Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam listens as he visits the Cleveland State Community College campus on Aug. 24 on the first day of classes for students taking advantage of Tennessee Promise, a free tuition program.NASHVILLE - So what do Pope Francis, Democratic U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, conservative billionaire Charles Koch and Republican Gov. Bill Haslam of Tennessee have in common?
All five are on Politico Magazine's 2015 list of 50 "thinkers, doers and visionaries transforming American politics."
Haslam ranked No. 23 on the list.
According to Politico, the nonpartisan news organization that covers all things political, Haslam earned a spot for setting a "a higher bar for higher ed."
That was a reference to the governor's "Tennessee Promise" program that drew national attention for its last-dollar scholarships basically guaranteeing free tuition and mentors to state high school graduates attending state community and technical colleges.
It's part of Haslam's "Drive to 55" program, which seeks to boost the percentage of Tennesseans equipped with a college degree or certificate to 55 percent by the year 2025.
Asked about making the Politico list, Haslam told reporters in East Tennessee on Thursday, he downplayed the attention.
"I don't think it's up to me to talk about what are the chief achievements or anything like that," Haslam said.
"But," he emphasized, "hopefully, all the other things we're working on in terms of improving K-12 education will make a big impact, as well. I think it's part of the piece of putting it all together to make certain that the workforce we have in the future is trainable."
Politico noted that "lost amid the furor over President Barack Obama's free community college proposal this year - whether it was a new GI Bill, an empty promise or an expensive waste - lay a simple fact that Obama highlighted in his announcement at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville: 'America's College Promise' was modeled on 'Tennessee Promise,' signed into law in 2014 by Republican Gov. Bill Haslam. In fact, Tennessee was the first state in decades to offer free higher education."
"We're always flattered to be imitated," Haslam said. "I think the way we did it makes more sense. But I love it if the nation is even having those conversations about how do we make certain that community colleges are affordable for everybody."
Haslam is using interest earned from a set-aside portion of Tennessee Education Lottery proceeds to fund the program.
Politico said that, according to Forbes magazine, Haslam became America's wealthiest politician this year, "thanks to a family oil and gas fortune." It also said he tends to dodge the limelight.
"Since taking office in 2011, he has eschewed the culture wars in favor of a practical approach to unsexy issues like civil service reform and teacher tenure," the magazine noted. "It was in 2013 that Haslam first sought to make his mark on higher ed, with an initiative to increase the proportion of Tennesseans who have a certificate or degree beyond high school from 32 to 55 percent," it noted.
"As part of the campaign, he found a way to make universal community college affordable (and earned the backing of the GOP-controlled state legislature) by tapping the state lottery fund," Politico wrote.
"'Net cost to the state: zero. Net impact on our future: priceless,'" as the governor's tagline went."
This isn't the first time Politico, a political journalism organization, has paid interest to Haslam. In 2013, the website gushed over Tennessee's chief executive in a piece entitled "The GOP star you've never heard of."
Ranking No. 1 in the Politico 50 was U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy for his authorship of the landmark same-sex marriage decision, a ruling Haslam disagreed with.
Pope Francis ranked No. 4. Sanders, who is running for president, was No. 5. Koch, a billionaire like Haslam whose heavy political spending is helping reshape U.S. politics, shared the sixth slot with Koch Industries senior vice president and general counsel Mark V. Holden.
See the Politico Top 50 at www.politico.com/magazine/politico50
Contact staff writer Andy Sher at 615-255-0550 or asher@timesfreepress.com.