BY Lydia X. McCoy
mccoyl@knoxnews.com
Education was a top issue of discussion Thursday night as gubernatorial candidates Republican Bill Haslam and Democrat Mike McWherter faced each other on the University of Tennessee campus in their second of three debates.
One of the first questions of the night, from UT doctoral student Jodi Rightler, sought the candidates’ stances when it came to budget priorities in higher education.
Haslam, the Knoxville mayor, said Tennessee faces two challenges: boosting the relatively small population of college graduates compared to the national average and supporting public universities as stimulus funds fade away.
McWherter, a Jackson businessman, said the future of higher education is a huge concern for parents and students.
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