The TOPS debate continues ...

10/6/09 1:32 PM

I'm on TOPS. It all started when I was a senior in high school. After earning more than a 2.5 grade point average and a decent ACT score, TOPS got me through my first two years of college. I've kept my grades up (for the most part) and I'm still earning my TOPS scholarship today. Lately, amid higher education budget and restructuring concerns, TOPS has been unofficially put on the chopping block. John Lombardi, LSU System president, suggested in a speech to the Baton Rouge Rotary Club recently that TOPS should be a one-time award. TOPS currently pays full tuition for four years to students who qualify. LSU should raise tuition and develop a stronger need-based financial aid program, he said. TOPS is a performance-based financial aid program. According to Lombardi, the...