The notorious billboards in Dallas and Austin bashing community colleges for their low graduation rates have attracted national attention. (For background on this controversy, please see this previous post.)
An interesting article by Paul Fain in Inside Higher Ed. explores the Texas Association of Business (TAB) and its role in sponsoring the billboards. The article also includes a link to a letter written in response by Dallas County Community College District chancellor Wright L. Lassiter Jr., which was published since the post mentioned above.
Please read the entire piece and the linked material.
Those looking for a shadowy cabal to blame will be disappointed in the article, but the report does enumerate a cast of characters in the movement to raise graduation rates, including the Lumina Foundation and Complete College America. As Dr. Lassiter and Steve Johnson of the Texas Association of Community Colleges point out, the billboards betray a fundamental lack of knowledge about community college students. Also, apparently, there has been little contact between the business groups and two-year college leaders. This is hard to understand.
Given the prominence of these signs on Texas highways, not to mention the ensuing media attention, it is possible that considerable damage has been done. Imagine trying to pass a bond election right now, or urging higher taxes, tuition, or fees—all reasonable actions in the wake of historic budget cuts by the Legislature. The timing for misinformation could not be worse.
The reporter interviews Bill Hammond, president of TAB, who has no regrets about stirring up the controversy. “I consider myself a critical friend of public higher education,” he said.
According to the article, the billboard in Dallas is about to be taken down after three days, and the one in Austin was up for one day only. However, more may be on the way, the piece concludes.
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