Authority: Title 23, Chapter 12.1, Code of Virginia.

A. This Item includes general and nongeneral fund appropriations to support institutional initiatives that help meet statewide goals described in the Restructured Higher Education Financial and Administrative Operations Act of 2005 (Chapters 933 and 945, 2005 Acts of Assembly). 

B. As Virginia's public colleges and universities approach full funding of the base adequacy guidelines and as the General Assembly strives to fully fund the general fund share of the base adequacy guidelines, these funds are provided with the intent that, in exercising their authority to set tuition and fees, the Board of Visitors shall take into consideration the impact of escalating college costs for Virginia students and families.  In accordance with the cost-sharing goals set forth in § 4-2.01 b. of this act, the Board of Visitors is encouraged to limit increases on tuition and mandatory educational and general fees for in-state, undergraduate students to the extent possible.

C.  Out of this appropriation, $1,820,338 the first year and $1,820,338 the second year from the general fund is designated to continue the increase in access for in-state undergraduate students begun in the 2011 Session, support the projected growth in transfer students and improve retention and graduation through additional advising for both transfers and  students in high demand majors.

D.  The 4-VA, a public-private partnership among George Mason University, James Madison University, Virginia Tech, University of Virginia and CISCO Systems, Inc, was established to utilize emerging technologies to promote collaboration and resource sharing to increase access, reduce time to graduation and reduce unit cost while maintaining and enhancing quality.  Instructional talent across the four institutions will be leveraged in the delivery of programs in foreign languages, science, technology, engineering and mathematics.  The 4-VA Management Board can expand this partnership to additional institutions as appropriate to meet the goals of the 4-VA initiative.  It is expected that funding will be pooled by the management board as required to support continuing efforts of the 4-VA priorities and projects.

E.  Based on the final strategies implemented by the institution to meet its budget reductions required by Chapter 3, 2014 Special Session 1, the institution can adjust any of the amounts embedded in language under this Item to be consistent with those reduction strategies.