Christopher Newport University campus
by Dick Hall-Sizemore
Virginia colleges and universities are saying that they will have to raise tuition for the next school year unless the General Assembly gives them more money.
This is going to be fascinating to watch. Governor Youngkin has been able to get appointments to the boards of visitors, but not yet enough to constitute a majority for most. Most boards have three or four members whose terms expire June 30 of this year. With those appointments, some of the boards would have a majority of Youngkin appointees, but not all of them. Another factor is whether the current boards will wait for Youngkin to replace the members with expiring terms before taking action. After all, Democrats in the General Assembly have made it clear that there will be no action on any amendments to the budget until after the primaries in late June. The Virginia Tech board, for example, has scheduled a virtual meeting on April 21 to vote on tuition hikes (no public comment will be accepted). In any event, whenever the boards decide on tuition for next fall, it will be interesting to see how the Youngkin appointees vote.
Here are some examples of the potential membership changes in board membership. I included Christopher Newport University because one of its board members was quoted extensively in the Richmond Times-Dispatch story about the need for additional funding.
University of Virginia. Board membership: 17. Current Youngkin appointees: 4; Members with terms expiring: 4 ; Potential lineup after July 1: 9 non-Youngkin appointees, 8 Youngkin appointees.
Virginia Tech. Board membership: 14. Current Youngkin appointees—4 (1 carryover); Members with terms expiring: 4. Potential lineup after July 1: 8 Youngkin appointees, 6 non-Youngkin appointees.
William and Mary. Board membership: 17. Current Youngkin appointees—4. Members with terms expiring: 4. Potential lineup after July 1: 9 non-Youngkin appointees, 8 Youngkin appointees. There is one interesting wrinkle in the W&M situation. One BOV member, John Littel, is a member of the Governor’s cabinet (Secretary of Health and Human Resources).
Virginia Commonwealth University. Board membership: 16. Current Youngkin appointees: 4 (1 carryover); Members with terms expiring: 4. Potential lineup on July 1: 8. Youngkin appointees, 8 non-Youngkin appointees. Last year, VCU’s chief financial director said the university could not go another year with flat tuition.
Christopher Newport University. Board membership: 14.Current Youngkin appointees: 5. (He was able to fill a vacant position last year in addition to those whose terms were expiring). Members with terms expiring: 3. Potential lineup on July 1—8 Youngkin appointees, 6 non-Youngkin appointees.
My Soapbox
This is an incongruous situation: the Commonwealth experiencing record budget balances and Governor Youngkin getting $4 billion in tax cuts and wanting more, while higher education says it needs to raise tuition and students from lower-income families reportedly choosing not to go to college because they cannot afford it.
