University of Tennessee President John Petersen has been on a statewide “no free lunch” lunch tour.

His journey took him from Rocky Top in Knoxville, to Chattanooga, westward to Martin, with a final stop in Memphis where the UT medical campus is located.

As he reached Memphis, there were reportedly law enforcement officials at the city limits, trying to decide whether to block his entrance to the Bluff City.

Why, you may ask?

The UT president has relished telling audiences across the state that his campuses in Knoxville, Martin and Chattanooga have students with higher college testing scores than the University of Memphis. Memphis happens to house the largest four-year institution within the “rival” board of regents system in Tennessee.

All kidding aside (if you recall the column two weeks ago on urban myths birthed on the Internet), the statistics offered by Dr. Petersen are accurate. But in trying to improve on the 19 percent of Tennessee residents with a college degree, encouragement needs to come from all quarters regardless of system, city or football prowess (UCLA did suffer its most lopsided loss two weeks after defeating UT, and Florida will go in the unmentionable category).

Tennessee and the Chattanooga area in particular face challenges brought on by a slowing economic engine.

With Volkswagen pressing forward with a North American manufacturing facility here, the need for qualified workers — some from two-year technical programs and others with a four-year engineering degree — now is not the time to pull the higher education belt too tight.

The crashing mortgage loan industry has put the global, national and state economies in a tailspin. Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen may long for the days when he described the Tennessee ship of state as mired on the rocks. Today he appears to be plugging fiscal leaks in the hull and running out of fingers.

Our national politicians need to be held accountable for providing answers and not rhetoric. 2008 will be about the economy, and voters need to remember that as they make choices for who will lead the country for the next four years. There will be partisan attempts to throw dust in the air to blur and defer voters’ attention, but it is time to stay focused on family issues such as paying a home mortgage, feeding children and other necessities.

But back to the University of Tennessee and the challenge to educate more while maintaining affordability.

On the positive side of the ledger, the state lottery apparently has kept the best and brightest at home. The extra funds defray the cost of higher education.

Why is that important?

For every 100 students who begin high school, 60 will graduate. Of the 60, 35 go to college and 15 graduate in six years.

As Dr. Petersen told community leaders three weeks ago: “We have to fix the culture and success rate of students.”

As the state slips into a revenue downfall resulting in budget reductions, the UT president knows that two years down in funding means five years to climb out of the hole. Knowing that, at times of reduction, changes are made to remove unnecessary programs while strengthening the ties among campuses.

In the end, the goals do not change:

* Educate a work force.

* Contribute to economic development.

* Improve the quality of life.

Those three points are worth the cost of “no free lunch.”

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