Bacon's Rebellion

Investing in Knowledge Creation: Virginia Has a Lot of Catch-up to Do

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James A. Bacon
in

Speaking at the Virginia Biotechnology Research Park yesterday, Gov. Mark R. Warner said that now is the time, while the state enjoys a booming economy and revenues, to invest in the state’s research universities. Virginia has a lot of catch-up to do. As Michael Hardy with the Times-Dispatch reports:

“It pains me greatly,” Warner said yesterday, that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill conducts more research than Virginia’s top two research institutions, Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia, combined.

The University of Maryland “does almost as much as all Virginia universities,” he added.

Meanwhile, Hardy reports, the state’s public colleges and universities have pledged to match Warner’s proposed $255 million state research fund with up to $299 million raised from private, federal and other sources.

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One response to “Investing in Knowledge Creation: Virginia Has a Lot of Catch-up to Do”

  1. Will Vehrs Avatar
    Will Vehrs

    I’m all in favor of doing more research at Virginia’s universities. Virginia should always strive to be among the best in everything.

    It’s hard to compete with anything in North Carolina’s Research Triangle, though–all those universities within a 20 mile radius or whatever it is. If UVA, GMU, and VT were all clustered that way, I bet they’d be more than competitive in research with UNC.

    And while Maryland might be getting all sorts of research money, don’t try to tell me that an undergraduate degree from MD is as prized as one from UVA.

    Virginia made a laudable commitment to undergraduate excellence and I hope we don’t shortchange that commitment to in pursuit of more research funding.

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