THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, December 20, 1994 TAG: 9412200343
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PHILIP WALZER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Long : 133 lines
Gov. George F. Allen surprised Hampton Roads legislators Monday by proposing to drop plans for a Norfolk campus of Tidewater Community College - a project touted by city leaders to increase job opportunities and revitalize downtown.
But five area lawmakers immediately objected during a budget meeting, guaranteeing that Allen would have an uphill fight to kill the campus.
``You say it's not essential; there are many of us who do think it's essential,'' Sen. Hunter B. Andrews, D-Hampton, told an administration official.
Allen's 1995-96 budget also would dock 6 percent of state aid to six universities, including Norfolk State and Christopher Newport, whose restructuring plans had not been approved by the state's deadline last month.
Four of them, including NSU, submitted revised plans that were approved last week. But in his remarks, Allen compared the six schools to delinquent students who needed to be taught a lesson.
``Of course, there will be complaints about these sanctions,'' he said. ``But you know, what would happen to a student if they turned in a term paper late - whether it was acceptable or unacceptable? . . . The fact of the matter is, the student would be penalized.''
Faced with strong support from Norfolk business and political leaders, the General Assembly earlier this year approved creation of the campus in 1996. Legislators allocated $750,000 this school year and $1.25 million in 1995-96 to help launch it. But Allen wants to cut the $1.25 million allocation and strike the language in the budget authorizing TCC-Norfolk.
As initially proposed, the city, through the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority, would issue about $16 million of bonds for the campus, and the state would pay the city $1.3 million a year in lease payments for 20 years. Then the state would take over ownership of the campus.
``It seems to be a situation where it's redundant to have a community college campus,'' state Education Secretary Beverly Sgro said in an interview Monday. ``It's wasteful when you already have faculty and campuses in the area.''
She noted that TCC already had three campuses in the region - in Chesapeake, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach - and that Norfolk has two universities, NSU and Old Dominion.
Robert W. Lauterberg, director of the state's Department of Planning and Budget, tried to make those points at a budget briefing with legislators. But he was cut off by Andrews.
``Do you know the function of community colleges?'' Andrews snapped at him.
Four other area legislators jumped to the defense of the Granby Street campus, in one of the longest discussions of any budget item.
``This is intended to be part of the revitalization of downtown Norfolk and to eliminate crime'' downtown, said Del. Howard E. Copeland, D-Norfolk. ``If you're serious about crime, you'd better reconsider this.''
City and TCC officials have estimated that the campus could attract 10,000 students a year by the next decade. ``Inner-city people can't get into the suburbs,'' where TCC's other campuses are located, Andrews said. ``They don't have the transportation.''
Others complained that work already has begun to build the campus. ``The city of Norfolk has spent several million dollars in acquiring land and restoring buildings in which the campus will be located,'' Del. George H. Heilig Jr. said. ``It seems to me this matter ought to have been discussed with the city.''
Mayor Paul D. Fraim said in an interview that he, too, was surprised by the proposal. ``This came out of the blue,'' he said. ``I'm not even sure that there's a clear appreciation of how much work went into this thing. . . .
``A solid factual foundation was made for the necessity of this campus, and my hope is that the good judgment will prevail.''
Del. William P. Robinson Jr., D-Norfolk, said Allen would also face a fight on the restructuring penalties.
The other schools that would face penalties in restructuring are Longwood College, Mary Washington College, Radford University and Virginia State University, the other state-supported black college in Virginia.
NSU and Virginia State, he said, are ``still laboring under some historic deficiencies that we're trying to correct.''
The reductions would total about $1.2 million for NSU and $700,000 for Newport. ``If those cuts remain, it would be a tragedy for our university,'' NSU President Harrison B. Wilson said, predicting that there could be layoffs.
College officials noted that larger, wealthier universities, such as Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia, were not hurt. ``The ones who are being cut can least afford it,'' Wilson said.
And that lack of resources, some said, is why it's taken the six schools longer to get their restructuring plans in shape. ``We don't have huge planning departments to do this,'' said Anthony R. Santoro, president of Christopher Newport, which expects its plan to be approved next month. ``We're doing this round the clock.'' MEMO: Staff writer Mike Knepler contributed to this story.
[For a related story, see BUDGET CUTTERS PITCH THEIR PLANS also on page
A1 for this date.]
ILLUSTRATION: WINNERS AND LOSERS
Gov. George F. Allen stuck to his promise to avoid
across-the-board budget cuts for basic academic programs at
universities. But his budget reflects $41 million in cuts to higher
education.
The big loser would be Virginia Tech, which faces a $12.2 million
loss in funding for agricultural and forestry research and its
cooperative extension service.
And all colleges would be forced to ante up more for employee
raises. The state usually provides half the money for the raises and
colleges the other half. But Allen wants colleges to come up with
all the money for a 2.25 percent pay increase a year from now. That
would cost them a total of $5.9 million for faculty alone.
Among the other hits:
$4 million - or half the budget - from the Center for Innovative
Technology.
$2.8 million from university academic centers, such as U.Va.'s
Institute of Government and Virginia Commonwealth University's
Center on Aging.
$2 million from Radford University's College of Global Studies.
$1.4 million - or a third of the budget - from the State Council
of Higher Education.
$700,000 from Norfolk State University's doctoral program in
social work.
$700,000 from the Medical College of Hampton Roads.
Allen also proposed $4.3 million in added spending for colleges.
That includes:
$2 million for George Mason University's Prince William
Institute.
$950,000 for Virginia Military Institute's Corps of Cadets.
$547,000 for a new engineering school for VCU.
$179,000 for three more security officers and equipment to
increase safety at NSU.
Philip Walzer
KEYWORDS: BUDGET HIGHER EDUCATION TIDEWATER COMMUNITY COLLEGE by CNB