Editorial | A public service

Ivy League-educated professionals can't always afford to serve in public sector positions.

Harvard Law School's recent move to provide a tuition-free third year to students who pledge to spend the next five years working in public service has drawn new attention to this issue, but Penn Law's Public Interest Loan Repayment Assistance Program provides similar benefits with less commitment.

The program provides qualifying students with up to $12,000 a year after graduation - for up to 10 years. They receive interest-free loans that are forgiven at the end of each year as long as the graduate's employment fits certain criteria of public interest law work.

This loan forgiveness allows professionals who receive the best education in the country to take positions with organizations that need them the most.

And other professional schools at Penn could certainly benefit from similar measures.

Graduates of institutions like the School of Education and the School of Medicine should have more opportunities to take low-pay, high-satisfaction jobs without worrying about hundreds of thousands of dollars of student debt.

Penn must work to expand existing programs and supplement any loan-forgiveness initiatives already run by the state and federal government.

Universities need to help the talented professionals they train contribute to society across all public sectors.

Reducing the burden of student loans is the first step to realizing that goal.

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