In addition to granting the ability to administer bachelor’s degrees to 15 community colleges, California has approved its Mega Millions lottery to award them as prizes.
This unprecedented move is part of California’s forward-thinking plan to increase the affordability of a first-rate college education.
“By adding the bachelor’s degree as a prize in the Mega Millions lottery, Californians from every walk of life will have access to the top-notch education they desire,” Governer Jerry Brown explained. “A college degree was once something only the wealthy elite could achieve. Now one will be accessible to people from every ethnic and socioeconomic background.”
State officials reported that they, along with executives from Mega Millions, have optimized the odds so that the degrees are not too easy to obtain.
“The odds have been set to one in 75,” Mega Millions CEO David Williams said. “Approximately one third of Americans have bachelor’s degrees, and the average Californian plays about 25 lottery games per year, so the odds were a no-brainer.”
After winning the right to a degree, prizeholders will be able to select the discipline of their degree. All types of bachelor’s degrees are eligible to be selected with the exception of any of the performing arts.
The decision has been relatively controversial, and opponents suggest that online colleges such as DeVry University already offered top-value degrees. “While online colleges are nice, not everyone has access to the internet yet,” Brown said. “But nobody is too poor to play the lottery.”
California legislature has also proposed a bill to hide secret geology degrees all over the state that may be discovered by geocache players.
