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Torgersen addresses funding committees

Virginia Tech Spectrum, October 31, 1996

President Paul Torgersen addressed a special joint-committee meeting of the General Assembly on Monday, Oct. 21, to stress the need for sustained investment in higher education.

Speaking on behalf of the Council of Presidents of the state-supported institutions, Torgersen told the committees that General Fund appropriations per student in Virginia, adjusted for inflation, have declined by 16 percent since 1990.

"Virginia needs to invest now for higher education in the 21st century," Torgersen said. "Faculty salaries are the first priority-we must continue progress towards the 60th percentile."

The committees addressed-the Senate Finance Committee Subcommittee on Education and the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education-are the bodies most directly responsible for allocating appropriations to higher education.