In response to Gov. Mark R. Warner's budget proposal deadline, the State Council of Higher Education will submit plans today for across-the-board cuts for its budget over the next three years.
Among its responsibilities, the Council determines the distribution of funding among Virginia's colleges and administers state-funded financial aid programs.
Virginia's budget deficit prompted Warner's request, requiring state agencies to present strategies for 7, 11 and 15 percent reductions.
The Council's $66 million budget primarily finances student programs, Council spokeswoman Fran Bradford said. This includes a $42 million Tuition Assistance Grant project that gives money to Virginia students to fund their education. More than $7 million of the Council's budget has been earmarked for scholarship assistance, a program legislators have designated as a high priority.
In accordance with Warner's requirements, the Council recommended across-the-board cuts for most of its beneficiaries, including the Virginia Space Grant Consortium, the Women's Institute for Leadership at Mary Baldwin College, and TAG.
But "other programs may face more substantial cuts," Bradford said.
Most of the educational programs under the Council's consideration for larger setbacks are out-of-state scholarship opportunities, in areas of study such as optometry, library science and forestry.
In the past, the Council has provided scholarship opportunities to Virginians interested in such fields, helping them pursue their education outside the Commonwealth, Bradford said.
The Council also has proposed allocating less money for a program encouraging minority students to achieve doctoral degrees and then teach in Virginia schools. The project is co-sponsored by 15 other states.
The Council's primary concern is that "few of those students come back to teach in the state," Bradford said. "It's not that we don't support the concept."
University spokeswoman Louise Dudley said the Council's proposals might affect the University, as "they will be cutting back on services offered at U.Va." But the exact impact of the proposals remains unclear, Dudley said.
Bradford also said the effects of the Council's budget proposals are unpredictable.
"Both the Council and [its] institutions will face difficulties," Bradford said. "But until the governor makes his decision, we don't know what the ramifications will be."
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