Conversation about last year’s gubernatorial election was partly dominated by the role of campaign finance. Both major candidates raised a large amount of money, including millions from out-of-state donors, to help fund highly partisan campaigns for governor. As a public…
In an online forum with Virginia21, a non-profit lobbying group that focuses on higher education issues, State Senator John Edwards spoke about a new tuition model that may alleviate some of the burden of college tuition. “An idea has come…
New numbers show that Mason is 564th largest endowment in the nation. Last semester we published a story that took an in-depth look at how small the university’s endowment numbers are in comparison to other universities. Using a new report…
Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve heard from four finalists for Mason’s next provost who presented their visions for the future of the university. A common strand for each presentation has been a commitment to boost Mason’s research credentials…
Every year, Virginia undergraduates who demonstrate financial need get a part of their tuition covered by the student financial assistance program (VSFAP). The amount of money allocated to financial need students has actually been rising steadily over the past few…
For the past few years, a group of Virginia state legislators have repeatedly attempted to restrict out-of-state enrollment in the Commonwealth’s public universities. “This is something I hear from my constituents over and over again,” Barbara Comstock, a Republican delegate…
At a regularly held budget forum on Oct. 10, two senior university officials painted an optimistic picture of the future of Mason’s finances, but emphasized that many challenges remain. Provost Peter Stearns and Senior Vice President JJ Davis, presented a…
In a blog post last week, President Ángel Cabrera wrote about the changing relationship between public universities and the states that finance them. Cabrera presents some figures that show declining state support for universities who have had to find sources of revenue…