Archive: ‘Press Releases’
Wednesday, February 27th, 2013
Press Release from the Governor’s Office
February 26, 2013
The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center today released its report on college completion, which shows Virginia’s college students finishing their degrees at an impressive rate, far above the national average.
This report focuses on six-year completion rates for first-time degree-seeking students. In most categories, college students from Virginia perform well above the national average. For example, the average completion rate for college students from Virginia at four-year public institutions is 76 percent, compared to a national average of 61 percent. Only students from Iowa and New Hampshire had higher completion rates.
“I’m pleased to see the results from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center,” said Governor Bob McDonnell. “This report highlights the impressive work that our institutions of higher education are doing to assist Virginians in college competition and retention. I commend our colleges and universities on their efforts to increase these completion rates and help the Commonwealth meet the goals of the Top Jobs legislation of an additional 100,000 new degrees.”
“Increasing the number of students who complete their college degrees is a priority of Governor McDonnell and was specifically included in the Top Jobs legislation,” said Secretary of Education Laura Fornash. “This report shows we are headed in the right direction. It’s important to compare well to other states, but we also have to exceed our own high standards and continue to improve, to help grow our economy.”
The report also looks at student behavior at public two-year, and private nonprofit four-year institutions. These groups are further subdivided into additional categories, including: students enrolling exclusively full-time until degree completion; students enrolling exclusively part-time; students with mixed enrollment; students age 24 or younger at first entry into college; and students aged 25 or older at first entry.
“This report is unique in that it looks at real student behavior regarding degree completion,” said SCHEV Director Peter Blake. “While the higher education community should be proud at the performance of these students, we can use this data to further improve student success by Virginians.”
The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center’s “Signature Report on Completing College: A State-Level View of Student Attainment Rates” can be found at http://research.studentclearinghouse.org/.
SCHEV is the Commonwealth’s coordinating body for Virginia’s system of higher education. The agency provides policy guidance and budget recommendations to the governor and General Assembly, and is a resource for information on higher education issues.
Friday, November 30th, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 29, 2012
Contact: Tom Kramer
Phone: (804) 381-9570
E-Mail: tkramer@virginia21.org
Student Body Presidents and VA21 ask Governor McDonnell to focus on balancing higher education quality and affordability when he considers his budget amendments and agenda for the 2013 General Assembly Session
RICHMOND–On Tuesday, student body presidents from the public college and universities sent the attached letter to Governor McDonnell outlining their priorities for the 2013 General Assembly Session.
These priorities include focusing on high quality education through investments in high quality faculty, continuing to ensure affordability for low and middle income students and families through need-based financial aid, and increasing information available to young people about financial literacy and educational outcomes as they pursue college degrees.
After sending the letter, VA21 Executive Director Tom Kramer stated, “The work the Governor and his administration have done for higher education has been remarkable, and we are thankful for his willingness to involve our members during the previous two sessions in advancing his proposed reforms and investments. We hope he takes our continued priorities into consideration as he crafts his budget and legislative proposals this session.
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Category Press Releases, Virginia21 News | Tags: Tags: higher education, SCHEV, Student Debt,
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Tuesday, August 21st, 2012
Richmond Times-Dispatch
August 20, 2012
By Louis Llovio
Virginia Commonwealth University is rolling out a five-year branding campaign today geared at selling the school as a top-tier research university to prospective students, donors and faculty. The campaign, which includes a new school seal, logo, signage and videos, will be rolled out steadily across the university and, VCU said, will allow it to brand itself for the first time to a national audience with a unified voice.
“One of the reasons we’re doing this, probably the primary reason, is that we are charged by our strategic plan to compete on a national level. And the higher-ed marketplace is such that you have to have a strong voice in it,” said Pamela D. Lepley, executive director of university relations at VCU. ”All our competitors, including our in-state competitors and out-of-state competitors, are out in the marketplace and we need to be, too.”
VCU is spending $500,000 on the rebranding campaign, which includes costs for research, creating it, developing materials and rolling it out. Lepley explained the justification for the expense during tough economic times. By raising the university’s reputation, VCU can attract top-notch faculty, which in turn will raise academic standards and make degrees more valuable, and thus help with fundraising, she said.
Click here to read the entire article
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Category Press Releases, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Virginia21 on campus | Tags: Tags: Branding, higher education, Marketing, VCU,
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Thursday, February 9th, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 9, 2012
Contact
Tom Kramer
(804) 381-9570 (c)
tkramer@virginia21.org
Governor McDonnell stands with Virginia21 and over 100 public college students as they announce over 10,000 petition signatures calling on the General Assembly to support college affordability
RICHMOND–On Thursday, the political advocacy group for young voters, Virginia21, announced that as a part of its “What’s Your Number?” campaign against a student debt crisis, it had collected over 10,000 petition signatures from public college students around Virginia to call on the General Assembly to support college affordability by passing Governor McDonnell’s higher education budget recommendations.
