The role of the Department of Planning and Budget in shaping higher education in Virginia

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of the Department of Planning and Budget in Virginia in coordinating and regulating public institutions of higher education. The study focused on the impact of the Department\u27s activities related to the execution phase of the budget cycle. It was hypothesized that the Department had been a relatively unnoticed yet potent force in the coordination of public higher education in Virginia.;The role of the Department was determined by (1) an examination of the legislative requirements placed on the Department by the 1976-1984 sessions of the General Assembly, (2) an examination of the relevant policies and directives issued by and through the Department from 1976 to 1984 and (3) an examination of the impact of the Department\u27s policies, directives, and functions on the state colleges and universities as perceived by institutional personnel and personnel of central state agencies. These perceptions were determined by questionnaires sent to all four-year institutions and central state agency personnel and interviews with representatives of these two groups.;It was found that (1) state coordination and regulation of higher education was viewed as a legitimate function of state government, (2) the Department of Planning and Budget was not viewed as a positive influence on higher education by college and university personnel, (3) different perspectives caused institutional and central agency personnel to view the Department\u27s policies and directives in a different manner; and concluded that the Department had been a relatively unnoticed yet potent force in the coordination of public higher education in Virginia.;Further study is needed to determine the role of other central state agencies in regulating higher education and the impact of recommendations of a Decentralization Steering Committee appointed by Governor Baliles in June, 1986