View this article in the Virginian-Pilot…
by Bob Aston & Cliff Fleet
It is not common these days to hear voters say positive things about what leaders in government are doing. Yet, in this age of political division, Virginians agree on at least one big thing: Our top-ranked higher education system drives growth and opportunity in our commonwealth. And, in Hampton Roads, our legislators are leading the way.
Recently, our organization, the Virginia Business Higher Education Council, released the results of a wide-ranging statewide public opinion survey to gauge voters’ views on higher education. Conducted by two national pollsters — one from each party, both with experience in Virginia politics — what this survey found was striking.
Across the political spectrum, Virginians highly value our higher education system, are proud of the top national rankings it produces, believe it is doing a good job preparing students to succeed in today’s fast-changing economy, and consider a college education in Virginia as a “sound place to invest.”
Most impressively, Virginians are united in their readiness — indeed, eagerness — to have their commonwealth invest in its colleges and community colleges. More than 90% in each party support investments to preserve our talent-related competitive advantage in recruiting new businesses and jobs to Virginia. A similar bipartisan percentage favors increased state investment so that tuition increases are kept to a minimum.
These and other survey findings amount to a very strong vote of confidence in the actions of our legislative leaders, many of whom hail from here in Hampton Roads and have been working for these investments for a very long time.
In recent General Assembly sessions, for example, legislators from our region in both political parties provided positive leadership on the following issues, all of which received strong support in our survey:
- Financial aid funding: 80% of Virginians say they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who favors increased funding of financial aid for low- and middle-income students.
- Support for HBCUs: Two-thirds of Virginians would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports investments in academic programs and improved facilities at Virginia’s historically Black colleges and universities.
- Paid internships: 90% in each party say it is important for Virginia to invest in providing more paid internships, co-op programs and other work-based learning opportunities for students.
- Tuition waivers for military families: 80% say state government should fully pay for the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Program so that colleges and universities in Virginia do not have to pass along the costs to non-military families in the form of higher tuition.
- Community college degrees and credentials: 90% support investments in community colleges to increase both degrees and industry-recognized credentials, and to enroll more working-age adults seeking to upgrade their skills.
As business executives who have advocated for these talent-related investments because of their importance to the economy and job opportunities in our region, we applaud our elected officials for listening and leading. We recall the poignant words of state Sen. Louise Lucas when she paid tribute to our late colleague, John “Dubby” Wynne, on the Senate floor in February 2024:
“As long as I have been here, Dubby and the Virginia Business Higher Education Council have been advocating for our higher education institutions. And not just some of them, but for all of them — our community colleges; our HBCUs; our public and private four-year universities — all of them. They have challenged us to invest in higher education like the future of our young people depends on it, because it does.”
All Virginians should be grateful for the leadership our Hampton Roads legislators have provided on these critically important issues. They are delivering results that voters across the commonwealth overwhelmingly support. Now is the time to sustain the momentum they have helped create and invest in the talent that powers our future — because the future truly does depend on it.
G. Robert “Bob” Aston Jr. of Portsmouth is executive chairman of TowneBank. Cliff Fleet of Richmond is president and CEO of Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Both are board members of the Virginia Business Higher Education Council, whose poll can be found at growth4va.com/survey.