Hardin, a lawyer by training, is a product of public higher education and formerly taught at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville. Some students want to attend large schools, some small schools. We are aware of a number of students who would have left the state if the program were not structured this way. We have some who looked only at Hendrix and colleges outside Arkansas. That's the difference between what their education costs and what they pay.
Some states have tuition equalization programs to assist kids who attend private schools.
They recognize the importance of private students to the state economy. Texas has a strong tuition equalization program. When we picked 32 as the score on the ACT, there were about 160 students in Arkansas who were scoring that high. Last semester, there were 230. That means kids have recognized they can go to college free if they score a 32.