Bartering makes comeback for college tuition

An innovative bartering plan has some Missouri farm families seeing their sons and daughters earning a university degree, where otherwise that would be less likely as a result of financial constraints.

The school is Lindenwood University in St. Charles County, Mo. Lindenwood's president, Dr. Dennis Spellman, came up with the idea after mulling how the school might help cash-strapped farm families.

One northern Missouri student's father traded hogs for her tuition. The hogs were slaughtered in Troy, Mo., and made into bacon, sausage and pork steaks for Lindenwood's cafeteria.

"This played a big part in my education," said 25-year-old Gina Kientzy of Silex, Mo., who just earned her business degree. "I might not have been able to afford school without this idea."

Tuition covering two semesters usually runs $11,200 at Lindenwood. In exchange for hogs worth $3,200, the school will waive the balance of the tuition charge.

Spellman plans to expand the idea to other farm products. "We are feeding people in our cafeteria with these hogs." he said. "We'll barter cattle or soybeans too. We want to make sure people have the chance to get an education in Missouri."

In an era when state funded colleges and universities are increasing tuition and fees -- sometimes more than once a year -- it is good to know that some creative thinking is going on to allow students to attend the school of their choice.

Good for Spellman and for Lindenwood University. It would be a good thing if we saw more leaders in higher education -- public schools included -- taking a page out of the tuition plan at Lindenwood, a private university.