Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley have both proposed programs to provide free public college education to all Americans. They are absolutely right -- it's not only good for students, it's also good for your economy and reputation, as Germany's elimination of tuition fees has demonstrated.
Enter Donald Gould, a 51-year-old former marine without a home who lives in Sarasota, Florida. BuzzFeed has a nice summary of his story.
Gould, a former marine, studied music theory in college and had to learn everything “from the piccolo all the way down to the tuba,” but dropped out due to high costs before completing his degree.He is a very talented man. Please pause and listen.
Compassionately, a Michigan university that learned of his talent -- Spring Arbor University -- is offering him a $30,000 scholarship to finish his degree.
Crane said he first heard about Gould’s story on July 1 after someone sent him the link to the WWSB-TV’s news segment.Mr. Gould is a decent man -- and a talented man. He fell onto hard times after his wife's death in 1998.“By Thursday morning the story had been picked up by many national media outlets and we began to receive inquiries from media across the country,” Crane said.
That same morning, both Crane and Brent Ellis, the president of SAU, agreed to offer Gould a scholarship worth more than $30,000, which they said was “simply the right thing to do.”
“We both had the same thought of trying to connect with Donald and extend the offer for him to complete his degree at a time in which he was ready,” Crane said.
I wonder, though, would his fall have been so far if he had been able to finish his college education? If he had that important credential -- a degree? If money -- the equivalent of a few pennies for our nation's multi-millionaires and billionaires -- didn't force him to abandon his studies?
I love when Bernie talks about free college education as not only important for individuals to achieve their dreams, but also for the betterment of our society as a whole.
Our nation is a better place because of Mr. Gould's beautiful music. He made my day a bit brighter.
I'm glad that Bernie and Martin are proposing systems for public college finance that will ensure, in the future, that no Mr. Gould ever has to leave college for lack of money. I hope that Hillary, too, will find it in her heart to support such a socially-beneficial policy, if she is elected as our nominee.