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Community colleges are great & I'm so glad to see the Biden administration pushing for free community college. But when I read about these plans, I also can't help but wonder whether the potential consequences for regional public universities are part of the discussion.
B/c funding models for public higher ed are so often designed so institutions have to compete w/ instead of complement each other, & b/c regional unis like where I work are forced to "compete" more with community colleges for students than, say, state flagships or private unis,
what are the state/federal contingency plans if a much-needed free community college program saps students from regional unis that disproportionately serve first-gen & working-class students? What'll keep state legislatures & funding models from punishing those institutions?
Again, this isn't a gripe with the administration's proposals, or a swipe at community colleges! But b/c so many states are already eager to slash higher ed budgets, & b/c of competitive funding models,
I worry about how these programs could inadvertently undermine another set of higher ed institutions that are hugely important for students for whom cost & funding are major barriers. *Unless* we're ambitious enough to include them in these sorts of funding proposals.
tl;dr: thanks for nothing, reagan
