VIRGINIA GOV. MARK R. WARNER VISITED CAMPUS LAST FALL ON A LEG OF A SIX-DAY, SEVEN-CITY TOUR OF THE COMMONWEALTH TO INTRODUCE AND PROMOST HIS "EDUCATION FOR A LIFETIME" INITIATIVES.

The governor's educational initiatives include a series of six major reforms targeting multiple levels of education in Virginia. Warner also says that his proposed budget for the next biennium will provide $525 million to maintain the Standards of Quality, Virginia's minimum school requirements.

"We've got to make available to every person in Virginia a system of education that starts with preschool and doesn't even end when you leave JMU," Warner told students. "We can no longer look at education as preschool, separate from K-12, separate from higher education, separate from workforce training."

The reform initiatives are also "self-funding," says Warner. As more graduates enter the job market, earning power increases, and money will be pumped back into the economy to essentially fund the initiatives, according to the governor. He says that reforms "must be gauged by two criteria: They have to be accountable, and they have to be measurable."

One initiative concentrates on the recruitment and retention of teachers. "Some of our schools' most talented faculty members are picking up and moving on because Virginia schools are not able to be competitive in the areas of pay or resources," explains Warner.

"We've got to acknowledge that we have an ongoing concern -- and potential crisis -- in terms of recruiting and retaining good teachers," according to the governor.

In the next 10 years, nearly 40 percent of Virginia public school teachers will retire; while in the next two years alone, 32,000 students are expected to enter the public school system.

Last October, JMU joined nine other Virginia colleges and universities in an agreement with the Virginia Community College System to form a partnership that articulates Warner's educational goals. The partnership will ensure that community college students who take a pre-teacher education curricu-lum can transfer seamlessly as juniors to four-year education schools across the state.

Warner also promoted his specific Education for a Lifetime initiative, which will offer new options to Virginia's high school students. "Senior Year Plus" will allow students to earn a full semester of college credit before graduating from high school. Students can earn these credits through four-year colleges, community colleges, distance learning and traditional advanced placement programs. "Every dollar saved by families can be reinvested in public education," Warner says.

Warner's appearance at JMU was the first of three stops in western Virginia. During his six-day tour, the governor visited eight colleges, universities and high schools in the commonwealth.

"I really like that Gov. Warner looked at education as a comprehensive process from preschool to beyond college," says Rich Harris, director of JMU's Community Service-Learning program. "I'm interested to see the details and how this will affect JMU."

-- Michelle Hite ('88)