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Standing Up for Students' Best Interests
Governor Bob McDonnell stood up for students at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) when he withheld $17 million in state appropriations in response to VCU's plans to raise tuition 24%. That increase would mean a staggering $1700 increase for VCU undergraduates. The Governor observed: "This will certainly be a good message to our higher education institutions that they need to govern their tuition rates accordingly." In this way, students are not left with "a decade of debt when they get out." Are there alternatives? VCU's President Michael Rao started in 2009 with a $488,500 salary, plus a $275,000 signing bonus, plus other compensation, bringing his package to $890,000. The average professor's salary at VCU is $110,500. Outstanding faculty and administrators deserve good salaries, but in this grim recession, does it make sense to balance the school’s budget on the backs of its students? ACTA has outlined ways institutions can cut costs--while improving quality and effectiveness. Governor McDonnell has sounded the right message.
Posted by Michael Poliakoff on December 21, 2010 at December 21, 2010 05:01 PM
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