THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 9, 1995 TAG: 9511090369
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PHILIP WALZER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 37 lines
Til Hazel, the Northern Virginia businessman spearheading a drive for more state money for higher education, said Wednesday that the state's election results would lead to victory for his own campaign.
Seventy percent of the members of next year's General Assembly have signed his pledge to increase aid to colleges, Hazel said at a Newport News forum sponsored by his group, the Virginia Business Higher Education Council.
``I believe members of the next General Assembly will support our program and additional substantial funding,'' Hazel said. ``. . . We're almost at the bottom of the deck in state support for public education. The least we can do is become average in the Southern states.''
Virginia ranks 43rd in the country in state funding per college student.
Hazel has called for an increase in state aid for colleges of $200 million in each of the next two years. His ``Virginia First'' pledge for legislators, however, did not ask them to promise support for any particular amount.
Former Republican Gov. Mills E. Godwin Jr. also backed Hazel's initiative at the meeting.
``Our educational needs in this state must be met,'' said Godwin, who earlier this year opposed Gov. George F. Allen's proposal to cut more than $40 million in college aid.
``We can ill afford poor education or no education in this state. . . . Our people understand better than ever what the needs are and what the cost is in terms of dollars to educate these youngsters.''
KEYWORDS: ELECTION FOLLOW UP 1995 by CNB