To alleviate Virginia's $4 billion debt, former Gov. Tim Kaine proposed a budget amendment that would shift close to $19 million from public universities to the state general fund. This initiative will be released to the General Assembly for discussion Feb. 21,; if passed, the University would absorb about $3.8 million in losses from state funds. Because of the recent onslaught of budget cuts, the University's management and budget office is well equipped to deal with such depletions and has prepared to ensure the reverberations felt are not widespread. But if higher education funding continues to dwindle as it has during the past two decades - regardless of the state of the economy - the university's academic standing may suffer.
The financial losses would not cut into the University's aim to provide a strong academic program, said Colette Sheehy, vice president for management and budget. Rather, funds for general maintenance and those originally allocated for ongoing construction projects will be reduced. Though state funding for higher education is being cut, the University's financial directors avoided jeopardizing students' core educational experiences. Instead, they have directed such reductions toward aspects of the University's operations that have less of an impact on academics.
Nevertheless, the disconcerting trend to reduce higher education spending in federal and state budgets during hard times has proven detrimental to Virginia public schools. Noticeably, spending for criminal corrections continues to outpace budget growth in education on both state and federal levels. Facing a bleak economic picture, the General Assembly is now recognizing the need to create efficiencies in the public safety system by exploring alternative sentencing for non-violent offenders. Regardless, these spending reductions are not comparable to cuts in higher education budgets, even though public colleges and universities have dealt with dwindling state financial support during the past two decades.
Colleges and universities are arguably the state's strongest drivers of long-term economic growth; therefore, removing high percentages of funding could have severe consequences. This portion of the budget needs to be understood for the significant role it plays in the state's welfare and should no longer be considered expendable. Kaine's latest budget proposal outlines a 26 percent cut for public colleges and universities. As a result these costs may be passed along to students in the form of tuition hikes. Such increases in tuition could cripple the Virginia Community College system which is especially concerned with offering affordable education.
President-elect Teresa Sullivan's new administration should treat these budget cuts as red flags and continued with the University's move toward financial independence. State budget cuts should serve as a catalyst for spearheading new fund-raising efforts and capital campaigns. If the cuts total $3.8 million this year, then there is no telling what may come next.
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