ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, December 21, 1996 TAG: 9612230023
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: ALLISON BLAKE STAFF WRITER
Del. Jim Shuler plans to file a resolution during the General Assembly session to find out what he thinks will be the "eye-opening" answer to this question:
"How much money do state colleges and universities spend when they host quarterly meetings for their governing boards of visitors?"
"It's not a witch hunt," the Blacksburg Democrat said.
Shuler told Virginia Tech's Faculty Senate earlier this week that he wonders how much time and effort university workers expend getting ready for meetings. He wants to discover the total "direct and indirect" costs of the meetings.
He thinks the answer may surprise people.
Virginia's public colleges and universities are overseen by boards appointed to four-year terms by the governor.
For Virginia Tech's four board meetings this year, the university spent $28,608 on travel, lodging, supplies, university meeting room rental, and meals and entertainment, said Larry Hincker, university spokesman. Most of that is drawn from the school's $165 million state share of its overall $500 million annual budget, Hincker said. The private Virginia Tech Foundation pays for any alcohol that is served at the one- or two-day sessions. That cost could not be determined right away.
But part of Shuler's query is aimed at indirect costs - staff time - that don't show up in tallies of room rental and meals. He's concerned about whether boards are getting the information they need, but without overburdening university staffs.
Asked about Shuler's proposal, the rectors [chairmen] of the boards of the New River Valley's two state universities both pointed out that the board members all volunteer their time at no cost to the state.
Tech rector Henry Dekker of Blacksburg said a quarterly meeting of the state-run school's policy board seems to be "the least that we should have."
Radford University rector Jim Stutts, executive director of a Richmond-based professional organization, said he wouldn't object if somebody wanted to look into finding a way to shorten meetings. Electronic communications already have shortened the meetings of the board he oversees professionally.
"I can see the day, probably, when we may replace a couple of our board meetings with on-line meetings," said Stutts of the Virginia Recreation and Parks Society.
Shuler said his joint House resolution might end up in a study conducted by a legislative committee, or perhaps by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission. It's his "sense of the situation" that a lot of time and energy goes into preparing for the meetings.
"Does it need to be quarterly?" he said. "Can they get it done more efficiently?"
Asked if he's aiming at money spent by private, university-affiliated foundations, Shuler replied: "Any cost associated with the meetings."
LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Shulerby CNB