JMU counts on Virginians to just say yes to bond issue

Under the plan, JMU would receive $125.2 million for construction projects over the next several years. That's the largest amount of any college or university in the state and represents about 10 percent of all the funding proposed for higher education.

The second-largest amount in the proposal would go to Virginia Tech, with $123.2 million. Other major allocations would go to George Mason University, $105.1 million and the University of Virginia, $94.3 million.

The total capital outlay package approved by the legislators is for $1.6 billion over a seven-year period. In addition to the $1.2 billion for higher education, another $400 million would be allocated for construction projects at other state agencies.

The JMU projects in the bond package include a new center for the arts, a music recital hall, a new library on the campus area east of Interstate 81, renovation projects for Miller Hall and Harrison Hall, and funds for infrastructure improvements and handicapped accessibility projects.

JMU President Linwood H. Rose says that he is "extremely pleased that the needs of James Madison University are being recognized." He emphasizes that "these projects are not for an expanded enrollment. They are to meet current needs.

"I certainly encourage alumni and parents in Virginia to support this bond issue," Rose says.

Two major projects for the fine arts are included in the general obligation bond package. "In recent years, JMU has provided new facilities for programs in business, education and the sciences," Rose says. "It is now time to provide similar state-of-the-art facilities for the programs that support the liberal arts core of our university."

In addition to the bond projects, the legislative package includes $1 million for sewer repair and upgrade and $24.2 million for a chemistry-physics building in a "jumpstart" package of projects that could begin this year. Rose says the "chemistry-physics building has already been planned and it is needed to meet the growing needs of our outstanding

programs in the sciences. We're glad to see it among the 'jumpstart' projects."

The bond issue was clearly the good news in a legislative session that was marked by bad news about finances. The General Assembly passed a bare-bones budget that is designed to head off an estimated $3.8 billion shortfall in state funds into the year 2005.

Major cuts were made in the budgets of all state colleges and universities. The institutions, however, were allowed to recoup some of those reductions by increasing tuition.

Cuts in state funding were moderated for colleges that had been the most underfunded in the past. JMU has led the list of underfunded state colleges and consequently will be able to make up most of its budget cuts through tuition increases.

"We always regret having to raise tuition," Rose says, "but this does give us a way to absorb most of the budget cuts and to avoid some of the drastic cutbacks in service that we feared earlier. The budget will not allow us to make any dramatic expansions to our operations but, on the positive side, it shows that JMU's budgetary needs are being acknowledged. We should be able to continue at our current level with the hopes for additional staff and resources when the state economy improves."

-- Fred Hilton ('96M, '95P, '98P)