The Dollar Gap

When James Conant became President in 1933, he found America's oldest college filled with well-to-do students from the Eastern seaboard, most of whom suffered from neither ambition nor ability. One of his most imaginative efforts at reform was the National Scholarship program, which sought out able insolvents from all parts of the nation and guaranteed them four years of study, free from term-time work.

The substantial success of his program has, however, largely eliminated the need. Every year the admissions office turns away hundreds of able students, and the fact that 20 out of 70 GM scholars picked Harvard is proof enough that the College no longer needs to sponsor such a luxurious recruiting device.

One obvious adjustment to the growing number of talented students would be granting the special awards for achievement in college rather than for high school promise, redistributing them every year. Although this change is already under consideration, it is only likely to place even more emphasis on academic achievement to the detriment of other worthwhile activities.

A more realistic solution would be to abolish the distinction between national awards and other scholarships. Unlike the usual grants, existing National Scholarships now leave no $300 differential between the award and the need, a gap normally bridged either with term-time work, a loan, or summer earnings above the $300 requirement.

In this era of inflation, any able undergraduate can earn $600 in a summer. But for those who cannot or will not, loan facilities still make it possible to avoid cutting into school work with term-time employment.

Certainly there is no philosophical reason why a student should not repay part of the cost of his education. The only objection is for the teachers and preachers who cannot. There is no reason, however, not to cancel the debt in such special cases, a move which would perhaps do something to attract more able students to teaching.

Unquestionably abolition of the special grants would cause some inconvenience, but this would be more than equalized by the funds made available. Cutting the 130 national awards by $300 would, in effect, create another fifty scholarships annually.