Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
P. O. Box 3711
204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
276-638-8801
Toll Free: 800-234-6575
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Sunday, October 11, 2009
In tough economic times, the New College Institute board showed last week that it has a good grasp of the state’s economic difficulties as well as an eye for the future.
The board approved budget cuts of $184,416, which are about $60,000 more than required by the state. It did that by postponing hiring two employees until January and spending less on student recruitment efforts, tuition assistance, promotional items and printing, plus delays in replacing outdated or worn out equipment.
As a new institution that will have to prove its value to the state in a few years, it is difficult to cut areas such as student recruiting, tuition assistance and promotions. But Barry Dorsey, executive director of NCI, said the cuts will have little impact this fiscal year, and the board wanted to be conservative in case the General Assembly orders further cuts in January. Those potential cuts, he said, worry him more than the ones facing NCI now.
The board’s willingness to do more than its share should be well received in Richmond. NCI can point to the fact that when times were hard, it was willing to tighten its belt beyond Gov. Tim Kaine’s order.
At the same time, NCI can show that it is thinking ahead by starting to plan a degree program in entrepreneurship. If funded, it would be the first such program at a Virginia public college or university.
Dr. Dorsey explained that such a program would help people turn their ideas for new ventures into viable businesses that would create jobs and help ease the area’s unemployment situation. That is a good fit with NCI’s mission of working revitalize the local economy.
We are continually impressed with the New College’s ability to see challenges as opportunities, to look for new ways to serve the community and its residents, and to see the future as limitless. We hope leaders in Richmond are taking note. |
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