The Higher Education Equipment Trust Fund (HEETF or ETF) was established in 1986 by the General Assembly to provide supplemental funding to upgrade equipment needed for instruction and research in higher education.
The program is funded with revenue bonds. The General Assembly appropriates funds to the Department of the Treasury for the bond payments.
The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) shares administrative responsibility for the program with the Virginia College Building Authority (VCBA) and the Department of Treasury.
At JMU, allocation of funds for eligible divisions is determined by the VP of Administration and Finance and within the divisions by the AVP of Information Technology and the Associate VP of Academic Resources.
The Trust Fund has been used to accomplish the following goals:
- Significantly reduce the amount of obsolete technology and equipment.
- Provide every student with access to an appropriate level of information and technology.
- Establish a statewide network that supports and encourages sharing and cooperation.
- Provide every faculty member with appropriate equipment and training to use technology in support of teaching and learning.
- Support faculty in the introduction of new ways of instruction and learning, provide courses customized to student needs and take advantage of distance-learning opportunities.
- Install high quality, easy-access, network-deliverable student support services, such as transcripts, grades, class scheduling and account balance and payment information.
- Install management information systems that are flexible and directly accessible to users to help support administrative restructuring and cost-containment.
