Developments in Higher Education
From time to time, this space will provide various reports or summaries of developments concerning a variety of local, state, and national issues in higher education. Newest additions are those with red titles.
Transfer Virginia
Through high-level collaboration among all institutions of higher education, Transfer Virginia is a plan to reform the transfer experience and enable the Commonwealth to make measurable progress on student success and equity.
Urgent Call to Increase Educational Attainment in the Commonwealth
The goal to make Virginia the best educated state in the nation by 2030 (as stated in the Virginia Plan) requires that the Commonwealth address problems in its talent pipeline. Some of these problems are the growing out-migration of educated residents, the slowing in-migration of educated non-Virginians, the changing needs for talent in Virginia business and industry, and the competition posed by increases in the perceived value of sub-associate-degree workforce credentials. The Cost of Doing Nothing report outlines several action items for addressing these challenges.
The Virginia Plan for Higher Education
The Virginia Plan for Higher Education is designed to identify trends that the Commonwealth must address if it is to prosper and succeed. The Executive Summary of the Plan outlines its major features. The Virginia Plan is intended to help guide a vision for Virginia’s future through a common framework built on the premise that all partners in higher education must work together to help Virginia, its citizens and its regions. The 2017 Annual Report and the 2018 Annual Report summary progress being made in pursuit of those objectives.
An Educated Citizenry for the 21st Century
A one-day summit on quality and value in undergraduate higher education, organized by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) and the Virginia Assessment Group (VAG). Additional details are provided at the web page hosted by SCHEV.
Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) Reports
HJR 108 (passed in 2012) directed the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to study the cost efficiency of the Commonwealth’s institutions of higher education and to identify opportunities to reduce the cost of public higher education in Virginia.
This presentation provides an overview of the study and its goals.
Several higher education reports produced by the Commission are listed below:
- Trends in Higher Education Funding, Enrollment, and Student Costs
- Review of Non-Academic Services and Costs at Virginia’s Public Higher Education Institutions
- Review of Academic Spending and Workload at Virginia’s Public Higher Education Institutions
- Support Costs and Staffing at Virginia Higher Education Institutions
Conversation on “What it Means to be an Educated Virginian”
This one-day conference was held on June 13, 2012 in Richmond and sponsored by SCHEV and the Virginia Assessment Group. A diverse group of educators took part in broad-ranging discussions about the purposes and scope of liberal education within Virginia’s higher education policy environment. Click here for details about the conference.
Code of Virginia — New Requirements Concerning Cambridge Examination Credit
Changes to the Code of Virginia § 23-9.2:3.8 as adopted by the 2011 Virginia General Assembly amounted to a requirement that the Cambridge Advanced exams be treated comparably to AP and IB exams for purpose of granting academic credit. See the memo from the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV) instructing institutions regarding procedures from implementing this new requirement.
Higher Education Advisory Commission
The Virginia Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2011 created this commission. Keep track of their developments by checking out their web site.
Virginia Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2011 (often referred to as TJ 21)
The purpose of this act is to fuel economic growth in Virginians by preparing citizens for the “top job” opportunities in the knowledge-driven economy of the 21st century. Among its provisions are (a) a new higher education funding policy, (b) targeted economic and innovation incentives, (c) creation of a STEM Public-Private Partnership, and (d) the creation of the Higher Education Advisory Committee. Read the Act.
Explore Details About Higher Education in Virginia
Check out SCHEV’s web page where a variety of statistics about enrollment, retention, graduation rates, and degrees offered.