University of Virginia Library

Council On Higher Education

Proposal Endorses Council's Power
To Review Operating Budgets

By PAT GRANEY

Virginia's state college and
university presidents have
recommended that the State
Council on Higher Education
be given review power over
budgets. However, they have
refused to relinquish lobbying
power in the General Assembly.

The presidents propose that
the State Council be given
"statutory responsibility for
the development of
appropriate formula guidelines
for both capital outlays and
maintenance and operations
funding for higher education."

Stone Commission

The recommendations,
pending approval by the
legislature and the governor,
were prepared for State Sen.
William F. Stone's legislative
study commission on higher
education, and unanimously
endorsed by the Council of
Presidents of state-supported
schools of higher education last
month.

Under the plan, the State
Council would prepare an
overall capital outlay budget
for the Governor and General
Assembly, listing the projects
by priority.

State institutions, however,
would continue to submit their
own operations budgets, under
State Council review.

"For the most effective
communications, the
representative of the individual
institutions should continue to
be able to provide information
about budget requests to the
members of the General
Assembly," the Council
recommendations stipulated.

This represents a significant
departure from Sen. Stone's
views on how the State
Council should supervise
budgets and operations, which
he outlined in a November
address to the Faculty Senate
of Virginia.

"In my opinion," he said,
"the college and university
administrators should stop
their lobbying efforts and,
instead, go before a qualified
and impartial board and justify
their requests."

Sen. Stone said he believes
if lobbying continues, the large
schools will keep receiving
more than their fair share of
state money, and the smaller
schools will continue to receive
a disproportionate amount of
state support.

Council Membership

The Presidents' Council also
disagreed with Sen. Stone's
composition of a more
powerful State Council, by
recommending that
"membership be composed of
outstanding lay leaders who are
not associated with any public
or private institution of higher
education as an employee or
board member or concurrently
serving as a member of the
General Assembly."

The Martinsville senator
wants the council to include
the House Appropriations
Committee chairman, the
Senate Finance chairman, the
chairman of the community
college board, a representative
of one of the senior universities
chosen on a rotating basis, and
11 public members.

Fights Program Duplication

The college presidents also
propose to give the State
Council power to fight
duplication of programs among
schools.

"It is essential that
duplication of degree programs
be avoided unless such
duplication is in the public
interest," the
recommendations explain.
"The State Council shall
continue to review all new
degree programs proposed by
state-supported institutions of
higher education."

'Periodic Review'

The Council would not have
the power to eliminate existing
programs, but would have
"statutory responsibility of the
periodic review of all existing
programs," the
recommendations said.

"In any cases where
inadequate need or
productivity is determined
under criteria developed by the
State Council, the Council shall
recommend to the governing