ABSTRACT
In 2003, ten years after Georgia enacted their trailblazing merit aid program, Tennessee adopted a similar program with the same name-HOPE (Helping Outstanding Students Educationally). After 18 years of trying to implement a statewide lottery, Senator Steve Cohen succeeded in urging the passage of legislation to add a referendum to the 2002 general election ballot allowing voters to decide whether to alter the state constitution in order to implement a lottery with proceeds allocated to college scholarships. The Tennessee case of merit aid criteria adoption reflects the state’s historical context, higher education’s fluid leadership, and the nation’s ten year experience with merit aid.
