By Don C. Brunell

When

my parents graduated from high school in 1936, a college education was too

expensive for the son of a copper miner and the daughter of a plumber.

Eighty years ago, our

country was in the middle of the Great Depression and teens took odd jobs to

help put food on the table and pay the family bills. In those days no bank

would lend money to college students.

Following World War

II, there was new hope for veterans: the GI Bill paid for veterans to complete

their college or trade school education. My father, for example, graduated from

trade schools in Seattle and Chicago and became a journeyman electrician thanks

to Uncle Sam.

In the 1960s, the

federal government introduced the work-study program allowing students from

middle- and low-income families to work their way through college. I found jobs

and fortunately didn’t have to borrow money to complete my degree.

Today, it is much

difficult story. Student loans are the norm rather than the exception. As a

result, nationwide student-loan debt has shot past $1.56 trillion spread out

among 45 million borrowers. In 2018, nearly 70 percent of college graduates

took out student loans and face their careers with an average of $30,000 in

debt.

Growing student loan

debt is a concern among Americans.

“Spurring the

free-college movement is the anxiety over the cost of tuition, which has risen

at more than double the inflation rate since 1990, while student debt has

tripled since 2006,” The Wall Street Journal recently reported.

Free-college-for-all

would cost a minimum of $75 billion each year if tuition was $4,400 per year,

estimated Quillette, an online think tank, last September: “That doesn’t pay

the bills even for in-state students at many public flagships. The University

of Michigan, for example, costs over $15,000 per year for Michigan residents,

and about $50,000 for out-of-state students.”

There are a variety

of other approaches that can make higher education more affordable.

For example, in

Kalamazoo, Michigan, anonymous donors pooled their money and started a

free-college tuition program. It is one of more than 300 cities and states

around the country offering a variety of tuition assistance programs.

WSJ reports since

2006, donors there contributed $124 million in tuition subsidies for nearly

5,400 students. The Upjohn Institute, which has been tracking Kalamazoo

Promise, found that tuition assistance needs to be augmented with additional

student career counseling in the K-12 system and other living costs for

students.

Many small business

owners in Washington state offer college scholarships and combine them with

work and other benefits. Hopefully, the upfront funding offsets the need for

loans and makes it possible for students to complete their college education or

technical skill training.

For example, in

Seattle, Dick’s Drive-Ins offers employees who work 20 hours a week for at

least six months and continue to work at least 20 hours a week while going to

school to have access to a $25,000 scholarship over four years. In addition

Dick’s pays higher than minimum wage, provides an employer paid health plan and

pays up to $9,000 in child care expenses.

Other

donors are stepping forward. Billionaire Robert Smith, founder and CEO of Vista

Equity Partners, surprised Morehouse College’s 400 graduating seniors,

announcing his family is paying off their student loans. The estimated value of

the gift was $40 million. He also challenged other donors to do the same.

Making higher

education affordable is a national priority. The focus needs to be on

approaches that are affordable and effective for students and their families.

The issue is larger than just having the federal government provide

free-tuition for all.

Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He retired as president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s oldest and largest business organization, and now lives in Vancouver. He can be contacted at [email protected].