We welcome a Guest Article from Bethany Sumner. I saw her article posted on the Ga Tech CETL site and thought it would be great to include it here and she graciously agreed. Thanks, Bethany!
HOPE Scholarship Cuts and its Effects in the Classroom
In the wake of the Great Recession, governments everywhere have tried to slash spending. Unfortunately, education has not been spared from these cuts. In the past four years alone, the state contribution to Georgia Tech has been reduced by 90 million dollars or approximately 31%.[1] Colleges across Georgia have had to cope with shrinking funds, which have led to pay freezes, reduction in faculty, decrease in admissions, fewer degree programs and course offerings, and even a controversial maneuver to merge eight colleges in the University System of Georgia into four. In addition to these measures, universities turn to their students to help make up for lost funds by raising the cost of tuition and adding new mandatory fees. Continue reading