In its coverage of the University of Virginia Board of Visitors action yesterday (see previous post), the Washington Post reminded readers that administrators have blamed their aggressive tuition increases on “two decades of declining state funding” that have “starved the school of much-needed revenue.”
No question, the state has trimmed financial support for its top schools. What nobody mentions is that the General Assembly also freed UVa, William & Mary and Virginia Tech several years ago from much of their state oversight. By eliminating bureaucratic red tape and shortening decision-making cycles, the thinking went, the three universities would be able to increase productivity and garner cost savings sufficient to offset the reductions in state support.
No one forced the universities to take that deal. They would not have done so had their leadership not believed that it would advance their institutional interests.
Here’s where it gets really interesting. One of the ways that UVa President Teresa Sullivan proposed to finance her expensive vision for advancing academic excellence was by pocketing savings from the university’s productivity initiatives! The press coverage does not mention whether that proposal survived the give-and-take leading up to yesterday’s vote. Regardless, in its whining about shortfalls in state funding, the university administration overlooked the fact that UVa agreed to some state funding cuts in exchange for greater freedom from state oversight that would yield … productivity gains and lower costs.
Either memories are very short or UVa administrators are hoping Virginia’s press, public and politicians are too stupid to remember the whole story.
— JAB
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