Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 14, 1995 TAG: 9506140072
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
The recommendation was among several presented Tuesday as the council began looking ahead to January, when its 1996-98 budget requests - and those of other state agencies - will be considered by the General Assembly.
Gordon Davies, the council's executive director, said the state was exceeding its revenue projections, giving ``some sense of stability'' if not outright optimism over the state's financial outlook.
However, council member Elizabeth A. McClanahan said the colleges should not expect to get more money just because it might be available. She said any additional funds must have a clear purpose, and the colleges must be able to demonstrate they are operating efficiently enough to deserve the increase.
Several other council members agreed.
``What I hear you saying is that whatever recommendations the staff brings to you should be clearly focused and tied to efficiency and productivity,'' Davies said.
No final decision was made on the staff's tuition recommendation. Davies told the council that some colleges are experiencing sluggish enrollment growth because tuition has gone up so much.
Annual undergraduate tuition and fees in Virginia averaged $3,841 in 1994-95, second only to Vermont's $3,890. The figure does not include room and board, which ranged from $3,120 at Virginia Tech to $5,221 at George Mason University.
With the heavy reliance on tuition, Virginia ranked 43rd in the nation in the amount of state general fund support per student. But council member Alan Kirshner suggested the two most important considerations are whether Virginia is offering a quality education and whether the cost is driving some potential students away.
Davies responded that he has no desire for the state to ``give away a quality education,'' but he said a bottom-10 ranking in state support is unacceptable.
by CNB