Free tuition in exchange for 10 years of living and working in Wisconsin — sound like a fair deal? This is one of many ideas the state education reform commission is considering to improve Wisconsin's schools and economy. While still in its infancy, the plan would mean graduates from four-year public institutions get a free ride so long as they stay for a decade, and graduates from two-year public schools would make a five-year commitment. Obviously, more specifics on this plan, such as unemployment and disability benefits, are needed to make a concrete judgment on this proposal, but the idea has an undeniable populist appeal.

This measure seems capable of helping Wisconsin alleviate "brain drain," by which our brightest graduates move out of state after college. According to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the state could borrow the money needed to implement this plan and repay it by taxing the income and property of its wealthier populace. In addition, it would encourage more poor kids to go to college and return home to improve their communities, creating a less controversial medium to address the University of Wisconsin's accessibility problems.

So what if this plan were implemented and became more popular than its creators ever could have imagined? It's a sweetheart deal for those of us who don't need a bribe to stay in the great state of Wisconsin; however, we should be wary. Initially, it might actually hurt the job market and allow employers to lower entry-level wages because of the initial influx of labor. However, I would almost hope this happens. It may inspire groups of former UW students to start their own enterprise around one or two particularly ambitious business students.

These small companies may very well give Wisconsin a new reputation as a center for idealistic and creative young business owners. Alumni may enter 10-year pacts after graduating to establish and run a viable business. Rags-to-riches dot-com stories would emerge along with epic business busts that would live on in Gen Biz 303 infamy. Further, UW may attract even more out-of-state talent hoping to make a livelihood working at one of these hip young companies. This would effectively turn our state into a talent incubator for small-business ideas and make it a popular destination for companies looking for an available, educated work force to plug into.

In a worst-case scenario, our graduate pool may be exploited by companies that severely restrict mobility in the first 10 years because they have a captive workforce. Wisconsin would be known as a black hole where dreams go to die, as students who attend its public universities feel compelled to spend a decade earning modest salaries.

This proposal could aid local communities by offering the brain power needed to combat the increasing desolation in urban areas, or spawn a new breed of urban sprawl as an ever-expanding base of suburbanites flees the perceived ills of city life. Then again, it might slow us down and offer us the chance to appreciate what will really make us happy in life: things like family, friends and love. Where better to cultivate these than in Wisconsin?

In an increasingly remote world in which we prefer to "bowl alone," would a 10-year agreement give us a chance to extend our collegiate relationships? Perhaps we will instead become workaholics obsessed with out-performing our counterparts in an infinitesimally small business environment.

Despite the potential pitfalls, this is an idea worth exploring. While Gov. Doyle's initiative to promote a more high-tech state economy has been marginally effective, Wisconsin may have to do something drastic to become a front-running state. Further, this may be politically feasible in a state known for embracing maverick politicians.

Nonetheless, like all big ideas, the debate on tuition incentives is sure to become a casualty to partisanship. If a formal bill is ever proposed, elements of the state Legislature are sure to rail against it as an undue fiscal commitment for the state. Further, this criticism is sure to come without any tangible ways to improve Wisconsin's educational access besides strangling under-performing schools.

All it takes is one struggling and desperate statewide candidate to make an issue so polarizing that an honest discourse in the statehouse becomes a political nonstarter. The new chair of the Assembly of Colleges and Universities Committee has already said he doesn't think it will go far.

Politicians don't like to take big risks because they fear accountability. The only way this would pass is if an articulate voice were able to cast it as the key to Wisconsin's long-term aspirations. Unfortunately, neither state party has much star power, and it would take a spirited non-partisan push to ensure such a bill would not be dead-on-arrival. Despite these long odds, an idea this revolutionary is worth testing the bounds of political improbability.

Bassey Etim ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in journalism and political science.