Senate Joint Resolution No. 20 of the 1962 General Assembly directed the Council of Higher Education to undertake a comprehensive cost study of programs, functions and activities at publicly-supported institutions of higher learning in Virginia. It was the desire of the General Assembly to have current information on the per student cost of educational programs as related to the fees charged to students for these programs and other student services; and to know the cost of other functions and services performed by said institutions.

At the request of the Council of Higher Education, Dr. G. Tyler Miller, Chairman of the Council of State College Presidents, appointed institutional representatives to an Advisory Committee on the Cost Study. A list of committee members appears in this report as Appendix B. Major General William F. Tompkins, Vice President of the Medical College of Virginia, accepted the chairm3:nship of the Committee.

At an organizational meeting on May 17, 1962, the purposes, scope and schedule of the study were outlined. Major problems of development were reviewed, and a Steering Committee, with General Tompkins as Chairman, was appointed. Mr. James W. Bailey, Assistant Director of the Council of Higher Education, was designated Director of the Cost Study.

It was agreed by the Advisory Committee that the study would have to be conducted in several phases, because of the magnitude of the task and the need for continuing refinement of procedures for reporting and analysis. Accordingly, it was also agreed that the Committee's first report to the 1964 General Assembly would. necessarily have to be in the form of a progress report.

The Steering Committee, whose members are listed in Appendix C, held its first meeting on June 19, 1962. Several technical problems were reviewed and the organization of several sub-committees were announced.

Members of the sub-committees are listed in Appendix C. Each subcommittee held three meetings during the course of the following fiscal year to review the work of the Cost Study staff in formulating study procedures and in accumulating and tabulating :financial and educational statistics.

In June 1963, following General Thompkin's retirement as Vice President of the Medical College, Mr. Vincent Shea, Comptroller of the University of Virginia, accepted the chairmanship of the Advisory and Steering Committees. With the employment of Mr. John L. Green on the Council staff, the directorship of the study- became his responsibility. The text and tables contained in the document submitted herewith constitute the progress report of the Virginia Cost Study, representing work accomplished between July 1, 1962 and December 31, 1963.