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1997 SESSION
977709655Patrons-- Edwards, Bolling, Colgan, Hawkins, Houck, Lambert, Lucas, Marsh, Marye, Maxwell, Newman, Norment, Potts, Quayle, Reasor, Reynolds, Schrock, Stosch, Ticer, Trumbo, Waddell, Wampler, Whipple, Williams and Woods; Delegates: Armstrong, Behm, Bennett, Christian, Cranwell, Davies, Johnson, Jones, J.C., McEachin, Melvin, Phillips, Plum and Putney
WHEREAS, in order to remain competitive with the institutions in our neighboring states, Virginia's public colleges and universities must be affordable for the citizens of the Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, the fiscal exigencies of the early 1990's made it necessary to reduce the budgets for the Virginia public institutions of higher education; and
WHEREAS, throughout this period of financial crises, the Virginia public institutions of higher education maintained their excellence while restructuring their administration and offerings; and
WHEREAS, the public institutions of higher education were, however, forced to increase their tuition and fees in order to remain viable and productive through this period of economic difficulties; and
WHEREAS, tuition charged by Virginia's public colleges and universities, as a result of these increases, is among the highest average tuition in the nation, while state support per student is among the lowest in the nation; and
WHEREAS, in Virginia, high tuition charges are of recent vintage, corresponding with the precipitous decline in the Commonwealth's support for higher education during the recession of the early 1990's; and
WHEREAS, the Commonwealth's traditional tuition and revenue fee policy provided 70 percent of the costs of in-state students' higher education; and
WHEREAS, presently, Virginia supports its citizens with only 50 percent of the costs of their public higher education; and
WHEREAS, the Constitution of Virginia, Article 1, Section 15, notes that "free government rests, as does all progress, upon the broadest possible diffusion of knowledge"; and
WHEREAS, high tuition is an impediment to students' ambitions and opportunities, a disincentive for students to apply to college, and is a factor which makes Virginia less attractive to business and industry; and
WHEREAS, particularly among low- and middle-income students, the costs of public higher education in Virginia are difficult to assume; and
WHEREAS, students have become increasingly saddled with ever-greater student loans and are incurring high debt in order to attend college, with a resulting disadvantage upon entering the world of work; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the policy of the Commonwealth shall be to reduce in-state tuition rates by 10 percent per year for each of the next four years in order to ensure the "diffusion of knowledge" among Virginia's citizens; and be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Commonwealth must return to a tuition and revenue fee policy of funding, on average, at least 70 percent of the costs of higher education for in-state students enrolled in Virginia's public colleges and universities.