Virginia's recent booming economy is beginning to show returns for public higher education institutions.
In his 2000-02 budget proposal, Virgina Gov. James Gilmore III (R) included a $600 million increase in funding for Virginia's 17 state colleges and continued the in-state tution freeze for two more years.
The new proposal will increase state higher education appropriations by almost 10 percent to $7.1 billion. This represents almost 16 percent of Gilmore's total $45 billion budget plan.
Gilmore's proposal earmarks funding for a number of different programs, including technological improvements and faculty salary increases.
While funding amounts and specific appropriations vary by college, one aspect of this budget that will affect all state colleges is the continuation of the in-state tuition freeze, which has been in effect since 1996.
According to Gilmore's proposed budget, the University will receive an 8.58 percent total increase in funding in the 2001 fiscal year and a 10.79 percent total increase in funding for FY 2002.
Colette Sheehy, University vice president of management and budget, however, said the University "did not make out as well as other Virginia schools in this plan."
Sheehy said southern Virginia schools are appropriated the greatest increase in funds in Gilmore's plan.
She attributed this to the fact that other, more southern, state colleges have lost a lot of their income from the tobacco industry, which contributed greatly to some schools' income.
In recent years the tobacco industry's battle with lawsuits have deprived some of these universities of a large part of their funding.
She said the University's location in Virginia makes it much less dependent on income from tobacco sources.
Del. Mitch Van Yahres (D-Charlottesville), who will be voting on this budget in the upcoming weeks, also said that "U.Va. was relatively short changed in this proposal when compared to other schools."
In one instance the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Institution is marked to receive a 26.13 percent overall increase in 2001 and a 27.87 percent increase in 2002.
One of the specific benefits the University will receive from this newest proposal will be a 3.4 percent average increase in salary funding which is hoped to keep the University competing with faculty salaries of other schools in its peer group.
Sheehy said most other aspects of the budget proposal target the University's departmental budget infrastructure.
Larry J. Sabato, government and foreign affairs professor, acknowledged that "the University would obviously like more public fund appropriations," but said he was "very pleased" by one aspect of the budget proposal which "increased funding for the Center for Govermental Studies from $75,000 to $1.7 million."
Gilmore announced this most recent proposal Dec. 17 and it is expected to be decided on by mid-March. If passed by the General Assembly, the new budget will take effect starting July 1.
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