According to the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia, in 2009-2010, public in-state college students borrowed over $657 million to pay for college. That is an average of $21,495 for graduates with debt and represents $100 million more of borrowing than the year before.
During the announcement, Virginia21 Executive Director Tom Kramer said, “Young people from all across the Commonwealth have come together to say that we have to get control of this problem. This is the first generation in history that has needed to borrow so much money to prepare for its future and we are being asked to do so without knowing the long-term impact on that very future. Will we be able to buy homes? Will we be able to provide for our families? Will we even be able to save for our retirement? As a nation we have come to the consensus that we cannot continue to depend on cycles of debt to finance our future—Young people are concerned that higher education financed by excessive debt has become so matter of fact. If adopted, this budget will reverse a long trend of funding reductions that have caused college costs to sky-rocket.”
Virginia21’s Student Leadership Committee Chairman Waylin Ross also commenting, “I speak on behalf of most graduating seniors when I say that there is nothing more frightening than entering an economy where jobs are scarce and an income is not promised, especially while having massive student loan debt…These petitions before you today represent an outcry from students, calling on our legislators to back up a commitment that they unanimously agreed to last year.”
Speaking at the press conference, Governor McDonnell stated, “I thank the students of Virginia21 for their passionate advocacy for college affordability and their support for our budget proposals to make college more affordable, increase enrollment and put an end to steep tuition increases. During the past ten years, per-student funding of Virginia’s higher education system has shifted the burden to tuition-paying students and parents and more and more of our graduates are struggling with the growing problem of excessive student debt. I can tell you, with three children currently attending Virginia universities, Maureen and I are watching those tuition levels closely. Our proposed higher education budget represents a major sustained increase in higher education funding and reverses the pattern of disinvestment that dominated much of the past decade.”
In closing, Kramer said, “It took us ten years to get into this problem, and we are not going to solve it overnight. It is going to take a sustained commitment to investing in our young people. The last thing Virginian’s want is to be here in 10 years wondering why we did not act in the face of this crisis. Governor McDonnell has lead the state and the nation by focusing on college affordability, and we hope Governors for the next 10 years lead on this issue and do the same. Over 10,000 students around the Commonwealth are calling on the General Assembly to lead as well.”
The petition effort included Virginia college students in all 100 House of Delegates districts as well as all 40 Senate districts. Following the event, Virginia21 students delivered the petitions to their members calling on them to pass Governor McDonnell’s FY2013/2014 budget recommendations.
About Virginia21
Established in 2002, Virginia21 is a non-profit non-partisan action-tank that involves young people from all across the Commonwealth in the political process by providing information, directing advocacy, and coordinating political action on a higher education, good government, and economic development issue agenda. With 45 chapters and over 60,000 members, Virginia21 is the Commonwealth’s and the country’s first generational advocate for young voters.
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Category Press Releases | Tags: Tags: 10k, affordability, Governor McDonnell, Higher Ed, Tom Kramer, Waylin Ross, What's Your Number?,
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Thursday, June 16th, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 16, 2011
Contact
Tom Kramer
(804) 381-9570 (c)
tkramer@virginia21.org
Virginia21 Students Stand with Governor McDonnell
21 Public Colleges and Universities Represented as Governor McDonnell signs Virginia Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2011
RICHMOND–On Thursday, Virginia21 college student leaders from all across the Commonwealth gathered to stand with Governor McDonnell to support his signing of the Virginia Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2011.
“Young people face two main challenges as they prepare for the future: paying for college and finding a good job,” said the group’s Executive Director Tom Kramer. “The legislation that Governor McDonnell signed today affirms Virginia’s commitment to investing in higher education as a way to not only prepare young people for the jobs of the 21st century but to create those jobs as well.”
The students that attended the event represent over a thousand young people that promoted the passage of the legislation to their friends, their families, and the 2011 General Assembly. They organized phone and e-mail drives using Facebook, a Twitter Town Hall, legislative forums, and an advocacy day in Richmond.
“We could not be more thankful to everyone including the Governor, senators, delegates, college presidents and business owners for their hard work to make sure college stays affordable and helps prepare us for jobs,” Tyler Arthur, Virginia21 member and Virginia Tech student said. “We are glad to be here today and we want everyone to know that we are going to continue to be involved in this process.”
Virginia21 also thanks the Virginia Business Higher Education Council and all of the Grow by Degrees coalition members for their work to educate the public about the importance of having a strong higher education system in Virginia.
