Nancy Oliver Gray: Private Colleges, Universities Must Be in State's Starting Lineup

When the Virginia Business Higher Education Council recently unveiled its "Grow by Degrees" initiative, it was as if the Boston Red Sox had proclaimed they would strive to win as many pennants as possible over the next 10 seasons, but would attempt to do so with just eight players on the field.

Without question, the program's commitment to help 70,000 more Virginians earn associate, bachelor, and graduate degrees by 2020 is an important endeavor on behalf of the commonwealth. As Council Chairman Heywood Fralin said, "If you want to make Virginia the economic growth capital of the world, you must first make Virginia . . . the educational growth capital of the world."

The council's intent to connect colleges with business and industry, local and state governments, economic development organizations, and new technologies is a sound strategy to enhance access to higher education.

Unfortunately, the announcement contained one glaring omission. While Virginia's public colleges and universities are solidly positioned in the "Grow by Degrees" starting lineup, the 30 private institutions in the commonwealth are presently confined to the clubhouse.

Our exclusion from this initiative is perplexing for a number of reasons. First, a degree from a private college costs Virginia less than a degree from a state school.

Through the Tuition Assistance Grant (TAG), the commonwealth provides $3,000 a year for four years to residents who are full-time students at private colleges and universities in the state -- much less than Virginia's general fund and capital expenditures at public colleges, where annual tuition subsidies for in-state students range from $5,600 to $11,000, depending on the institution.

Second, 16,000 students earned a degree last year from private institutions -- 27 percent of the total degrees conferred by four-year colleges in Virginia. This includes a third of the degrees in health professions, business, and communications, and a quarter of the degrees in education, social services/public administration, and the visual and performing arts.

For the past five years, I have observed first-hand the profound impact of Virginia's independent colleges and universities. Academic excellence is facilitated through small classes and outstanding professors for whom teaching and accessibility to students are priorities.

Leadership development and other co-curricular programs complement this approach. In addition, 15 of the commonwealth's private colleges participate in the "CAREER15" program, an innovative resource that connects students with top corporations for internships and employment. The end result of these endeavors is that a significant number of our private college students go on to graduate and professional schools, while those seeking career-related jobs after earning their degrees have considerable success in a variety of fields.

Diversity and, yes, affordability are hallmarks of Virginia's private colleges. Single-sex and coeducational institutions; historically black colleges; highly selective institutions and others geared to the average college-bound student; and graduate and professional schools can all be found among our ranks. Degree programs for non-traditional students, such as adults of any age who wish to start or return to college, are also available.

One of biggest misconceptions about private colleges is that only students from wealthy families have the means to attend them.

In reality, students from all economic backgrounds attend private colleges, thanks to TAG (which helped approximately 20,000 Virginians last year) and other generous merit-based and need-based assistance. Combined with the fact that many private college students can complete their degrees in less time than their counterparts at state schools, it is not uncommon for a student to attend a private institution for less cost than going to a public university.

Virginia's independent colleges and universities are resourceful, influential, and forward-thinking. We can make a valuable contribution to the effort to increase the number of residents with college degrees while enhancing the commonwealth's reputation for quality in higher education. The Virginia Business Higher Education Council surely wants to put together as strong a team as possible to achieve these goals. Why keep some of their best players on the bench?

To paraphrase John Fogerty's hit song "Centerfield": Put us in, coach. We're ready to play.

Nancy Oliver Gray is president of Hollins University in Roanoke and chair of the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia . Contact her at presoffc@hollins.edu.