Media Coverage

Follow the Money: How Student Loans Derailed American Higher Education

President Matthew A. Scogin
 March 30, 2022

Every student who takes Economics 101 learns the concept of supply and demand—specifically, how a decrease in the supply of a good or resource drives up its cost. Can supply-and-demand theory also explain the rising cost of attending college? 

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Why the Four-Year Degree is Still the Best “Pathway Program”

President Matthew A. Scogin
 March 9, 2022

Criticisms of the 4-year degree program are justified, albeit short-sighted. While other types of post-secondary education help students land their first job, the 4-year degree program remains the best path to a career that includes advancement and professional growth. However, most students take on debilitating debt to finance their education, and it’s a nearly $2 trillion national crisis.

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Rethinking the Economic Model of Higher Education

President Matthew A. Scogin
 February 14, 2022

The discussion around improving access to higher education -- specifically due to the decades-long price increase of a four-year degree -- is typically framed as whether or not college should be free.

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To Preserve the American Dream, Improve Access to Higher Ed

President Matthew A. Scogin
 January 20, 2022

This article is the first in a series in which I’ll be exploring the ways that the economics of higher education influence the decisions students make about their education—and what we (as a country) can do to improve access to higher education.

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National Media Coverage

• “Stuart Allison: Could tuition to liberal arts colleges be free?” Galesburg Register-Mail (August 6, 2021)
• “College Presidents Implement New Models to Bridge Affordability Challenges,” Diverse: Issues in Higher Education (July 28, 2021)
• “Hope College takes big step toward tuition-free campus,” Associated Press (July 14, 2021)
• “This College’s Tuition-Free Model Will Let Students Pay What They Can Post-Graduation,” Chronicle for Higher Education (July 14, 2021)
• “Hope College launches program to make tuition free, requests donations after graduation,” Detroit Free Press (July 14, 2021)
• “Hope College Begins ‘Pay It Forward’ Program With Goal Of Offering Free Tuition To All Students,” Forbes (July 15, 2021)
• “Hope College wants to trade tuition for donations” (revised headline: “Hope College To Go Tuition Free”), Insider HigherEd (July 14, 2021)
• “Hope College takes big step toward tuition-free campus,” KBJR (July 14, 2021)
• “Hope College wants students to pay tuition after graduation,” University Business (July 15, 2021)
• “Hope College Takes Big Step Toward Tuition-Free Campus,” US News & World Report (July 14, 2021)
• WJR 760 – Mitch Albom, live interview, no public recording available (July 14, 2021)

State Media Coverage

• “Hope College Takes Big Step Toward Tuition-Free Campus,” CBS Detroit (July 14, 2021)
• “Hope College works to create tuition-free business model,” FOX 17 (July 14, 2021)
• “Hope Forward: Hope College launching pilot for fully funded tuition model,” Holland Sentinel (July 14, 2021)
• “Hope College announces free ‘pay-it-forward’ tuition model funded by alumni donations,” MLIVE (July 14, 2021)
• “No more tuition? Hope College wants to change the way higher education is funded,” MLIVE (July 15, 2021)
• “Latest Michigan news, sports, business and entertainment at 9:20 p.m. EDT” (first paragraph only), The Star (July 14, 2021)
• “Hope College Establishes ‘Hope Forward’ Tuition-Funding Program,” 1450 AM 99.7 FM, WHTC Holland (July 14, 2021)
• “Hope College wants to make tuition free for all students through “pay-it-forward” plan,” WKZO (July 14, 2021)
• “‘Pay-it-forward’: Hope College aims to offer free tuition to all students,” WOOD-TV (July 14, 2021)
• “Hope College wants to make tuition free for all students through ‘pay-it-forward’ plan,” WTVB AM (July 14, 2021)
• “West Michigan’s Hope College launches program to make tuition free, asking for post-grad donations,” WWJ 950 (July 14, 2021)
• “Hope College takes big step toward tuition-free campus,” WWMT (July 14, 2021)
• “Hope College implements free tuition program in the fall,” WWMT (July 14, 2021)
• “‘Pay it forward’ program would provide free tuition for Hope College students,” WZZM 13 (July 14, 2021)
• “'Tuition-free' model launched at Hope College,” WZZM 13 (July 14, 2021)