ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 21, 1996 TAG: 9601220016
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: Guest Column
SOURCE: TYLER CRADDOCK STAFF WRITER
Recent fights over funding for higher education prove the point that something more is needed in the way of running Virginia's colleges and universities.
Fights of this sort are as old as the system itself. Today, there is something that can be done to ensure that the Old Dominion will provide its students with the finest education in the world.
The changes I propose are more than shifts in funding. In fact, I am calling for a comprehensive overhaul of how the university system is run in Virginia.
First, I would expand the Virginia Cooperative Extension, something that works well. The idea of a university that directly provides for the commonwealth should be extended to other departments. A prime example is in the field of history.
When Virginia's students study the state's history, they do not have a textbook, as the current text is outdated and downright inaccurate.
Under my plan, we could use the talents of some of the best historians - our Southern history professors. This would allow academics and students to get valuable experience. This also would save money, as the state would not have to pay an out-of-state publisher to provide the text. Instead, the money could go directly back into the universities.
This same scenario could be applied to other departments, like engineering. In this case, the state could get much of its technical work done by professors. Again, this would save money that could be diverted back into colleges. Best of all, by sharing their work, professors could provide students with valuable experience.
Our colleges also must learn to tighten their belts with on-campus spending. Money that could be better spent on teaching and research is tied up in layers of bureaucracy that could be eliminated or curtailed.
One example is the recent flap at Virginia Tech over the alleged rape of a student by athletes. This should have never been handled by Tech's judiciary system. Instead, this case, and others involving state laws, should be handled by local law enforcement officials.
Another example is the use of college funds for student groups. This money should be put into teaching or research. The student groups should be responsible for raising their own funds. This will allow those groups to really compete in the free market of ideas.
The final part of my plan involves what the money raised is actually spent on. In the commonwealth, we must first provide for our own. To this end, I propose a 10 percent cap on all non-Virginians. Furthermore, I would propose that no state monies in any form be spent on non-Virginians and that out-of-state tuition be raised to such a point that non-Virginians fully subsidize their education. This also would mean non-Virginians would not be eligible for scholarships or assistance of any kind from the commonwealth or its universities.
The mission of Virginia's colleges and universities should be simple: to provide Virginians with access to the finest education in the world. These changes would be a definite step in that direction.
Tyler Craddock is a graduate student in history at Virginia Tech.|
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