RD461 - Interim Report of the Joint Subcommittee on the Future Competitiveness of Virginia Higher Education – November 1, 2016


Executive Summary:
Interim report on the two-year workplan for the review and assessment of: a) ways to maintain and improve the quality of higher education, while providing for broad access and affordability; (b) the impact of financial, demographic, and competitive changes on the sustainability of individual institutions and the system as a whole; (c) identification of best practices to make the system more efficient, including shared services, institutional flexibility, and easily accessible academic pathways; (d) the evaluation of the use of distance education and online instruction across the Commonwealth and appropriate business models for such programs; (e) a review of current need-based financial aid programs and alternative models to best provide for student affordability and completion; (f) a review of the recommendations of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission on the study of the cost efficiency of higher education institutions and make recommendations to their respective committees on the implementation of those recommendations; (g) the study of the effectiveness and value of transfer students; (h) the evaluation of the effectiveness of dual enrollment in reducing the cost of higher education; and (i) the study of the effectiveness of preparing teachers to enter the K-12 system.