THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, November 14, 1995 TAG: 9511140099
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PHILIP WALZER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines
The State Council of Higher Education on Monday approved a ``mini-campus'' in Virginia Beach for Old Dominion and Norfolk State universities.
The vote gave a big shot in the arm to the long-discussed project, which could be built within two years. The General Assembly still must approve the building in its upcoming session.
Virginia Beach city leaders have long argued for the need for the campus - which would sit next to Tidewater Community College - saying the city is among the largest in the country without a public four-year college.
In 1988, the universities opened a satellite center in an office building on Little Neck Road, off Virginia Beach Boulevard. Enrollment there has shot up to 4,000.
ODU's acting president, Jo Ann Gora, told the council, ``No matter how many courses we offer, we get more and more students.''
Under the universities' plan, they would construct an 80,000-squarefoot building, costing $15 million, which could serve 7,000 students.
The state council also approved two other satellite campuses - for Mary Washington College in Stafford County and for John Tyler Community College in Midlothian in Chesterfield County.
But some council members expressed strong reservations about the new projects.
Their main concerns are whether the colleges should expand into growing areas, or whether they should expect students to come to their main campuses.
Council member John Padgett said: ``I am opposed to chasing population for (their) convenience. I have a very difficult time believing that if someone wanted an education, they would not drive 30 to 40 minutes to get it.''
But Gora said the Virginia Beach campus is needed. Two-thirds of the students at the Virginia Beach center hold down full-time jobs, she said. ``They want to take courses when they can find the time,'' she said. ``And they want to take them in a location that reduces the amount of travel time for them.''
The Little Neck Road center now offers primarily graduate courses, but the campus would also provide upper-level undergraduate classes. That, TCC President Larry L. Whitworth said, will help ensure that more of his students get bachelor's degrees.
``This would provide a wonderful opportunity for a coherent connection between the first two years of college and the junior and senior years,'' he said.
Allison Dunfee, an engineering student at TCC's Virginia Beach campus who lives in Norfolk, said she'd gladly return to Virginia Beach to get her bachelor's degree.
``I'd be very interested in it,'' she said. ``I would prefer a smaller university, with smaller classes.''
Gora said TCC will provide such services as parking, library access and dining.
``It's a new concept,'' NSU President Harrison B. Wilson said. ``We think it's a positive relationship for the community, as well as for the schools.''
The financing has not been decided, but Virginia Beach officials say it would probably be similar to the method Norfolk is using to fund the construction of TCC's downtown campus: The city would sell bonds to pay for the building. The universities would then lease it and provide annual payments to the city so they could eventually take it over.
David F. Harnage, vice president for administration and finance at ODU, said the university has already set aside money for the project and would not have to increase tuition or fees to subsidize it.
Virginia Beach Vice Mayor William D. Sessoms Jr., a proponent of the campus, said he thought the City Council will overwhelmingly approve the idea. The recent discovery of a $12.1 million deficit in the public school system won't affect it, he said.
``As far as I'm concerned, it's a no-brainer for the council,'' he said. ``It's a very exciting project for the city.''
Aside from the educational opportunities, Sessoms said the campus would bring big business to Virginia Beach: ``We've talked to people that are going to be involved in this facility, and they want to be a part of bringing new businesses to this area and offering training to their employees.'' by CNB