THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 14, 1994 TAG: 9412140465
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PHILIP WALZER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
The State Council of Higher Education on Tuesday approved a new engineering school for Virginia Commonwealth University.
VCU would be the sixth state-supported university with an engineering program.
The endorsement came a day after the state Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission released a study criticizing the council for failing to curb program duplication in colleges. The council's procedure for reviewing low-enrollment programs ``is largely ineffective and in need of improvement,'' the report said.
But council officials said VCU's proposal was an example of ``necessary duplication.'' Richmond, they said, is the largest city in the nation without an engineering school.
In addition, the state will need more engineers in the next century, and the university plans to cover most of the costs - including $20 million in start-up funds - through private fund-raising.
``This might be the best deal we might get if we want to increase engineering capacity in the state,'' council director Gordon K. Davies said.
The council, meeting at VCU on Tuesday, also approved the revamped restructuring plans of four universities, including Norfolk State, that previously had been rejected. But those four schools, as well as two others that have not submitted revised plans yet, still may face budget cuts next year for failing to meet the original deadline.
After the council meeting, state Education Secretary Beverly Sgro refused to reveal the fate of the colleges. Gov. George Allen's proposed state budget will be released Monday.
State council officials praised the revisions of Norfolk State and the other three - Longwood College, Mary Washington College and Radford University.
``It has been a very impressive piece of work on the part of the four institutions,'' said Margaret A. Miller, associate director of the state council. ``I am very impressed at the increased specificity and cohesiveness of the plans. They are certainly the equal of the plans you've approved to date.''
The council will consider the plans of the two other universities that were rejected - Christopher Newport and Virginia State - next month.
Virginia Commonwealth plans to begin offering bachelor's degrees in chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering in 1996. The university expects to attract 500 engineering students by the year 2000.
VCU President Eugene P. Trani said the annual cost of the program would rise to $7.2 million, but only $2 million in state aid would be needed each year. That, Davies said, amounts to about $4,000 per student, which is 50 percent less than the expenditure for most engineering schools in Virginia.
Virginia produces more engineering graduates per capita than any other Southeastern state except Alabama, the state council said.
But the Virginia Employment Commission says the number of engineers needed by the state will grow from 49,000 in 1990 to 67,000 in 2005. Richmond alone will need an additional 700.
The council's approval included several stipulations. VCU, for instance, must have pledges for $17 million of the $20 million in start-up costs by April 1996, and the university will be barred from getting more than $2 million in state aid every year. Trani said he already has pledges totaling $11 million.
The plan still must be approved by Allen and the General Assembly, but Sgro said that she backs it.
The legislative report gave mostly high marks to the state council, which coordinates state policies in areas such as enrollment and financial aid. ``It is one of the strongest organizations we have looked at in my almost 20 years,'' said Kirk Jonas, deputy director of the legislative commission.
But the review noted that the council closed only five of the 99 academic programs it had cited as unproductive - or having very low enrollment - since 1987. Norfolk State and Old Dominion University were among the four schools with the most ``nonproductive programs'' - 15 at NSU and 11 at ODU. The University of Virginia had the most, with 17.
KEYWORDS: DEGREE PROGRAM VIRGINIA STATE COUNCIL OF HIGHER EDUCATION
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