Tag: Peter Galuszka
-
Virginia Transportation in the Slow Lane
by James A. Bacon Alvin and Heidi Toffler once wrote about the mismatch in speeds at which private corporations and governments evolve in response to social, economic and technological change. Nowhere is that differential more obvious than the automobile sector. The automobile industry is a Ferrari blazing down the Interstate at 120 miles per hour while government is…
-
UVa to Students: Suck It Up
by James A. Bacon Helen Dragas burst into public view two years ago when, as rector of the University of Virginia Board of Trustees, she led an attempted ouster of UVa’s popular president, Teresa Sullivan. The Virginia Beach home builder lost the ensuing power struggle, publicly reconciled with Sullivan, stepped down as rector but remained on…
-
Renewable Portfolio Standards: To Mandate or Not to Mandate?
This blog posting represents the first in a debate series developed by authors of Bacon’s Rebellion and Blue Virginia on actions that Virginians can take to address climate change. All articles will be simultaneously posted on both blogs. Introduction. Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) are laws or regulations designed to increase the percentage of energy…
-
Up for Sale
by James A. Bacon Thanks to $50,000 in donations, Jeffrey C. Walker, a wealthy former COO of a New York private-equity firm, apparently has induced gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe to modify his stance regarding appointments to the University of Virginia Board of Visitors. The strong impression created by the revelation, first reported by the Washington…
-
UVa’s New Vision as Autonomous Public University
by James A. Bacon A University of Virginia panel has released a new vision for the state’s preeminent public university to operate more like a private institution: raising tuition, enrolling more out-of-state students and revamping the Board of Visitors selection criteria to include more “professional” board members. The discussions reflected in the document are part…
-
UVa Stops Shafting the Middle Class
The University of Virginia Board of Visitors voted earlier this week to restructure AccessUVa, its student aid program. This fall students from the poorest families will have to take out loans as part of their financial-aid packages just like other students. The University still will continue its “needs blind” admissions policy, which meets 100% of…
-
Another Take On Cuccinelli’s Vague Road Plan
By Peter Galuszka So far, Ken Cuccinelli’s campaign for Virginia governor has been long on rhetoric and short on specifics. Such was the case with his piece on Sunday’s Washington Post Local Opinions page headlined: “Taking the politics of roads funding in Virginia.” What caught my eye were two of Cuccinelli’s ideas. The first is…
-
Cuccinelli, Penguins and Natural Gas
By Peter Galuszka Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli’s strange episode involving a natural gas lawsuit involving one of his largest political contributors for his gubernatorial campaign raises yet another issue about his ethics. First, whatever was a Cuccinelli staffer doing advising a subsidiary of coal and gas giant CONSOL Energy, which has given Cuccinelli more than…
-
And While I’m on the Subject…
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…
-
UVa Board Tightens the Screws on Student Tuition
The University of Virginia Board of Visitors voted Thursday to hike tuition for in-state undergraduates by 3.8% and out-of-staters by 4.8% next school year. The vote marked a victory for President Teresa Sullivan and others whose vision is to achieve academic excellence by spending heavily on faculty recruitment, information technology and R&D facilities, and extracting…
-
Sullivan’s Risky Bet on STEM
by Reed Fawell III Teresa Sullivan’s proposed four-year financial plan will forever alter the character and mission of the University of Virginia, undermining the financial model that has enabled the university to thrive. If adopted by the Board of Visitors, the plan will raise student tuition to fund the conversion of the University from a…
-
Sullivan’s Plan Optimizes UVa’s Institutional Self Interest
by James A. Bacon As I argued in my previous blog post, perhaps the University of Virginia ought to go with the primal instincts of its faculty and administration by chucking its mission of providing an affordable, high-quality education to Virginians — what’s so special about them anyway? — and chasing the dream of rising…
-
Technology and UVa’s Mission
by James A. Bacon Three days ago, I criticized University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan for proposing to jack up tuition roughly 20% over the next four years. Clearly, the four-year plan she is submitting to the Board of Visitors champions the interests of the faculty and administration over those of the students. But that…
-
More Big Tuition Hikes Ahead for UVa
by James A. Bacon University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan has developed a four-year financial plan that would jack up base tuition by 2.5% to 3.5% annually. Moreover, her plan would boost McIntire School of Business tuition by $5,000 yearly above the base rate, the School of Engineering tuition by $2,000, and the tuition for…
-
Be Careful What You Wish For . . .
By Peter Galuszka For several years, BR readers have read a steady stream of warnings about out-of-control government spending. Some of it has been sound and some shrill. The arguments tend to strike first at predictable conservative targets including entitlements and support for the poor and education. On occasion, defense spending is brought up, but…