Kaine wants more in-state students 
By Ben Baynton, staff writer 
Posted on February 15, 2007

Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine recently released his economic development strategic plan, which is required by Virginia state law. The plan introduces nine broad goals, which are to be completed by 2010. 

The goal of primary interest to JMU is an increase in the number of Virginia students between the ages of 18 to 24 in a higher-education program. The goal is a 5 percent increase in participation, from 34 percent to 39 percent, or about 34,000 students.

How can JMU and other state public universities handle this increase?

“I think the proposed increase is realistic,” wrote Douglas Garcia, the Virginia assistant secretary of education. Through dual enrollment, Advanced Placement, and International Baccalaureate, students can earn credit toward college, decreasing the amount of time students spend in college, and creating space in required 100- and 200-level courses.

Agreements between community colleges and traditional four-year universities such as JMU have created feeder colleges. This allows students to pass from community college to four-year university without losing many credits.

Another issue is how to get students into colleges that are currently unable or unwilling to go.

“The main incentive that I feel will get students to come is the realization that we live in a global society where we are not just competing against students from the United States, but students from India, Japan and China,” Garcia said.

It says in the Economic Development Strategic Plan: “Establish tuition reimbursement or tuition forgiveness for students in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, nursing, education and of Virginia in need of those skills for a required period.” This aspect of the Strategic Plan hopes to increase the accessibility of higher education and decrease brain drain from Virginia.  

Rick Siger, deputy secretary of commerce and trade said he believes that the highly specialized programs in Virginia universities will attract students.

One example is the information systems security professional program at JMU. JMU is one of only seven designated centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education in the nation. 

“Because of the success of our universities, companies are attracted to Virginia,” Siger said. This is why an increase in student population is an important component of the Strategic Plan.  

Said Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-26: “The thing I find curious is that we have adapted some policies that are an impediment to those goals.” 

Obenshain, who formerly served on the JMU Board of Visitors, said that the problem is not attracting the students to universities, but making them economically accessible.  

“I think those are laudable goals, but we’ll see if the governor enacts a tuition freeze,” Obenshain said. “JMU has grown faster than state funding.”   

In fact, The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, a non-profit non-partisan organization, gave Virginia an “F” for affordability last year. However, the organization also gave Virginia a “B” for participation.  

“The last thing we want to do is increase enrollment without increasing economic accessibility,” Obenshain said.  

While the details and effectiveness of this plan are yet to be seen, many agree that universities like JMU cannot take the burden of increased enrollment without some way of either reducing the amount of time individual students are at a university or increasing funding.