WEEK'S END

By: | Times-Dispatch
Published: January 10, 2009

Only a few days after moving out of City Hall, Doug Wilder made headlines. Yesterday's front page reported that Virginia Commonwealth University raised Wilder's salary to $150,000 when he returned to full-time status on the faculty. The raise occurs during a year of budget cuts. A school official explained the salary was set before the depth of the downturn was known. The economic outlook has been deteriorating for more than a year, but never mind. Oh to be a fly on the wall of a faculty lounge, particularly in one of VCU's swanky new buildings.

The budget crunch of the early 1990s had implications for higher education in Virginia. The University of Virginia, for instance, expressed its unease with certain signals sent by the gubernatorial administration. The school was worried about micro-management, including "mandates on teaching loads." Observers had criticized professors in Charlottesville and elsewhere for spending too little time in classrooms. The governor of the hour was L. Douglas Wilder.

This week The Goochland Gazette -- a sister paper -- reported, "Supervisors Question County Administration." The headline appeared on a story regarding an audit that revealed more than $100,000 in utility connection fees had not been deposited over the past two years. The county has deposited certain checks and has taken steps to secure replacement checks for those that had expired. The money had not disappeared; it simply was not placed in the county's coffers.

The sums may seem a trifle in the context of trillion-dollar bailouts and stimulus plans, but Goochland lacks the federal government's ability to print greenbacks. The county needs revenue from fees such as these. The situation makes residents question the county's administration. How did this happen? Taxpayers hope the instance is an isolated one.

The reassuring news is that the audit prompted action -- which makes Richmonders envious.

This collection ends with two complementary items regarding higher education. In tomorrow's Commentary section, Robert Lindgren -- president of Randolph-Macon -- explains how private colleges remain affordable. Indeed, the schools are not only easier on the wallet than many believe but they often offer a liberal arts curriculum that defines the ideal.

Later this month -- on Jan. 24, to be precise -- the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia will sponsor "WRAP Sessions" for prospective students and their parents. WRAP stands for "within reach and personal." We recommend Lindgren's column, and urge the college-bound and their families to access the council's Web site at www.cicv.org or call (540) 586-0606 for further information.

WEEK'S END

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