That record is clear. As the leaders of Virginia's public colleges and universities, we propose a set of commitments, ours and the Commonwealth's, that will help meet the challenges of the 1990s and beyond. The state's budget constraints are severe and make our work particularly difficult. Nevertheless, we believe that the faculties and staffs of our institutions will strive to achieve these three objectives if they are assured that higher education is valued and that it will eventually receive the financial and other support it deserves. We also are encouraged that business and civic leaders throughout Virginia grasp the importance of a strong system of colleges and universities to the economic well-being of the Commonwealth.
Higher education is weakened only at the cost of weakening the entire state.
Virginia ranks now 43rd in higher education funding among the states. We spend less for each student than Arkansas and are only slightly ahead of Louisiana and Alabama. At the same time, we point out that Virginia's system of higher education is recognized as one of the strongest in the nation. Several of our senior colleges and universities are regularly listed as among the best, although several others have been dropped from national lists because of the limited financial support they receive. Over the past six years, higher education's portion of the state's general fund has decreased from 16 to 12 percent.