Study Urges Financial Plan for Va. Colleges; Funding Cuts, Tuition Increases Take Toll on Students and Faculty, Council Says
Virginia's public colleges and universities and their students have been financially whipsawed over the past 15 years by an erratic economy, according to a new report from state officials that calls for better long-range planning for public higher education.</br></br>The report, by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, notes that although education is more affordable today than it was a decade ago, sharp declines in funding during two recessions and subsequent tuition increases have made it difficult for families to plan for college expenses.</br></br>And although Virginia's institutions have maintained their prominence in many national rankings, their per-pupil budgets and faculty salaries have slipped well below the average among their national peers, according to the report.</br></br>"Higher education support is on a slippery slope," Carl N. Kelly, the state council chairman, said in a statement released yesterday. "What took years to build we stand to lose, and it will take a long time to rebuild a nationally reputable system of higher education."</br></br>The report was released at a time when many of the governing boards for the state's public colleges are moving to raise tuition and fees substantially for the 2003-04 academic year -- the third round of increases since state officials ended a five-year tuition freeze last spring.