When the Virginia General Assembly passed its modifications to the state's two-year operating budget last month and allocated a $65 million funding increase to higher education, the plan was hailed as the first step toward achieving Gov. Bob McDonnell's goal of producing an additional 100,000 college graduates during the next 15 years. Yet just as noticeable as the money that the state budgeted was the $2.59 million that it declined to appropriate for repairs to the Rotunda, including a roof replacement and the restoration of its exterior column capitals.
Although the withholding of this money may seem insignificant compared to the overall funding commitment made by the Assembly, it reveals a narrow conception of higher education held by many state legislators. This lack of perspective foretells challenges for the University as it seeks to finance future large-scale projects, as well as for McDonnell's plan to improve access to higher education.
There are a number of reasons why the Assembly's denial of funding for the Rotunda repairs is irresponsible and short-sighted. For one, the building in question is a state-owned cultural landmark of tremendous significance to both the University and the commonwealth. Abrogating on its responsibility to maintain proper upkeep of its facilities casts doubt upon a state's competency in matters of governance. The Assembly's inaction reflects particularly poorly upon the state, however, because it signals a willingness to allow the roof of Virginia's only UNESCO World Heritage Site to leak while its column capitals continue to crumble.
Although $2.59 million appears to be a small sum for which the University must compensate, the roof replacement and capital restoration are the start of a comprehensive $50.6 million renovation plan that is expected to last through 2016. The University had hoped the state would chip in $26.8 million toward the cost of the project, which will include updates to the building's plumbing, air conditioning and electrical systems, as well as improvements to its interior design and its surrounding landscape. The Assembly's stinginess during this past legislative session - when there was a surplus of available revenue - suggests little assistance should be expected in the future when budgets are tighter.
Legislators' refusal to meet the University halfway in funding the renovations could cause the project to become delayed or remain incomplete. This is unacceptable given that the Rotunda is the University's defining architectural feature. If it is allowed to decay, then students, their families and outside observers will, right or wrong, view it as a symbol of overall depreciation of institutional quality. Thus, much like with its apparent unconcern about increased class sizes and reduced housing availability that would ensue from unfunded enrollment expansions, the Assembly appears blind to the fact that any enhancements made to the accessibility of higher education without attendant physical maintenance would be mitigated by a decline in the prestige of Virginia's universities.
Finally, the University's recent decision to tap its endowment for some of the funds needed to repair the Rotunda shows that even the goal of increased access to higher education might be threatened if the Assembly continues its current funding policies. If endowment money is siphoned off for capital projects such as the Rotunda repairs, then there will be fewer available funds for financial aid programs such as AccessUVa. This further indicates that the path pursued by the Assembly is self-defeating if it hopes to achieve McDonnell's vision of a better-educated populace.\nThe challenge of maintaining quality while also meeting the educational needs of more students is likely to define the future of both the state and the University. The Assembly would do well to remember, however, that success going forward is dependent upon maintaining strong ties to the past.
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