THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 6, 1995 TAG: 9501060492
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Short : 37 lines
The quality of Virginia's public colleges will start to decline if they are forced to absorb another $50 million in proposed budget cuts, says former Gov. Gerald L. Baliles.
Without renewed support for the colleges, whose enrollments are projected to boom in the next 10 years, Virginia will be unable to compete with other states in luring high-tech companies and new jobs, Baliles told the Richmond First Club on Thursday.
``If higher education is not strong, how will our state economy expand?'' Baliles said. ``If Virginia is to remain open for business, so must its colleges and universities.''
In the past four years, state funding per college student has dropped by a third.
``Our economic future depends upon our ability to compete, but our ability to compete depends upon our ability to educate,'' said Baliles, a longtime champion of higher education and its role in economic development.
``We cannot let higher education decay without jeopardizing our own and our children's prosperity, any more than we can let our highways, harbors or airports decay,'' he said.
The former Democratic governor said higher education also must change its priorities if it is to win back public confidence and increased tax support. Colleges must question the role of big-time athletics, for instance, and examine the proper mix of teaching and research. by CNB