Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, April 3, 1990 TAG: 9004030280
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARGIE FISHER and DANIEL HOWES STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Speaking at a college presidents' luncheon in Richmond, the governor said, "We must all be sensitive to the reality that an ever-growing number of middle-income families in Virginia simply may not be able to afford the price tag of higher education in the commonwealth."
Wilder pointed out that Virginia's in-state tuition rates already are the highest in the Southeast and that tuition increases in the state are outpacing inflation by a significant margin. Mandatory fees are rising even faster than tuition, he said.
But Virginia Tech President James McComas, acknowledging the comparatively high tuition rates, pointed to a recent Southern Regional Education Board study in which Virginia's per-student spending of $4,281 ranked $238 below the average for the Southeast.
"I think [Wilder] is genuinely concerned about the escalating cost of tuition," McComas said after returning to Blacksburg from Richmond. "That's not just a Virginia problem, it's a national one."
Wilder said he wants the college presidents to "streamline programs, cut unnecessary expenses and - in appropriate cases - curtail programs or services" to meet the state's budget constraints, rather than use cutbacks in appropriations for the schools as the excuse for tuition increases.
"In short, before informing Virginia parents that they will have to pay more tuition next year, our colleges must first demonstrate to parents and to the public at large that they are running as tight a ship as possible, that their fiscal house is in order."
Wilder's criticism follows recent approval of hefty tuition increases by several state universities - and comes as schools such as Tech, Radford University and James Madison University are considering increases of their own.
On Friday, the University of Virginia Board of Visitors approved a 9.6 percent tuition increase for in-state students and a 14.8 percent increase for out-of-state students.
On Saturday, Virginia Military Institute's Board of Visitors raised in-state tuition 8.1 percent and out-of state tuition 12.7 percent. At George Mason University in Fairfax, tuition will be increased 9.4 percent for in-state students and 21.5 percent for non-Virginia residents.
Paul Verkuil, president of the College of William and Mary, said he expects the school's board of visitors to approve a tuition increase April 18.
In virtually every case, the schools cited budget cuts made by the General Assembly for 1990-1992. Legislators approved a 5 percent cut in the $925 million funding program for the state's four-year and two-year colleges and universities.
But McComas - whose own school is contemplating a still-undetermined tuition increase - said he did not interpret Wilder's remarks as a scolding.
"I don't think he was saying we shouldn't have any increases, but that any we have should be given careful consideration," McComas said.
Tech, he continued, already is doing its part to cut costs by reducing some 180 faculty and staff positions, using more part-time instructors and further enlarging classes.
UVa President Robert O'Neil characterized Wilder's remarks as an appeal in which the governor avoided "drawing a line in the dust." The departing president pointed to states such as New York and Michigan whose governors have ordered, not urged, universities to hold down tuition.
by CNB