THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 14, 1995 TAG: 9512140416
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PHILIP WALZER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
A governor-appointed committee says the state must continue pushing colleges to increase teaching loads, boost technology and cut unnecessary academic programs, according to a report released Wednesday.
Tuition must be permanently reined in to the rate of inflation. And the state, after slashing aid to colleges in the early 1990s, must pump in more money to avoid a meltdown in the quality of education, the State Commission on the Future of Higher Education said in its report.
The commission - composed of legislators, business leaders and education officials - was appointed by Gov. George F. Allen last year to ``recommend an appropriate course of action for the direction of higher education in the commonwealth.''
The report weaves together the major issues in higher education - from tenure to tuition - and reflects the consensus of leading educators, legislators and the Allen administration.
``The real value is that it's a comprehensive vision of higher education right now,'' said Beverly H. Sgro, the state secretary of education.
But a major question left unanswered by the report - issued five days before Allen releases his 1996-97 budget plan - is just how much more money colleges should get.
The study, noting that Virginia has sunk to 43rd in the nation in state aid per student, says funding should be increased ``dramatically,'' especially for community colleges. But the report says it's up to politicians to decide the details.
Til Hazel, a Northern Virginia businessman, has led a statewide campaign to push for a $200 million increase for colleges. Sgro said Thursday that Allen would propose an increase, but refused to pinpoint the amount.
Last week Allen said he would add $100 million to expand technology in public schools and colleges. But college officials fear there won't be much more than that, leaving them short in key areas such as lagging faculty salaries.
The bulk of the report focuses on ways to ensure that colleges are ``operating as efficiently and effectively as possible.''
``The process has just started,'' it says. ``Restructuring is not a fad. Restructuring has not `happened.' ''
Among the areas cited:
Teaching and research. Research is important, but should not overshadow the teaching responsibilities of colleges. ``Teaching ought to be front and center in every institution's mission, and faculty ought to be rewarded to a greater degree for the attention they give to students and to student learning.''
Tenure. Universities should not drop tenure, but they should adopt ``a rigorous post-tenure review process'' for senior faculty. ``The sanctions for unsatisfactory performance should include reduction in salary and termination.''
Academic programs. The state should shut down unnecessary departments or departments ``that duplicate others currently available elsewhere in the state,'' and it should move more cautiously in approving new academic ventures.
In particular, the report said Norfolk State University should not get its own doctoral programs in the sciences, but should ``become partners in joint degree programs'' with Old Dominion University. In 1992, the State Council of Higher Education, the Richmond agency overseeing colleges, suggested that NSU pursue doctoral programs in the sciences to reduce the shortage of minority scientists.
Technology. Colleges must ``develop new and better ways of using technology. . . Technology has great promise to vastly increase productivity in instruction.''
``Along with restructuring, I think a change in the mindset in every aspect of higher education needs to be looked at,'' said state Sen. John H. Chichester (R-Stafford), the chairman of the commission. ``We need to find new ways of dealing with things like tenure, remediation, balancing research and teaching. All of these things we think need to be changed.''
As a perk to colleges that run smoothly, the commission suggested that some could operate more independently of the state. Those colleges might even be allowed to appoint a few members of their board. Currently, the governor names all college board members. Such changes would have to be approved by Allen and the General Assembly.
The report also told colleges to work harder to promote economic development and to cut down on the remedial courses they offer.
``Community colleges should be the primary vehicle for delivering remediation,'' it said.
The commission also urged the colleges and the State Council of Higher Education to conduct surveys of alumni and employers and to experiment with tests for seniors to better gauge the abilities of graduates. by CNB