PSA vs F2CO

In a recently released Lumina Foundation policy paper, Sara Goldrick-Rab and Nancy Kendall reveal their plan to give Americans a free 2 year college option (F2CO).  That is, the 13^th and 14^th years of (postsecondary) education at community college would be free, which under F2CO means:

“…students will not face any costs for tuition, fees, books or supplies, and will receive a stipend and guaranteed employment at a living wage to cover their living expenses. Unsubsidized, dischargeable loans of a small amount will also be available for those who need them.”

In a number of important ways, this plan is inferior to the professional model for higher education that I propose: the Professional Society of Academics (PSA). Having made this claim in a tweet to Sara Goldrick-Rab, her reply was that PSA is:

“…not adjusted for increases in enrollment and persistence rates; would result in declining per student $ over time.”

"Community colleges' learning disability" - Los Angeles Times

http://discussions.latimes.com/20/lanews/la-oe-schneider-community-college-graduation-rates-20120411/10

"College Completion: Are measures of completion the best tool for the public to judge the quality of an institution?" - The Chronicle of Higher Education

http://collegecompletion.chronicle.com/2012/are-measures-of-completion-the-best-tool-for-the-public-to-judge-the-quality-of-an-institution/

"College Completion: How can colleges find, enroll, and graduate the millions of people in the United States who have some college, but no credential?" - The Chronicle of Higher Education

http://collegecompletion.chronicle.com/2012/how-can-colleges-find-enroll-and-graduate-the-millions-of-people-in-the-united-states-who-have-some-college-but-no-credential/

"College Completion: Are graduation rates just a function of spending? Can institutions with scarce resources really do anything to improve their completion rates?" - The Chronicle of Higher Education

http://collegecompletion.chronicle.com/2012/are-graduation-rates-just-a-function-of-spending-in-other-words-can-institutions-with-few-financial-resources-really-do-anything-to-improve-their-completion-rates/