tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178103807273064745.post8865167959360458255..comments2012-11-13T00:23:20.696-08:00Comments on UA Defender: To Boldly GoEvelyn B. Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191598688388288455noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178103807273064745.post-58457758145512590482009-10-05T11:59:50.672-07:002009-10-05T11:59:50.672-07:00These colleagues have closely studied and calculat...These colleagues have closely studied and calculated the plentiful economic benefits to the state of Virginia. Our legislature is very short-sighted, as this article from UVa Today shows.<br /><br /><br />Cooper Center Study Shows Major Economic Impact of Higher Education<br /><br />October 1, 2009 -- Every dollar spent by the Commonwealth of Virginia on higher education produces more than $13 in job-creating economic activity, says a new study conducted by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia.<br /> Each higher education dollar also results in $1.39 in increased tax revenues that flow back to the state's coffers. The study was released today at the Virginia Summit on Economic Competitiveness and Higher Education in Richmond, sponsored by the Virginia Business Higher Education Council.<br /> The study is the first comprehensive analysis of the economic impact of Virginia's public higher education system. The study also estimated the projected impact of the proposal by the council's Grow By Degrees campaign to award 70,000 cumulative additional associate, bachelor's, and graduate degrees in Virginia by 2020.<br /> As chairman of the higher education council, W. Heywood Fralin, a member of the U.Va. Board of Visitors, helped launch the initiative in June. The study's key findings are that public higher education is responsible for:<br /> * $9.5 billion annually in purchases of goods and services in the Commonwealth<br /> * $24 billion in annual contribution to the state's gross domestic product (GDP) - 6.2 percent of Virginia's total GDP<br /> * 144,550 jobs created by higher education operations<br /> * $2.5 billion in annual tax revenues generated for Virginia.<br /> "The value the Commonwealth receives for its higher education investment is enormous," said U.Va. Rector John O. Wynne, a member of the council's executive committee. "In fact, one of the study's most important findings, perhaps the most important finding, is that the tax revenue produced by the state's public higher education system considerably exceeds the amount the state spends on that system."<br /> The study is based on 2007 economic data, and all numbers are expressed in 2007 dollars. The study measured the impact of higher education expenditures as well as the economic benefits that flow from investing in human capital (the increased earning power and spending by college graduates). Copies of the study are available upon request. Among other key findings:<br /> * $1.58 billion in Virginia GDP is generated by the spending that higher education produces in Virginia by persons and entities located outside the state<br /> * $588 million in Virginia GDP is generated by higher education research and development programs<br /> * $1.436 billion in Virginia GDP is generated by the university medical centers.<br /> According to the Grow By Degrees Web site, the goal of awarding 70,000 cumulative additional degrees must come through more sustained state investment, innovation in how education is delivered and flexibility in how colleges and universities are managed. If the goal is attained, the Cooper Center study estimates the economic results to be:<br /> * $18 billion more in Virginia GDP<br /> * $16 billion in increased personal income for Virginians<br /> * $1.9 billion in new tax revenues for state government.<br /> In addition to the release of the study findings, the summit featured major addresses on higher education by both nominees for governor, State Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, the Democratic candidate, and Robert F. McDonnell, former Virginia attorney general, the Republican candidate.<br /> Gov. Timothy M. Kaine delivered opening remarks. Addressing the importance of higher education to state economic development were former Virginia governors Gerald Baliles, director of the Miller Center of Public Affairs at U.Va, and George Allen; Robert Ehrlich, former governor of Maryland; and Michael Easley, former governor of North Carolina.<br /> View the rest of article at: http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=9909Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00657944387522614430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178103807273064745.post-8552944409711420522009-10-02T12:18:56.412-07:002009-10-02T12:18:56.412-07:00Sandra,
You THINK the public would also support a ...Sandra,<br />You THINK the public would also support a tax increase to help K-12. Either you do not have children or they are grown and long gone out of the house. If the public poll was about increasing taxes to support education I can almost guarantee they were thinking about K-12. If you think the University is in jeopardy you have no idea on the state of K-12. We as a State are 49 of 50 in funding K-12, per dollar per child, percent, you name we win.<br />This is typical of U of A faculty, too old and out of touch with the population of the state. As a young faculty member with children in school here we need to understand the whole picture and stop complaining about our own small situation, soon there will not be enough qualified in state students to fill our Universities as K-12 gets hit more and more.<br />The Legislature has cut all education, we hurt but our children are hurt more. Marv has the right idea, lobby the legislature, get riled up about those cuts, get active, but stop living in your small cocoons of entitlement.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178103807273064745.post-52234575022791278792009-10-01T19:19:26.617-07:002009-10-01T19:19:26.617-07:00I attended the faculty forum today and heard many ...I attended the faculty forum today and heard many interesting ideas. I also heard Lynn Nadel talk way too much. I don't believe we voted to make him the spokesperson for the faculty or the gatekeeper of our ideas. I thought we elected Wanda Howell as our leader. Perhaps more faculty would attend these forums if our "leaders" would just listen for a change instead of smacking down any ideas that they don't agree with. The chalk incidents and ensuing arrests were and are important issues, and the fact that the President waited for days to intervene about this and the domestic partner benefits issue speaks volumes about how the administration interprets and practices our institutional values. Many faculty in the room this afternnon felt that doing another faculty poll, this time without all the emeritus faculty included and without all the snafus that occured with the first poll, was a plausible idea, but it was quickly dismissed by Lynn as a bad idea. It wasn't until we challenged his authority that he let Wanda have the floor to speak to the issues. Lynn Nadel does not speak for all of us, nor is he the "official" voice for anyone. Is he even an elected leader? I don't know. Please let our ideas be heard and respected and stop telling us what will and will not work. I know you will probably respond to this as you do to every single post. I don't care what you say at this point. I've heard enough from you, Mr. Nadel. It's now time for others to have their say. I hope this blog does continue, inspite of the fact that Lynn thinks it's a bad idea.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com