Array of Higher Education Issues Remain to Be Decided
By Daniel Walsch
With less than a few weeks remaining in this year's session of the Virginia
General Assembly, there is good news and not-so-good news regarding higher education.
The good news is that given the current budget crisis, state officials, including
Gov. Mark Warner, are continuing to discuss strategies on how best to meet the
fiscal needs of the commonwealth's colleges and universities. The not-so-good
news, however, is that at press time the discussion had not yet turned into concrete
action or legislation.
One example is Warner's proposal to impose a 5 percent tuition cap on colleges
and universities. Many of the state's college and university presidents, including
George Mason's Alan Merten, have spoken out against this proposal; even the House
and the Senate are both recommending that boards of visitors be permitted to raise
tuition for all students as well as keep any tuition increase at the schools.
It is hoped that budget conferees within the General Assembly will put together
a compromise prior to March 9 that can be presented to the governor for his signature.
Another example is a proposal to return $55 million to the budget for state
grants to support an array of construction projects at the colleges and universities.
Neither the governor nor the General Assembly has reached an agreement on how
best to proceed on this issue.
There is also talk in Richmond of taking steps to begin reducing the amount
of perceived duplication of academic programs offered by colleges and universities
with a presence in Northern Virginia. Currently, the University of Virginia, Virginia
Tech, and Old Dominion University join George Mason and Northern Virginia Community
College in offering programs in this region. Officials from the State Council
for Higher Education in Virginia are considering making a recommendation on this
matter and presenting it to the governor and General Assembly in the near future.
Other outstanding issues that need to be nailed down include lifting the limit
on admitting out-of-state students, providing colleges and universities with greater
freedom to make operational decisions without state approval, and supplying raises
for faculty and staff.
|
