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2009 SESSION

098178748
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 654
Offered January 14, 2009
Prefiled December 31, 2008
Requesting the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to study the feasibility of establishing a four-year degree-granting institution of higher education in the City of Virginia Beach. Report.
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Patron-- Tata
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Referred to Committee on Rules
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WHEREAS, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, created pursuant to Chapter 1.1 of Title 23, is charged with serving as the coordinating agency for the public institutions of higher education in Virginia; and

WHEREAS, among the Council's duties and responsibilities is the biennial preparation of plans concerning public undergraduate and graduate education, including the location of all public educational programs; and

WHEREAS, increased accessibility to institutions of higher education is in the best interest of the Commonwealth and its citizens; and

WHEREAS, institutions of higher education serve the dual role of educating students and anchoring economic development in the communities where they are located; and

WHEREAS, in September 2007, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia issued revised enrollment projections suggesting that between Fall 2006 and Fall 2013, in-state enrollment demand at public colleges and universities will increase by 42,436 students; and

WHEREAS, the City of Virginia Beach is currently the 42nd largest city in the United States and the most populous in the Commonwealth with approximately 440,000 citizens according to the United States Census Bureau estimate; and

WHEREAS, a four-year institution could advance the City's goal of becoming a community for a lifetime and ensure that fewer students leave Virginia Beach after high school; and

WHEREAS, though the City of Virginia Beach is served by the Virginia Community College System, there is no comprehensive four-year institution or branch campus that can be easily accessed by the citizens in the area; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia be requested to study the feasibility of establishing a four-year degree-granting institution of higher education in the City of Virginia Beach.

In conducting its study, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia shall (i) review the policies and procedures, if any, for the establishment of colleges, branch campuses, and regional higher education centers in the Commonwealth, including accreditation; (ii) analyze the availability of appropriate facilities, space, and grounds for enhanced higher education services in the City of Virginia Beach; (iii) analyze the availability of qualified professors, instructors, administrators, and staff in the City of Virginia Beach and surrounding areas; (iv) determine the interest of the College of William and Mary, George Mason University, Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University, the University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in establishing a branch campus in the City of Virginia Beach; (v) consult with public and private colleges and universities currently serving the City of Virginia Beach; and (vi) consider such other issues as may be deemed necessary by the joint subcommittee.

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia for this study, upon request.

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia shall complete its meetings by November 30, 2009, and shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly an executive summary and a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summary and report shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports no later than the first day of the 2010 Regular Session of the General Assembly and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.