Dear Gov. Corbett, consider Temple's special role in the community

In an open letter to Gov. Tom Corbett, Daily News columnist Elmer Smith, a Temple alumnus, movingly described how the university changed his life and the lives of the students he teaches in his "Writing for Journalism" class. "It's anybody's guess how many low-income students will miss the opportunity that so many of us got at [schools like Temple], Gov. Corbett," he wrote. "By choosing to slash 50 percent from their state aid, you will foreclose an opportunity for students who may never get that chance again. It can't be easy to bridge a $4 billion budget gap. You were forced to make some tough choices. This one will cost us a lot more than it saves."
March 11, 2011 | Philadelphia Daily News