SCHEV reverses decision, gives VSU full certification

Virginia State University was given full certification by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia yesterday, reversing a decision it had made the day before.

The action means VSU will not have to submit a remedial plan addressing why it failed to meet all of its performance goals, which the university had blamed on a computation error on its part.

"There was nothing to remediate," said SCHEV Chairman Whittington W. Clement. "It was a human error."

He said SCHEV staff determined after Monday's meeting that VSU would have met the goals if incorrect data had not been used.

The amended resolution left intact the requirement that Richard Bland College and the University of Virginia's College at Wise come up with plans addressing shortcomings on some of their benchmarks, which they had set for themselves. The goals primarily concern graduation and student retention rates.

The certification process, which is not linked to accreditation, is required under the 2005 Higher Education Restructuring Act.

SCHEV's action yesterday came before the start of panel discussions by college and university presidents that reflected dissatisfaction with some aspects of that process.

Longwood University President Patricia Cormier said the time schools spend developing six-year plans and filing reports on goals could be better spent teaching and doing research.

"What are we really measuring here?" she asked.

Radford University President Penelope Kyle noted that she had had more independence in her former role as director of the Virginia Lottery.

SCHEV Executive Director Daniel LaVista, acknowledging the issue was "in the air," said his staff is limited in the certification review process by a rigid set of guidelines that does not address the varying missions of the schools.

The different role played by VSU, Richard Bland and the College of Wise -- providing access to higher education to students from economically stressed backgrounds -- wasone reason the schools said they fell short of their goals.

Those students are more likely to drop out than students at highly competitive schools such as U.Va. and the College of William and Mary.

In a panel discussion yesterday, W&M President W. Taylor Reveley suggested the state should acknowledge the differing roles its diverse set of colleges play and "push the tax money" to the schools that need it most.

W&M and other schools that can raise private money and bring in larger numbers of out-of-state students should be given the freedom to do so, he said.

"Leave them alone so they can feed themselves," he said. "I don't think it's all that complicated."

VSU President Eddie N. Moore Jr. agreed, adding that such a method would help alleviate the uncertainty of state funding for other schools.

"Stable funding, not an increase, is the key to success," he said.

Contact Karin Kapsidelis at (804) 649-6119 or .