OUR VIEWS Consensus Opinion

Tech Promise, the new financial aid plan unveiled by Institute President Wayne Clough yesterday, should be an invaluable asset to in-state students in the position of being especially dependent on financial need. The opportunity to attend a public institute of higher education and to graduate debt-free is one that has been lacking in Georgia until now; the only comparable program in the state is that at Emory, a private school.

Though the program will be limited to in-state students from families with annual incomes of $30,000 or less, the potential plan to eventually increase the income limit in the future and expand the program to include out-of-state students indicates that the Institute is committed to the program, which will help allow a larger number of applicants to Tech.

By providing this opportunity to low-income students, Tech will be able to recruit better students, which will improve the quality of the Institute as a whole by raising the admission standard. In addition, the future research and teaching assistants within this group will be a positive addition to campus.

While several private schools, including Emory, offer comparable programs to Tech Promise, few public schools do. This program will both enable the Institute to compete with those private schools while setting itself apart from other public schools.

Obviously, while Tech Promise will be a good program for Tech as a whole, none will benefit more than the aid recipients. The HOPE Scholarship and many need-based scholarships are available to potential Tech students, but none cover as much as Tech Promise commits to.

The minimum 3.0 GPA required to keep HOPE is difficult to maintain at Tech; Tech Promise's 2.0 minimum is good for low-income students who may be going through an especially difficult transition period from their previous environments and are more likely to be working part- or full-time jobs to help cover their expenses.

Atlanta is an expensive place to live, and even students with the best scholarships may not be able to afford the cost of living, from renting an apartment to eating every day. Tech Promise's built-in stipend for living expenses will take that variable out of the equation altogether and further expand the potential applicant pool.

The factor that speaks best for Tech is that this initiative is its own; the Board of Regents is not forcing it upon the Institute. Once again, Tech has clearly demonstrated how important a quality education is and how far it is willing to go to provide the opportunity for one to many.