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ISSUES: Ensuring the Commonwealth's Ability to Compete
To compete nationally and internationally in the 21st Century, and to ensure our children are able to succeed in this competitive environment, we must do better supporting our institutions of higher education, including our community college system and world-class teaching and research facilities such as the University of Virginia. It is unacceptable that the state funds only 8 percent of UVA's operating budget. Although issues surrounding higher education are complex, we cannot ignore that UVA and other public collges and universities are public institutions and therefore should serve the public good.
We must keep tuition within reasonable limits, and make grants as appropriate, to permit our children access to our colleges and universities. Since 1985, the percentage of Commonwealth general fund monies for higher education declined from 17 percent of the budget to 10 percent of the budget. At the same time that this percentage has dropped, enrollment projections continue to rise; it is projected that 61,000 additional students will be in Virginia’s colleges and universities by 2010.
Fewer state funds have meant that faculty salaries at places like UVA have not kept pace with comparable salaries at its peer institutions. Clearly, change is necessary if we are to maintain the highest quality at our publicly-supported colleges and universities and in the Commonwealth. Hence, I support the conceptual framework of the Higher Education Restructuring Act as adopted by the General Assembly. I believe that Gov. Warner's recent recommendations strengthen the Act and provide additional protections to employees and the public, while permitting public colleges and universities more flexibility to accomplish their mission. The General Assembly will be involved substantially in determining the details of this change, and I want to be part of that discussion.
I also support the approach of "Access UVA," and the principle that no Virginia student admitted to the university should be excluded because they lack sufficient financial reasons. Ensuring this principle should be an important element of UVA’s efforts to maintain itself as the high quality institution that it is.
In addition, I will work to encourage new technology and biotechnology initiatives that can spur commercialization of research out of UVA and other universities. The late Senator Emily Couric provided significant leadership in helping to catalyze UVA’s efforts to reach out to the community and private sector in this arena, and I hope to build on those efforts. The Commonwealth should provide greater support for cutting-edge research initiatives at state universities like UVA, and I will work to meet Governor Warner's target of $1 billion in research funding by 2010. This type of research creates tangible benefits for the public while funding good paying jobs in our community.
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