by Sarah Roderick-Fitch
House of Delegates Speaker Todd Gilbert has requested the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to look into the rising cost of public higher education in Virginia – particularly the increase of administrative staff positions tied to diversity, equity and inclusion.
In a letter addressed to Hal Greer, executive director of the commission, Gilbert cites a November 2014 report from the commission entitled, “Addressing the Cost of Public Higher Education in Virginia.” In it, the commission adopted 16 recommendations. The speaker says it is “unclear which, if any,” of the recommendations were adopted from the 168-page report.
Some recommendations included evaluating non-athletic services and activities funded through non-educational and general fees. The commission recommended the General Assembly limit a “lesser of five percent or the median dollar increase in the fee across all public four-year institutions.” In addition, the report called for an update of the commonwealth’s Chart of Accounts for higher education in an effort to “improve comparability and transparency of mandatory non-E&G fees.”
In the letter, Gilbert points to the rise of tuition for public higher education in the commonwealth despite the recommendations from the nearly decade-old report.
“However, it is clear the costs to attend Virginia’s institutions of higher education have continued to increase and the tuition and fees are some of the highest in the nation, despite significant recent general fund investments,” Gilbert wrote. “JLARC’s 2022 State Spending Report also noted that ‘[t]he largest uses of tax-supported debt over the past decade were for higher education capital projects and teaching and research equipment.’”
The speaker cited an article from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, which noted an impending enrollment crisis is also compounded by a “dwindling eligible student population.”
A recent report published by the commission in November found students with the most need for financial assistance need to receive more aid to cover the rising cost of tuition. The report found that some colleges and universities are awarding state-funded grants to students less in need of financial aid before helping students in most need.
In addition, Gilbert raised concern about “anecdotal reports” from colleges and universities across Virginia increasing administrative staff of diversity, equity and inclusion positions. He cited a 2022 publication from the Virginia Association of Scholars entitled “Should Virginians Pay for University ‘Diversity’ Leftism?” that says “approximately 1,100 in-state students could receive a full-tuition scholarship for the amount spent on DEI salaries.”
The speaker noted multiple pieces of legislation had been introduced in the House in an effort to reform several areas of higher education. As a result, he and some of his colleagues, including Del. Terry Kilgore, House majority leader, are asking the commission to study the cost efficiency of public colleges and universities in the commonwealth. The members hope the study will ultimately lead to the reduction of costs for Virginia and its students.
“Given these issues, we respectfully request that JLARC study the cost efficiency of public institutions of higher education in the commonwealth and identify opportunities to reduce costs as outlined in the strongly bipartisan resolution,” Gilbert concluded.
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Sarah Roderick-Fitch is The Center Square’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Editor. She has previously worked as an editor, and has been a contributing writer for several publications.
Photo “Todd Gilbert” by Speaker Todd Gilbert. Background Photo “Classroom” by Wokandapix.
