in the Midst of a Budget Crisis

This paper examines the potential consequences of reductions in the fiscal support of four-year public colleges and universities in general and Virginia in particular from the perspective of academic officers. In the summer and fall of 2002, a qualitative case study was initiated in conjunction with the chief academic officers of Virginia’s fifteen four-year public colleges and universities. The data secured through interviews, correspondence and surveys was used to assess the institutional perspective relative to the 2002 General Assembly appropriation reductions and the subsequent October 15, 2002 budget cuts. The timing of diminished funding did not correspond with academic planning cycles and other factors contributing to the fiscal well-being of institutions. As a result, comparative quantitative data reflecting budget impact will not be available until at the earliest, the end of academic year 2003-2004. However, early data collection suggests that the concerns of the academic officers were well founded. The goal of the investigation is to provide salient information to policymakers as they consider the role and configuration of Virginia’s higher educational system in the new millennium. While all levels of public education face the possibility of decreased suppor