McDonnell touts higher education accomplishments at Mason

Governor McDonnell announced a $400 million investment in higher education funds during an event held in Mason Hall (photo courtesy of Alexis Glenn).

Governor Bob McDonnell (R) visited George Mason University on Aug. 15 to talk about higher education in Virginia and the progress that his office has made in conjunction with state universities, special interest groups and private industries.

“Ultimately we want to get young people graduating, paying off student loans and getting a good job,” McDonnell said. Speakers commended and highlighted the success of McDonnell’s 2009 higher education proposal, which he announced in the same room in Mason Hall four years earlier.

“As educators, we’re in the business of changing the world for the better, one person at a time,” said Mason President Ángel Cabrera. “The governor and his administration have made critical investments in improving higher education, to increase access, to grow the economy and to improve the lives of Virginia citizens.”

Representatives from the state senate, a private state university and special interest groups spoke about the Commonwealth’s progress on higher education issues, particularly on topics of lowering tuition costs while increasing accessibility and university efficiency.

McDonnell credited the efforts to reinvest money into higher education, citing $400 million in new money above the base budget invested in the last three years. The funds, in conjunction with legislation like Top Jobs 21 that sought to increase access and affordability to state universities, were the main components of the proposal that he said helped turn around a decade of rapidly increasing tuition costs coupled with low accessibility rates for Virginia residents.

In the past three years, 14,000 new slots have been added, which McDonnell said puts the Commonwealth well on its way towards its long-term goal set by Top Jobs 21.

“I call this a good start,” McDonnell said. “There's a lot to do between now and 2025 to see the goal of 100,000 new degrees.”