AS IS CUSTOMARY, the Board of Visitors invited Gov. Mark R. Warner to speak at this year's graduation ceremonies. Warner accepted this invitation, and he will be speaking to fourth years on May 19. This custom is a courtesy extended from the Board largely due to state funding of the University. However, due to the downward trend in state funding and in light of Warner's recent $3.8 billion budget shortfall for state universities, this custom should be reassessed.
Professor of Politics and Director of the Center for Governmental Studies Larry J. Sabato noted that every time a governor has accepted the invitation to speak, students have voiced their concern. He said students do not agree with inviting governors for three basic reasons. Sabato says they believe the choice to be a bit "parochial," they see the University as a national or international institution instead of a state school or they are uninterested in politics in general. While these are perfectly good reasons to disagree with Warner's invitation, the fundamental idea behind the tradition is itself disagreeable.
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According to Sabato, while a decent chunk of our money comes from the Commonwealth, state contribution as a percentage of total revenue is decreasing. The current percentage of University revenues from the Commonwealth is 20.6 percent (http://www.virginia.edu/development/finance.html). This number has been on a fairly constant decline since the early 1970s, except during the Democratic governorship of Gerald Baliles (1986-1990) when it was up to 29 percent. If state funding continues to decline, revenues must be raised by increasing tuition rates or soliciting more private gifts. The Board should discontinue the tradition of inviting the governor in light of Warner's disregard for higher education.
Warner's budget cuts will make him an unpopular speaker at this year's graduation ceremony for University professors who come to support their students. While graduating fourth years are leaving before the tuition increase, professors have more at stake since they rely on that budget for their livelihood.
When many academicians and even The Cavalier Daily came out in support of Warner in his 2001 campaign, they could not have predicted that he would repay them with budget cuts and stricter spending limits. The Cavalier Daily's Managing Board called on Warner to be education-friendly ("Vote Warner," October 22, 2001). Thus far, he has not lived up to that calling.
Warner has cut spending on education throughout the Commonwealth, defending his position as a necessity to balance the budget. While this may be an answer to some of former Gov. James S. Gilmore III's irresponsible spending, restricting state spending at too fast a rate may hamper recovery from the current recession.
Courting education employees and other state workers was the secret to Warner's success in 2001. With the Warner budget, however, universities in the Commonwealth face a $3.8 billion shortfall over the next 27 months ("Schools Still a Bargin," Richmond Times Dispatch, March 20). The University will receive a large part of the hit in this budget shortfall, thanks to the legislature's plan to take more from the wealthy schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia ("Colleges prepare to tighten their belts," The Virginian-Pilot, March 12).
The Commonwealth's legislators take for granted the University's ability to operate effective capital campaigns. When the University relies too heavily on private donations it has the effect of putting off alumni in Virginia who are asked to contribute to the University. These resident alumni are paying the same amount of state taxes, and now they are being told that their contributions are needed because their taxes don't adequately fund their alma mater.
Professors and students want to be sure that the budget shortfalls do not affect the quality of their education at the University. Already at this school, fourth years must course action into classes because they could not get into them any other semester, even though these courses are required to complete students' majors.
Warner has tried to ameliorate the consequences of his initial budget proposal to avoid political disaster. He added amendments to increase spending on education, although his $30 million amendment hardly affected the $500 billion budget. Warner's campaign commitments to higher education are inconsistent with the support he received from the academic community during his campaign.
The tradition of inviting the newly elected governor should be reversed in light of recent higher education policy. Warner's administration has showed that when times get tough, higher education takes a hit. For those who do follow Virginia politics, this graduation speech ought to sting with irony.
(Matt West's column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at mwest@cavalierdaily.com.)
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