Spank That Donkey

UVA just increased tuition 9.4% to $9,300 annually for FY 08-09', according to the Washington Times metro section.  What's the matter folks, didn't have the nerve to get the full 10%?  Tuition & Fees was $4,130 in FY 99-2000.

Governor's Mark Warner and Tim Kaine have absolutely opened the flood gates on tuition increases.  UVA has a $5 Billion dollar endowment.  Five Billion dollars, that is five times what the entire Commonwealth of Virginia has in it's rainy day fund?  Heck it took Governor Jim Gilmore four years to get Virginia's Rainy Day fund to $1 Billion...

Five billion dollars...

How much money annually would we be able to give to our other colleges if we just let them go private?  Out of State tuition is $29,600 annually.  Go for it, have at it.  This is getting to be like the Commonwealth of Virginia building a football stadium for the Redskins... like they need the subsidy?  Like their athletics department isn't raping their alumni already for season tickets.....

It is a bold step to let a college leave the system, but I sure would like to see the study on it.  I saw the figure in Jerry's post here, linking to VA Tech's mulling over crushing it's students with possibly a 10% hike in tuition.  It says $166 million is sent to VA Tech annually....  at least that much must be going to UVA.

What if we kept the medical school, and let the rest go private?  Establish a state scholarship fund to UVA from the money saved for the smartest students, and plow the balance into our other colleges to get this.... lower tuition.... It's getting out of hand folks, graduates carrying around $200 -$300 a month student loan bills only hurts the economy.  It makes it harder to purchase new vehicles, afford homes, afford health insurance, etc.

Five Billion dollars... If an institution with that kind of money can not be self sufficient, what the heck do they have a business school for?  Oh, I forgot, college is more about theory than practical application.... whatever... Five Billion Dollars!

Why in the heck are subsidizing a college with an endowment five times what the Commonwealth's cash reserves are?  Someone anyone?