Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, October 20, 1995 TAG: 9510200056
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARGARET EDDS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHANTILLY LENGTH: Medium
More than two-thirds of General Assembly candidates back the principles of a group of prominent business leaders who want substantially higher funding for Virginia's colleges and universities, according to the organization's chairman.
John Hazel Jr., a Northern Virginia lawyer and developer, said 71 percent of incumbents and 68 percent of challengers have pledged to support the group's goals, including affordable tuition, increased investment in higher education and improved quality of teaching.
The figures suggest that a reversal of fortune may be near for Virginia's institutions of higher education after half a decade of severe budget cuts and tuition increases.
"We have a majority any way you slice it, no matter who wins," Hazel told a Northern Virginia business group, referring to the Nov. 7 elections in which Democrats and Republicans are vying for control of the Virginia legislature.
Results of the pledge campaign, in which 246 candidates were asked if they would sponsor or support legislation favored by the Virginia Business Higher Education Council, are to be announced today at an 11 a.m. news conference in Richmond.
The council, which was formed in August and whose members include about three dozen of Virginia's leading business men and women, has called for an increased investment of at least $200 million in higher education next year.
That is the amount needed to bring Virginia up to the average for Southern states in per-student investment in higher education, according to the council. Virginia spends $4,056 per in-state student and has slipped from about average nationally in the late 1980s to 42nd among the states in per-student spending.
In contrast, North Carolina spends $6,307 and ranks seventh. The average among Southern states is $4,668.
In an interview after addressing the Committee for Dulles, a business group supporting the Dulles Airport region, Hazel acknowledged that the legislative candidates were not asked specifically to back the $200 million investment.
Still, he described himself as "thrilled" by the results. While the candidate pledges do not necessarily mean millions more for higher education, they mean "we have a shot at it."
There can be "a lot of slips between the cup and the lips," Hazel said, referring to the possibility that a candidate pledge may not always translate into a vote for funding. "But I don't think we'll be blindsided like last time," he said.
Hazel, a Republican who supported Gov. George Allen's election, was dismayed by Allen's call for cuts in education spending during the 1995 General Assembly. His group, which argues that a strong system of higher education is vital to business growth in the state, was formed in response to those proposed cuts.
Members of the council from Southwest Virginia are James McGlothlin, The United Co., Bristol; Bittle Portefield III, Rice Management Co., Roanoke; Thomas Robertson, Carilion Health System, Roanoke.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB