Legislative Advocacy Archives - 2015
"HOKIE DAY 2015" AT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Richmond, VA | February 5, 2015
Breakfast begins at 8 AM at Crowne Plaza on East Canal Street
Virginia Tech General Assembly Update
The General Assembly convened on January 12th for a "short" session of six weeks, in which they will consider amendments to the state budget for 2014-16, as well as a host of legislation covering every aspect of state government and other issues. Governor McAuliffe had introduced his amendments to the two-year budget on December 17th. Earlier in 2014, higher education institutions sustained budget reductions due to weak state revenues. Fortunately, the Governor did not propose additional cuts in his budget amendments, and Virginia Tech received an additional $1.5 million for scientific equipment and financial aid.
Important legislation relating to higher education is being considered in addition to budget items. Bills on campus sexual assault and curbing student fees that support intercollegiate athletics have been introduced. Virginia Tech administrators have been closely involved in the Governor's task force on sexual assault, helping to shape legislation that addresses the seriousness of the issue and also is consistent with federal and rules and regulations. With respect to the athletics legislation, Virginia Tech's student fee for athletics is the lowest in the Commonwealth; in addition, Virginia Tech directs a higher percentage of its tuition and mandatory fees to academics than any other college in Virginia.
While cognizant of the difficult budget situation, Virginia Tech has proposed a small number of amendments to the budget to address critical priorities for the university. Foremost among these is a request for $1.65 million to support increased enrollment of Virginia students, particularly in STEM areas. If successful, the university plans to admit at least 200 additional Virginia students in the class entering in Fall 2015. This is in response to heavy demand for admission to Virginia Tech, and the Commonwealth's growing need for engineers, scientists, and other technology savvy graduates to help grow the economy.
Other requests include funding for high priority research projects, including:
Operating Initiatives
Virginia Undergraduate Enrollment Growth $1,650,000 GF
Fulfilling the needs of the New Virginia Economy requires educating Virginia's students to be prepared for the technological and inter-disciplinary needs of the current and future global marketplace. With General Fund support for this goal, Virginia Tech is prepared to partner with the commonwealth to grow resident enrollment by 200 undergraduates in 2015-16, supporting the goals of the HEOA of 2011.
Neurological and Life Sciences Research
$2,500,000 GF
The next frontier of health sciences research are brain disorders – addiction, autism, cerebral palsy, depression, epilepsy, mental retardation, Parkinson's disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, and traumatic brain injury – which affect more individuals and have greater costs than cancer and heart disease combined. Virginia Tech is positioned to be the national hub of brain research, and additional state support will enhance the already significant economic impact this research brings to Virginia.
Autonomous Vehicle Systems Research $500,000 GF
This request will enable the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI), which has brought nearly 400 jobs to the state, to capitalize on its national prominence as the second largest university-based transportation research center in the country. These funds will help to increase private and federal funding for automated vehicle research that will drive economic development in Southside Virginia.
Enhance Cyber Security Research Competitiveness
$500,000 GF
This investment will create a test-bed in Arlington where public and private entities can come together to invent and test the next generation of technologies necessary to secure the nation's cyber infrastructure. The success of this lab will be leveraged to grow federal funding and corporate partnership that drive intellectual property, licensing agreements, and spin offs. The lab will also provide student experiential learning opportunities needed by Virginia employers to meet the challenges of the global environment.
Cooperative Extension & Agricultural Experiment Station Funding Shortfall
In the 2014-15 Central Fund distribution, Agency 229 received ($622,241) less state support for state assigned rate increases in retirement, healthcare cost, and other employee benefit expenses than traditionally funded. With limited ability to generate revenue in this agency, correcting this technical issue is a priority for the university to avoid reduction of services in the agency.
Capital Projects
Renovate/Renew Academic Buildings $30,563,000 GF
This request will renew three buildings in the university's core academic sector: Davidson Hall-Front Section, Sandy Hall, and the Liberal Arts Building. The project is ready for construction and further action is pending construction pool funding.
Improve Kentland Facilities $7,600,000 GF
This project calls for replacing six existing dairy science research facilities with three modern facilities that meet the needs of research that supports industry and government. The agency is ready to finalize design and then move to construction.
We hope that you will be able to join us on February 5th, 2015, for our 17th Annual Hokie Day. If you are unable to attend, please consider reaching out to your representatives or friends in the General Assembly to voice your support for Virginia Tech's proposed funding and budget requests. Click here to find out who your legislator is.
For more information on our Hokie Day activities, or if you have not RSVP'd, please contact Nancy Hagen: (804) 786-8110 or nhagen@vt.edu. We will begin our activities for the day at 8:00 a.m. on the 2nd floor in the Grand Ballroom of the Crown Plaza Hotel on East Canal Street in downtown Richmond, VA. Those who have registered will receive our full schedule of events via email in the coming days. Thanks, and we hope to see you on February 5th!