About Virginia21
Established in 2002, Virginia21 is a non-profit non-partisan action-tank that involves young people from all across the Commonwealth in the political process by providing information, directing advocacy, and coordinating political action on a higher education, good government, and economic development issue agenda. With 45 chapters and over 50,000 members, Virginia21 is the Commonwealth’s and the country’s first generational advocate for young voters.
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Category General Assembly, Higher Education, Press Releases | Tags: Tags: Governor McDonnell, TJ21,
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Friday, December 3rd, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 3, 2010
Contact
Tom Kramer
(804) 381-9570 (c)
tkramer@virginia21.org
Virginia21 Endorses the Recommendations of the Governor’s Commission on Higher Education Reform, Innovation, and Investment and Commends them to the General Assembly
RICHMOND–On Friday, the political advocacy group for college students, Virginia21, announced its endorsement of the recommendations made by the Governor’s Commission on Higher Education Reform, Innovation, and Investment and commends them to the General Assembly.
“We believe the recommendations made by the commission if enacted will go a long way to begin addressing the many challenges that young people face as they attend college and prepare for the future.” said the group’s Executive Director Tom Kramer. “Our members are very excited for the positive impact the recommendations will have for the future of the Commonwealth and it’s higher education system.”
In making the announcement, the group commends the Virginia Business Higher Education Council for providing the commission with a vision and a framework for how Virginia can prepare its workforce for the jobs of the 21st century. Governor McDonnell also deserves praise for his leadership and initiative for appointing a panel of business leaders, elected officials, and higher education experts to determine the best way to help our higher education system move our economy forward.
With this endorsement, Virginia21 commits its grassroots army of thousands of young people from all across the Commonwealth to advance the initiatives through the 2011 General Assembly Session and beyond.
About Virginia21
Established in 2002, Virginia21 is a non-profit non-partisan action-tank that involves young people from all across the Commonwealth in the political process by providing information, directing advocacy, and coordinating political action on a higher education, good government, and economic development issue agenda. With 45 chapters and over 50,000 members, Virginia21 is the Commonwealth’s and the country’s first generational advocate for young voters.
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Category Press Releases | Tags: Tags: Governor's Commission on Higher Ed, TJ21, VBHEC,
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Thursday, August 19th, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 19, 2010
Contact
Tom Kramer
(804) 381-9570 (c)
tkramer@virginia21.org
Virginia21 Announces New Executive Director
Student Political Advocacy Group to Continue Fight for Higher Education Issues
RICHMOND–
The Board of Directors of Virginia21 announced today that Tom Kramer will become the new Executive Director of the student driven non-profit advocacy group. Kramer succeeds Steven Jones, who will be leaving to attend graduate school at Old Dominion University in the Fall. “I am honored for the opportunity to represent and serve college students from across the Commonwealth,” Kramer said. “Virginia21 has been on the cutting edge of energizing and engaging independently minded young people to be involved in politics. I am really looking forward to reaching out to students and our legislative leaders to continue pushing our non-partisan issue driven agenda.”
“Steven has done a magnificent job, and even though we will miss him, we are all very excited that Tom will bring the same energy and vision to Virginia21,” said Jay Poole, chairman of Virginia21 Board of Directors when he made the announcement. “Virginia’s college students and their families are facing some extraordinary challenges as they attend college and prepare for the future. It has never been more important for young people to be involved in the political process, and Tom has the right combination of experience and passion to lead this unique organization.”
Dr. Don Finley, President of the Virginia Business Higher Education Council, said, “Our council has been fortunate to have Virginia21’s partnership and very able leadership as we have worked together on issues facing Virginia’s higher education system. We are excited to maintain that partnership working with Tom to continue addressing ways to make our colleges more innovative, accessible, and affordable.”
A native of Newport News, Virginia, Kramer is a 2006 graduate of the College of William and Mary. He began his career as a legislative aide to State Senator Kenneth W. Stolle (R-Virginia Beach). He then worked for the Senate Clerk’s Office as a Page Supervisor before serving as a Deputy Finance Director on State Senator Creigh Deeds’s (D-Bath County) primary campaign for Governor. He comes to Virginia21 after fundraising for multiple political campaigns around the country.
Kramer officially took over day-to-day operations of the organization on August 2.
About Virginia21
Established in 2002, Virginia21 is a non-profit non-partisan action-tank that involves young people from all across the Commonwealth in the political process by providing information, directing advocacy, and coordinating political action on a higher education, good government, and economic development issue agenda. With 45 chapters and over 50,000 members, Virginia21 is the Commonwealth’s and the country’s first generational advocate for young voters.
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