Richard Bland is a step closer to being its own school; bill advances without community-college request

RICHMOND — Richard Bland College got its first step toward independence Monday when a House of Delegates Committee recommended it be removed from under the umbrella of the College of William & Mary.

The House Education Committee unanimously voted to send legislation from Del. Emily Brewer, R-Isle of Wight County, to the House Appropriations Committee prior to having it go to the full House for consideration. The bill contained a fiscal impact statement which required the Approrpriations review, but since there is no financial impact to William & Mary and routine impact to Richard Bland, that committee's vote is basically a formality.

Earlier in the day, a House higher-education subcommittee recommended the bill be advanced.

The bill will create an all-new governing board of visitors that would set policy and guide RBC. As it stands now, all of the policies that the two-year junior college follows are established by the William & Mary Board of Visitors.

Essentially, Richard Bland has been acting independent of William & Mary for some time now. The only common denominator betweem RBC and William & Mary was the two-year college's representation on the board.

More:Richard Bland College wants to establish itself as independent from William & Mary

RBC president Dr. Debbie Sydow told the subcommittee that the independence her college is seeking falls in line with its mission to be "flexible, adaptable and entrepreneural." She pointed to agreements Bland has with area high schools for dual-enrollment and partnerships with several four-year colleges, including cross-town Virginia State University.

"Our goal is to fill the gaps in current higher education options, supplementing the good work of community colleges and universities, not supplanting those options," Sydow said.

Once the measure is heard and likely approved by House Appropriations, it is expected to sail through the House floor vote and over to the state Senate.

Not included in that legislation is a study requested by the Virginia Community College System about the possibility of VCCS taking over governance of Richard Bland College.

Dr. Ellen Davenport, associate vice chancellor for public affairs and governmental relations, told the subcommittee that VCCS was not against RBC's independence. However, at its Jan. 18 meeting, the VCCS Board asked that the bill be amended to replace the creation of a new RBC board of visitors with a study of governance options for the junior college, to seek to replace the creation of new board with a study of governance options for Richard Bland "to include the viability and benefits of the State Board for Community Colleges serving as the governing body" for RBC.

"There are a number of efficiencies and economies in scale that could be identified and considered if a study is conducted," Davenport said. That includes leveraging technology and sharing common areas of administration such as human resources.

Following Davenport's remarks, the subcommittee voted to recommend Brewer's bill without the requested study.

Through a spokesperson, Sydow told The Progress-Index that the VCCS suggestion "did indeed come as a surprise."

The House bill's Senate companion, sponsored by GOP Sen. Frank Ruff of Mecklenburg County, was rolled into legislation from Senate Minority Leader Tommy Norment of James City County, whose district includes William & Mary. Ruff's and Brewer's legislative districts include Prince George County where Richard Bland is based.

A Senate Education & Health subcommittee is expected to hear the bill early next week.

Reduced VSU out-of-state tuition

Also heading to House Appropriations is legislation that would allow Virginia State University and Norfolk State University to charge in-state tuition rates to any out-of-state student enrolled in programs that leds to employment in high-demand fields. The bill, sponsored by Del. Mike Cherry, R-Colonial Heights, would only allow students to qualify if they have completed at least 30 credit hours of course work — essentially the first two years of school.

Cherry said the 30-credit hour requirement was put on so that "they're not in a [general education] type of thing and then decide, 'Oh, I don't want to do this.'"

Students who do enroll and then change their majors would forfeit the in0state tuition rate.

According to the bill's impact statement, VSU could experience a $4.2 million tuition-revenue loss that could be offset by a rise in out-of-state enrollment.

If passed, the reduced-rate program would expire in 2028, but be subject to extension.

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Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on Twitter at @BAtkinson_PI.