Higher Education

Investing in Higher Education

Bill Bolling knows that education is our best strategic investment in the future.

For Virginia, having a highly skilled workforce is essential if we are going to attract new jobs and compete successfully in the global marketplace of the 21st century.

And for Virginia’s students, getting a good education is the key to getting a good job, earning a higher salary and providing a higher quality of life for themselves and their families.

Virginia’s community colleges and four year colleges and universities are among the best in the nation, but there are things we must do today to make a higher education more available and more affordable for Virginia students.

Bill Bolling has put forth a comprehensive plan to increase the number of Virginia students who receive a college degree, make a college education more affordable and better equip our colleges and universities to help educate a 21st century workforce.

Higher Education Program

Increase the number of Virginians receiving a college education by awarding 100,000 college degrees in the next 15 years.

• 75% of Virginians believe that a higher education is important to succeed in the knowledge based economy of the 21st century, but only 35% of college aged Virginians are enrolling in a four year or community college.   We must increase the number of Virginia students that are pursuing a higher education.  To accomplish this we must do more to emphasize the importance of a higher education in our public schools, and we must make a higher education easier to access and pay for. 

Make higher education a priority in the state budget process and increase funding for Virginia’s colleges and universities

• Over the past 10 years, state spending has increased by 80%, but during the same period of time per pupil funding for higher education has been cut by 40%.  If spending on higher education had kept pace with spending on other government programs we would be spending $320M more on higher education today than we are spending.
  
• Because of the declining state investment in higher education, our colleges and universities have had to pass more of the cost of getting an education onto students in the form of higher tuition.   In fact, tuition for in state students has increased by 80% since 2000.  This makes if very difficult for many students to afford a higher education.
  
• To reduce the cost of a higher education the state must do more to provide adequate funding for our colleges and universities.  That’s why Bill Bolling supports increasing funding for higher education by $200M over the next four years.  This will create more admission slots for Virginia students, reduce tuition increases and make certain that our colleges and universities remain the best in the nation.

Make a college education more available and more affordable for qualified Virginia students
In addition to increasing state funding for higher education, there is more that we can to do make a higher education more available and more affordable.  The Bolling higher education plan will:

• Provide more college level courses at the high school level - more AP, IB and dual enrollment classes.
• Expand admission slots at Virginia’s most popular four year colleges and universities.
• Expand the capacity of our community colleges.
• Expand the use of technology to make more higher education courses available through distance learning
• Expand the use of E-textbooks to reduce the cost of textbook purchases
• Increase funding for need based financial aid
• Expand the Tuition Assistance Grant program to enable more students to attend Virginia’s private colleges and universities
• Develop a Higher Education Tuition Rainy Day Fund to avoid the need for significant tuition increases during future economic downturns.

Increase the emphasis on science, technology, engineering and mathematics
In the knowledge based economy of the 21st century, we must encourage more students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).  Unfortunately, the U.S. currently ranks 29th out of 109 countries in the percentage of 24 year olds with math and science degrees.  To increase the number of students receiving a STEM education the Bolling higher education plan will: 

• Identify students at the K-12 level who have interests and aptitudes in STEM subjects and provide financial incentives to encourage them to pursue STEM degrees.
• Create financial incentives for colleges and universities to emphasize STEM degrees
• Attract and retain excellent teachers in STEM subjects by:
• Providing forgivable student loans for students who obtain teaching
• degrees in STEM subjects and teach in Virginia schools
• Encouraging more people with STEM degrees to enter the teaching field as a second career

Expand workforce training and retraining programs at our community colleges

• Virginia’s community colleges are already doing a great deal to provide skills based training to students and retraining opportunities for displaced workers or workers wanting to change their career path.  Some of these programs results in associate degrees, some results in professional certifications and some is tailored to the specific needs of local employers.  The common denominator is that these programs provide access to better jobs for Virginians.  Bill Bolling is working to expand these programs and make them more available to more students.