. The ad describes Hutchinson's rural roots in Benton County, touches on his role as a U.S. attorney in prosecuting white supremacists and mentions his efforts as a congressman and former director of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration to combat the illegal production of methamphetamine, an issue of importance to rural Arkansans. |
