Newswise — When William E. Troutt chaired the National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education in 1998, he became an expert on the factors that affect college tuition. Now president of Rhodes College, he has used the experience to come up with a way that the private liberal arts college in Memphis can actually achieve the commission's goals of making college more affordable by controlling costs and improving productivity.
The idea is called the Rhodes Student Associates Program. Now in its fourth year, there are 65 students in the RSAP, and they are reducing their tuition costs by a minimum of $4,800 per student.
RSAP provides jobs much like a work-study program does, but there are significant differences. First, federal money is used only for students who qualify for work-study funds. Otherwise, the jobs are funded by grants and the college itself. The jobs are professional-level assignments on campus that relate directly to students' areas of study. Faculty and staff mentors who propose positions guide the students.
Because jobs are academically integrated, students can justify working more hours than a typical work-study job. Instead of logging six to eight hours a week, participants in RSAP work between 10 and 15 hours each week. And while work-study students typically get paid minimum wage or a bit more for working in jobs like entering computer data or stuffing envelopes for mass mailings, RSAP students are paid $10-$12 an hour and the work is more meaningful and applicable to their careers. President Troutt says the work students do is not for credit, as are academic internships. But the work is recorded on student transcripts as "co-curricular" experience. "We are providing first-class opportunities that develop tangible skills and knowledge that are listed on the student's academic record," says Troutt. "For RSAP students, Rhodes is certainly more affordable, and we are meeting the commission's other primary goals of improving productivity and controlling costs."
Academic and administrative departments that employ RSAP students must propose work that will enhance students' learning and career goals. In return, they are getting more work "that matters" done, which helps departments operate more effectively and efficiently.
For example, the Chaplain's Office created a RSAP position for its Kinney community service program. Their first RSAP intern was Ginny Davis '07, an international studies major and business minor who as a result of her internship gained experience organizing local, national and international meetings and managing student volunteers. Those were the skills that attracted Maybelline Corporation which recruited her to join its sales management explorer program right after graduation.
"Maybelline apparently found my combination of academic training and community activism attractive," Davis says.
Another RSAP alumna who leveraged her campus position into a near-dream job was Laura Blanton '05, who worked for the editor of Rhodes magazine. Her extensive experience with copy writing and portfolio of bylined articles landed her the position of managing editor of At Home magazine right after graduation. "I learned so much working on Rhodes magazine and in my classes at Rhodes, it was pretty easy to go right into a responsible job," says Blanton.
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