Old Dominion University will close its Northern Virginia Higher Education Center in June 2009 and eliminate more than 30 positions, part of $5.6 million the school must cut from its current budget.
Norfolk State University must trim more than $2 million and has formed an audit committee to figure out how.
Tidewater Community College needs to find $2.5 million and will cut 29 vacant support staff positions.
The planned reductions come in response to Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s announcement last week that $2.5 billion must be sliced from the state’s two-year budget to offset sharp declines in revenue. Virginia’s public colleges were hit with cuts ranging from 5 to 7 percent.
Other agencies across the state are feeling the pain, too. To cover this year’s shortfall, Kaine’s plan calls for laying off about 570 state workers, leaving vacant an additional 800 unfilled state positions, and delaying a 2 percent salary increase for state employees that was set to take effect in November.
The governor would also pull about $400 million from the state’s rainy day fund. Some actions still are subject to approval by the General Assembly, and the Boards of Visitors of the colleges will have to approve the specific cuts to their programs.
Kaine’s plan for tackling projected shortfalls for fiscal year 2010 should be available in December.
The news is especially difficult for local colleges and universities because they had to trim similar amounts in October 2007. Last year, TCC eliminated 19 positions. Norfolk State cut several full-time vacant positions and reduced travel and equipment expenses to save more than $2 million. And Old Dominion cut more than $5 million while its enrollment – now more than 23,000 – grew nearly 7 percent this fall.
“We’re trying to maintain everything we can that’s mission- critical,’’ said ODU’s acting president, John Broderick.
The university’s Northern Virginia campus, in Sterling, serves about 100 full- and part-time students. They will be able to complete their studies through online courses or other distance-learning sites, Broderick said.
Deborah DiCroce, president of TCC, said the new round of cuts “puts further strain on existing resources in the midst of a time when the demand for our services and programs has never been greater.”
DiCroce said she understands that public colleges need to do their part as the state struggles through the economic crisis.
“We just have to be certain that we don’t inadvertently starve the solution.’’
Denise Watson Batts, (757) 446-2504, denise.batts@pilotonline.com
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Political Ploy
Typical political ploy, whether on the state, federal or Virginia Beach level. When they want to raise taxes and NOT cut the special pork spending, the politicians threaten to cut education. OK Gov. Kaine, you allowed us to get in this mess, now let your legacy be to cut education or will it be to raise taxes? I say cut education expenses, and you can start on most campuses by cutting all the ridiculous items students have to spend fees on, such as student organizations that are given free space on campuses. Let the student republicans, democrats, GLBT, etc. groups pay rent in student unions. Stop filling dorm rooms with tax funded refrigerators in dorm rooms and let students buy them; stop the book cost scam that occurs on college campuses and cost students thousands in over inflated books; stop paying professors for work that grad assistants are doing, etc. This whole scare the taxpayer with education cuts is an old tired threat and I say go for it. The schools will find pork in their budgets, I know I can find some.
Well..
I have been witnessing road repairs all over southeast Tidewater. It's about time that ole bat up against the dogwood trunk shook loose our tax dollars for existing roads.
Experience?
Have you worked at a state college? I have. There's a lot of money being wasted on people sitting around NOT helping students. Of course, this is not to say that most college employees are lazy. But I've been on the inside for years & seen what goes on. These schools can handle budget cuts -- they just need to make smart decisions & let go of the people who are comfortably riding to retirement NOT doing their jobs. As for picking on Kaine -- budgets are a reality. This country is a mess. Money is tight. He's doing his job. Looking to blame someone? BLAME BUSH & CHENEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Doesn't apply to public Universities
The same credit bubble that helped to drive the housing mania also extended to schools. Easy access to student loans made it easy for schools to spend lots and pass the costs on to the students.
That doesn't apply to the public Universities like ODU. They actually lose money per student so they have to turn people away if the taxpayer doesn't fund the difference. Unlike most business, the more customers they have the more it costs to operate.
College Funding
Well that's about like our Governer, get in a budget squeeze and cut education. To think he was considered for Vice President!! However, that is the only way to cut government spending, take away the money!!
RIGHT ON SPOT ETHAN
I find it amazing how many citizens don't see the direct correlation between the government making "Lots O' Funds" available for a program and before long the cost is out of control. I have noticed how quickly new money making book editions are coiming out. Some schools have their Profs writing the books that's required for the classes. Real slick and should be illegal. My last math series 248.00, because I so needed that supplement and DVD that was horrible.
Want health care to go down? Get government out of it and your tylenol dose won't cost 45 dollars.
College Costs
What really intrigues my simple mind is that the only edifices that are fancier than the colleges are the hospitals. Then if you look at what exactly they are graduating its mostly just people that have been properly indoctrinated into political correctness and liberal socialism. All they are prepared for is to act as functionaries for the medical, and government bureaucracies. College professors? What are they good for? If you don't agree with their leftist fanaticism you will never graduate. So we the tax payers continue to bleed to build fancy indoctrination centers to create little minions of the state. Why should anyone that has the ability to do any critical thinking with an independent mind care?
Credit bubble extended to schools
The same credit bubble that helped to drive the housing mania also extended to schools. Easy access to student loans made it easy for schools to spend lots and pass the costs on to the students. The subjects haven't changed much over the years but now the books cost $130 and oddly new editions come out ever 3 years. Scan them suckers, convert to PDF, and distribute. Schools are greedy businesses. School classes are a rerun, every year, every school. What's the big deal, and where does the huge cost come from? Oh, the supposed guarantee that going in debt and spending 4 years trying to figure out what mumbling people from other countries who can't speak English are saying to satisfy them enough to get a passing grade. Have fun with that. With professors from all these other countries, might as well outsource the whole school experience to India and cut those costs 90%.
College is bussiness
It’s a business so make decisions on who is over paid and cut them.
raise the costs????
What ridiculousness. Everyone knows higher education is a God-given right.
Logical approach
Let's see...you've got escalating demand for services and diminishing handouts from the taxpayer.
Wouldn't it make much more sense to raise the cost of tuition to cover the budget difference rather than reducing high demand services and leaving students with no where to go?
Where in the world is all the money going?
When I went to school in the early to mid 90's, the cost of an education was about 1/3 what it is today. So where in the world is all the money going when inflation has not risen 66% in 15 years?
thanks tim
Eliminating jobs while the presidential candidates are fighting over how best to create jobs? I guess Obama made the right choice by passing over Kaine as VP.