State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (245)

Authority: §§ 23-9.3, 23-9.6:1, 23-20, 23-38.13, and 23-38.45, Code of Virginia; SJR 22 (1949).

A. 1. It is the intent of the General Assembly to provide general fund support to contract at a level equivalent to the Tuition Assistance Grant undergraduate award with Mary Baldwin College for Virginia women resident students to participate in the Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership at Mary Baldwin College.

2. The amounts included in this Item are $307,899 the first year and $307,899 the second year from the general fund for the programmatic administration of this program.

3. General fund appropriations provided under this contract include financial incentive for the participating students at Mary Baldwin College in the Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership Program.  Students receiving this financial incentive will not be eligible for Tuition Assistance Grants.

B. In discharging the responsibilities specified in § 23-272 D, Code of Virginia, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia shall provide exemptions to individual proprietorships, associations, co-partnerships or corporations which are now or in the future will be using the words "college" or "university" in their training programs solely for their employees or customers, which do not offer degree-granting programs, and whose name includes the word "college" or "university" in a context from which it clearly appears that such entity is not an educational institution.

C. Out of the appropriation for Higher Education Coordination and Review, $8,877,941 the first year and $9,048,426 the second year from the general fund is provided for continuation of the Virtual Library of Virginia.  Funding for the Virtual Library of Virginia is provided for the benefit of students and faculty at the Commonwealth's public institutions of higher education and participating nonprofit, independent private colleges and universities.  Out of this amount, $396,785 the first year and $396,785 the second year is earmarked to allow the participation of nonprofit, independent private colleges and universities.

D. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and the Secretary of Education, in conjunction with the three medical schools, University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Eastern Virginia Medical School, shall monitor the results of the Generalist Initiative, especially the decisions of graduates from the undergraduate medical programs to enter generalist residencies, and the composition of the residencies in the two associated academic health centers.  It is the intent of the General Assembly that the three medical schools shall maintain the efforts to educate and train sufficient generalist physicians to meet the needs of the Commonwealth, recognizing the Commonwealth’s need for generalist physicians in medically underserved regions of the state.  Further, the medical schools shall support medical education and training in the principles of generalist medicine for all undergraduate medical students, regardless of their chosen specialty or field of study. 

E. Out of this appropriation, $950,366 and eight positions the first year and $950,366 and eight positions the second year from nongeneral funds is provided to support higher education coordination and review services, including expenses incurred in the regulation and oversight of the private and out-of-state postsecondary institutions and proprietary schools operating in Virginia.  These funds will be generated through fee schedules developed pursuant to § 23-276.9, Code of Virginia.

F. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, in consultation with the House Appropriations Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, the Department of General Services, and the Department of Planning and Budget, shall develop a six-year capital outlay plan for higher education institutions including affiliated entities.  As a part of this plan SCHEV shall consider (i) current funding mechanisms for capital projects and improvements at the Commonwealth's institutions of higher education, including general obligation bonds and other viable funding methods; (ii) mechanisms to assist private institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth with their capital needs.

G. The Executive Director, State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, may appoint an advisory committee to assist the council with technology-enriched learning initiatives.  The advisory committee may assist the council in (i) developing innovative, cost-effective, technology-enriched teaching and learning initiatives, including distance and distributed learning initiatives; (ii) improving cooperation among and between the public and private institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth; (iii) improving efficiency and expand the availability of technology-enriched courses; and (iv) facilitating the sharing of research and experience to improve student learning.

H. Out of this appropriation, $150,000 the first year and $150,000 the second year from nongeneral funds is designated to cover the costs of federal education support programs. 

I. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia shall include Eastern Virginia Medical School in any calculations used to determine the funding requirements for state medical schools.

J.1. Higher Education Coordination and Review includes an internal service fund to support review of capital projects.  This internal service fund shall consist of fees imposed upon capital projects approved for institutions of higher education for the review of proposed capital outlay projects.  The estimated total amount to be collected by this fund is a sum sufficient estimated at $290,000 each year.

2. In administering this internal service fund, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia shall provide capital project review services to institutions of higher education and produce capital project analysis work products for the Department of Planning and Budget and the General Assembly.

K. In addition to the reviews conducted under §§ 23-9.6:1.01 and 23-38.87:17, Code of Virginia, the State Council of Higher Education shall evaluate the progress of individual initiatives funded in this Act as part of the incentive funding provided to colleges and universities with regard to improvements in retention, graduation, degree production and other criteria the Council deems appropriate.

L.  Out of this appropriation, $160,295 the first year and $160,295 the second year from the general fund is designated to support research and analysis and the enhancement of consumer information regarding higher education.

M. Out of this appropriation, $341,525 and two positions the first year and $161,890 and two positions the second year from the general fund is designated to implement a module dedicated to veterans and military personnel on the Virginia Education Wizard website, and  to provide coordination of a consortium between James Madison University, Old Dominion University, University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and the Virginia Community College System to develop and administer a pilot program geared towards assisting  Virginia’s veterans and military members in applying previous military training and education towards completing existing bachelor’s degree and professional certificate programs.