The way Virginia colleges operate could depend on the state’s future governor.

Both the Democratic and Republican candidates for governor have outlined plans – in other words, made political promises — to improve education and its affordability. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? It’s quite possible every gubernatorial candidate has promised something similar, and the current crop of candidates, Democratic State Senator R. Creigh Deeds and Republican Robert “Bob” McDonnell, are no different.

In campaign ads about his own education, which includes a law degree, Deeds has said, “My mom sent me off to college with just four 20 dollar bills. So I know education is the best investment Virginia can make for our children – and in our future.”

In an address at George Mason University on May 12, McDonnell took the opportunity to tout his own educational qualifications. “Had I not graduated from college and then gone on to earn two master’s degrees in public policy and business, as well as a law degree, I would not have the great opportunities I have had in my life.”

But few Virginians can afford to pursue two master’s degrees and a law degree in the current economy. So, much of what the gubernatorial candidates’ education plans focus on is affordability.

“Over the last eight years, tuition increased… around 80 percent. It’s unacceptable. It’s brought education out of the reach of ordinary people,” stated Deeds at the final Democratic gubernatorial debate at the Annandale campus of Northern Virginia Community College on May 19. “We’ve got to make sure campuses like this one, this place of hope and dreams… is open and accessible to many people.”

Democratic gubernatorial candidate State Sen. Creigh Deeds debates the issues at NOVA’s Annandale campus on May 19, 2009.

McDonnell, in his speech at GMU, said, “Some parents have watched as their child’s opportunity for a college education… slipped from reach. Others have seen their kids’ future buried under a mountain of college loan debt. And middle-income families have especially felt the squeeze because they do not have ready cash to pay the higher tuition bills, yet generally don’t qualify for need-based aid. At the very time when the tough economic situation made getting a college or community college degree or professional certificate even more crucial for getting a good job, misplaced priorities in state government made it tougher for ordinary Virginians to afford it.”

Some students currently attending NOVA are doing so because they cannot afford a university degree during the current recession or aren’t willing to risk taking on too much debt because of a more uncertain economic future. Having a good degree doesn’t guarantee a good job anymore.

Deeds’ plan guarantees loans up to $4,500 for community college students and up to $15,000 for four-year college students. It also proposes to forgive a year of loans to teachers for every three years of work in high-need areas. McDonnell wants to restructure the Commonwealth’s college system to focus on affordability and “employability.” Both candidates support increased participation in science, technology, engineering and math disciplines, known collectively as STEM. Deeds’ proposed loan forgiveness plan includes forgiving one year of loans to STEM teachers for every three years of work.

“Today, we are in the midst of a technological revolution. We live in a time of unparalleled promise and discovery. And as fast as the change has already been, the experts tell us the pace of new breakthroughs will increase dramatically in the next quarter century,” McDonnell noted.

Both Deeds and McDonnell believe that those who possess knowledge and skills in the STEM disciplines are the people who will earn the highest incomes, and it will be their communities that will attract the largest business investments and most research grants. However, the U.S. now ranks only 29th out of 109 countries in the percentage of 24-year-olds with math and science degrees.

One of Deeds’ proposed solutions to the STEM resource problem would be to re-train outdated factory workers into a high-tech (and hopefully higher-paid) employable workforce.

“The jobs are out there… I know of lots of people who used to work at sewing plants and textile mills who now work at Wal-Mart if they work anywhere at all. States have retooled their community colleges to build — to take those laid off textile workers making $15,000, $16,000 a year and turn them into pharmaceutical factory workers making $40 to $50 an hour. I think we just need a little retooling of our community colleges…”

But such a plan might not be that easy to implement. Training someone in a high tech field can take months or years and costs money. In all likelihood, some of those factory and mill workers Deeds referred to may not even have high school diplomas, much less college degrees. Can a mill worker with limited education be effectively retrained into a high technology worker in a time- and cost-efficient way? And would retraining be enough when most companies and the federal government usually require applicants to have college degrees before they even consider hiring that person?

Deeds’ education plan is generally more specific in terms of actual plans, but McDonnell does hit on an innovative idea – shortening the amount of time needed to earn a degree.

“The old notion that, unless you are some kind of prodigy, you have to spend 12 years getting your high school degree, and then two or four full years in college, then whatever additional is required for post-graduate work, is outdated,” stated McDonnell. “Time means money, and if we can create good opportunities for students to get more degrees in fewer semesters, the savings can be enormous.”

Students study a wide range of general topics in high school. Shouldn’t university be a time to focus on one specialty? Or must a physics major be required to take anthropology, a foreign language, art and lots of other electives and have to additionally pay thousands for tuition, books and supplies?

If such a plan is formally proposed by a sitting governor, colleges aren’t likely to be enthused about it and will probably try to stop it because it would mean less money collected from students for tuition, books and years living in a dormitory.

For details on where each candidate stands, visit their Web sites at deedsforvirginia.com and bobmcdonnell.com.

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By: KJ Mushung

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