Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 19, 1993 TAG: 9305190610
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Speaking before a General Assembly money committee on Monday, Davies said tuition increases over the past couple of years have given Virginia the dubious distinction of now having the second highest undergraduate costs in the nation for state-supported colleges and universities.
Virginia's average rate - $3,368 a year - lags only behind Vermont's $3,548. That should worry all Virginians, and especially state legislators.
The national average is $2,123. Meanwhile, North Carolina's average cost is $1,217, and Maryland's is $2,637.
Pinpointing the problem even more, says Davies, is the ratio between costs and Virginia's medium income. For two decades, college tuition and fees took between 9 percent and 13 percent of a college student's parents' income. That figure is now 16.2 percent and is projected to grow to 17.5 percent for next year.
"We need to take a breather on these tuition increases," Davies says.
Indeed - if admissions policy is not to become "rich only need apply."
Indeed - if Virginia's political leaders are serious about maintaining the reputation for quality education at state-supported campuses.
It's important to understand that recent tuition increases have been prompted hardly at all by rising expenses. They've been driven almost entirely by state funding cutbacks.
Unfortunately, since 1989 Virginia's commitment to higher education has been more rhetorical than real. Colleges and universities have been harder hit by budget cuts than any other state-supported service.
As a result, Virginia's tax support for higher education has fallen to 43rd among the states. The schools, Davies notes, have virtually been forced to make up 80 cents of every dollar lost by hiking tuition and fees.
Tuition increases aren't a wholly bad thing, of course. They ensure that students from affluent families, who can afford the costs, get less of a state subsidy.
But they also can put non-affluent students in a financial bind, especially those who get little or no benefit from financial aid programs.
Many of these students have to settle for less than they had hoped for; some may have to forego a college education altogether, and settle for much lower-paying jobs. Over the long haul, that means less tax revenue is available to the state to support colleges - or anything else.
Davies is on target when he warns it is impractical for the schools to keep using double-digit tuition increases, year after year, to make up for budget cuts coming from Richmond. There's a limit even to what affluent students can afford, and that includes out-of-state students who now are willing to pay above-cost tuition and fees for the privilege of attending Virginia's colleges and universities.
Out-of-staters are willing to pay more to come here because of Virginia schools' reputation for quality education. That degree of quality can't be sustained without the state's full backing and support.
by CNB