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Letter
Germanna
Hurt By Cuts
To the editor: t '':
We believe that the 198082 biennium budget pf the Dalton Administration trill cripple, if not destrby, Germanna Community College. It will also reduce the effectiveness of the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) in providing low cost, quality higher education to the citizens of Virginia.
Germanna has one of the largest service regions of the VCCS, serving the counties of Culpeper, Orange, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Louisa, Madison. Caroline, Fauquier. King George and the City of Fredericksburg. Germanna experienced an enrollment increase of over 22 percent this fall, with major increases in off-campus, evening enrollments.
Yet, Germanna has next to the lowest budget of the entire system. If the current Dalton budget is enacted, Germanna will be forced to reduce by 75 percent of its part-time evening and day classes! Such a move will force the curtailment of many important programs offered to our citizens.
We feel that the Dalton Administration has a demonstrated bias against the community college system. We are at a loss to understand this position. The community colleges served over 260,000 persons in 197879 alone. Based on data from state sources, the cost per student was appfoximtely $1,100. while the state fouryear institutions averaged over $5,000 per student.
The proposed budget drastically reduces the VCCS appropriation. The suggested alterations to the Dhl^on budget by the State Council of Higher Education and other agencies will hot correct the problem faced by Germanna.
As you are aware, the presence of quality institutions of higher education, such as the local community colleges, play a significant role in the decisions of business and industry to locate within our state. The inadequate funding of the Dalton budget will greatly curtail the services offered by the VCCS and its member colleges.
The community colleges cannot serve the people of Virginia if they are not allowed to do so.
ALAN S. PARKINSON President Germanna Faculty Senate IMVID L. ROSE President Germanna Alumni Association
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