U.Va. panel: Break state ties, operate more like a private school

A University of Virginia panel has proposed that the institution break many of its ties with the state government and operate more like a private school.

Such an arrangement which would need state lawmakers' approval and likely would meet opposition would allow Virginia's flagship public school the freedom to more easily increase tuition and accept more top-tier students from across the country and the world. Although it could increase U.Va.'s prestige and shore up its finances, such a move could also make it more difficult for in-state students to win admission and could significantly raise their tuition.

Preliminary recommendations from the "Public University Working Group," released this week, make clear that the school would remain a public university. University officials said that the discussions are part of a brainstorming exercise as President Teresa A. Sullivan develops a strategy for the university and that there are no plans to make such a move. In its report, the group acknowledged that such a dramatic change at U.Va. would be "complex and challenging..."

Well, this is quite bizarre. In the unlikely event it goes forward, VT really would become the "true University of Virginia!"

http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/state-regional/ap/u-va-panel-break-sta...