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Council supports immigrant students


By GARY ROBERTSON
Media General News Service
Thursday, January 12, 2006


Immigration issues are expected to be a hot-button item at the General Assembly this year, and Tuesday the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia pushed the button.

The council authorized its executive director to voice support in the legislature for admitting illegal immigrants to Virginia's public institutions of higher education.

The council emphasized that its position on the issue is under review and is evolving as more information becomes available.

Vice Chairman Bittle W. Porterfield III of Roanoke said illegal immigrants are living openly in Virginia and not much of an effort is being made to remove them.

That being the case, Porterfield said, "we have the obligation to educate them."

Council Chairman Alan Wurtzel of Delaplane said that if illegal immigrants have access to higher education, they can contribute to the economy rather than being a burden to it.

"Mark Twain had it right. He said, 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance,' " Wurtzel remarked.

Council member James W. Dyke Jr. of Richmond urged the panel to take a position on educating illegal immigrants, saying it was sure to be an issue in the legislature.

Three years ago, Gov. Mark R. Warner vetoed legislation that would have denied illegal immigrants in-state tuition rates at Virginia colleges.

In another matter, the council reaffirmed its belief that Southside Virginia does not need a separate four-year public college, although the region does need more opportunities for higher education.

The council recommended partnership arrangements with other institutions of higher learning in the area.

The arrangement calls for identifying student demand for four-year degree programs among residents of the region, issuing proposals to existing two- and four-year public and private institutions to provide those programs, and allocating state funds for the programs' support.

The Southside college proposal stems from an idea originated by the Harvest Foundation, a community group that received a windfall from the sale of a hospital for $200 million.

The foundation has approved a $50 million matching grant if the state establishes a four-year public college in Southside, which has been battered economically by the loss of textile, furniture and tobacco companies.

In a wide-ranging report on the affordability of Virginia's public and private institutions of higher learning, the higher education council's staff concluded that more discussion and research was needed before any answers on college affordability could be answered authoritatively. Still, the council report highlighted the need for increased state and institutional aid for low-income students.

In a report on the cost of college textbooks, the council urged that colleges and universities work to increase the sale of used textbooks and take other steps to reduce textbook prices.

On average, the council found that students who purchased textbooks in spring 2005 paid, on average, a little under $300.

But it said the number of students who paid $500 or more for books increased nearly 8 percent this fall, compared with last spring.