The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) advocates and promotes the development and operation of an educationally and economically sound, vigorous, progressive, and coordinated system of higher education and leads state-level strategic planning and policy development and implementation based on research and analysis.
The State Council of Higher Education enhances Virginia's already-robust and vigorous higher education system by bringing the institutions together to collectively and collaboratively serve the goals, needs, and interests of the Commonwealth in a way that recognizes, utilizes, and maximizes the distinctive mission of each college and university. SCHEV is committed to ensuring that each institution performs at the highest possible level in terms of quality of instruction and service to students, while fostering an environment of innovative contributions to Virginians' economic and cultural prosperity through research and public service.
Ethics refer to the moral guidelines for employee conduct. Values are the principles and ideals that help employees make judgments about what is most important. As leaders and employees of the Commonwealth and SCHEV, we are guided by ethics and values in our decision-making by:
- Fulfilling all professional duties with honesty and integrity and always acting in a trustworthy and responsible manner.
- Treating all individuals, groups and organizations with dignity and respect at all times.
- Embracing the diversity of people, perspectives and opinions that lead to increased collaboration and innovative thinking.
- Taking pride in the quality of our work, as well as committing to continuous improvement.
- Accepting responsibility and accountability for one's own actions and behaviors.
- Abiding by the Commonwealth's "Standards of Conduct for Employees" and related policies and procedures.
Financial Overview The State Council of Higher Education (SCHEV) has a total budget in FY2020 of approximately $116.6 million (93.7 percent from the general fund). The FY2020 total represents an increase of approximately $11.5 million (10.9 percent) from the total for FY2019.
The majority of the general fund monies in SCHEV's budget actually flow through the agency as direct student financial assistance -- about $92.45 million in FY2020. The FY2020 financial-assistance budget represents an increase of $9.9 million (11.9 percent) from the total for FY2019. In FY2020, the Two-Year College Transfer Grant Program will receive an allocation of $3.89 million, and the New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Program will receive allocations of $13.5 million (an increase of $4.0 million, or 42 percent, over FY2019). The largest student-assistance program is the Tuition Assistance Grant (TAG) program, which will receive $71.1 million in FY2020.
Also from the general fund, $9.2 million in FY2020 is provided to support the Virtual Library of Virginia (VIVA) project, and $307,899 is provided to support the Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership at Mary Baldwin University.
Of SCHEV's $116.6 million FY2020 budget total, only about $7.24 million (6.2 percent) goes to support agency operations (staff salaries and fringe benefits, supplies and materials, contractual services, equipment, travel, rent, etc.).
Biennial Budget | 2019
General Fund | 2019
Nongeneral Fund | 2020
General Fund | 2020
Nongeneral Fund | | Initial Appropriation for the Biennium | 97,787,040 | 7,277,153 | 100,251,939 | 7,277,153 | | Changes to Initial Appropriation | 0 | 0 | 9,065,000 | 0 |
(Changes to Initial Appropriation will be 0 when the plan is created. They will change when the plan is updated mid-biennium.) Anticipated Changes to Customer Base No changes to the agency's customer base are anticipated in FY2020.
Current Customer List | Predefined Group | User Defined Group | Number Served Annually | Potential Number of Annual Customers | Projected Customer Trend |
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| Higher Education Students | Students | 550,000 | 656,000 | Increase |
| General Assembly | Governor and General Assembly | 141 | 141 | Stable |
| Higher Education Institutions | Public Colleges and Universities | 17 | 17 | Stable |
| Organization | Non-public Institutions and Schools | 296 | 296 | Stable |
| State Agency(s), | Council Members | 13 | 13 | Stable |
| Taxpayer | Taxpayers and Citizens | 8,300,000 | 8,300,000 | Stable |
| Name | Description |
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| Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) | The SREB operates the Stephen J. Wright Scholars Program, which is a scholarship program for minoirty students pursuing doctoral degrees; the agency facilitates Virginia's participation in the program. |
| Dominion Foundation | The foundation underwrites the Virginia Outstanding Faculty Awards (OFA) Program (plaques and monetary gifts), the ceremony, and publicity; the agency administers the program annually. |
| U.S. Department of Education | The department awards the funds for the Improving Teacher Quality (ITQ) grant and the GEAR UP grant. The ITQ grant is a component of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act; the agency oversees the awarding of these funds, which encourage colleges to work with school systems to improve teaching and administration in secondary schools. As administrator of Virginia's GEAR UP grant, agency staff work with K-12 students in high-poverty school districts to educate them about and prepare them for postsecondary education and training. |
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| • | Promote the strategic management of Virginia's system of higher education. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia's primary mission is to promote the continuous improvement of the Commonwealth's nationally recognized higher education system through state-level strategic planning, coordination and collaboration that recognize the individual missions of the institutions while reflecting and meeting the needs and goals of the Commonwealth as a whole. Virginia statute clearly defines the educational goals and objectives that SCHEV and the public institutions must address, and SCHEV's new state-wide strategic plan articulates broad goals and strategies for the system and the Commonwealth. Many of the duties and activities inherent in this goal are codified in Virginia law. This goal is consistent with SCHEV’s mission to promote the development and operation of a sound, vigorous, progressive, and coordinated system of higher education. Ultimately, the responsibility for planning and execution of these duties and responsibilities rests with the Council, which is comprised of 13 members appointed by the Governor. The Council hires a director for the state agency known as SCHEV, which carries out the Council's directives and its mandated activities. Education: Elevate the levels of educational preparedness and attainment of our citizens. Educational Attainment | |
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| » | Promote the strategic management of Virginia’s system of higher education. This objective promotes strategic management through SCHEV’s leadership of key constituencies, thereby creating a comprehensive strategic plan for Virginia’s higher education system that harnesses multiple resources and that: 1) meets student needs and the Commonwealth’s vital interests; 2) promotes the effective coordination of systemwide and institutional academic, financial, and enrollment plans; and 3) serves as a catalyst for policy implementation and collaboration.
In Fall 2014 SCHEV staff produced and the Council approved a new statewide strategic plan for Virginia higher education through 2030. The plan sets four goals: 1) provide affordable access for all; 2) optimize student success for life and work; 3) drive change and improvement through investment and innovation; and 4) advance the economic and cultural prosperity of the Commonwealth and its regions. Additional information on the statewide strategic plan is available on the SCHEV website, www.schev.edu. • Develop the statewide strategic plan for Virginia higher education, including goals, strategies, initiatives and performance targets and measures, and then monitor progress toward achievement of the plan's goals.
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| ♦ | Number of public institutions of higher education certified by SCHEV as having met all education-related, financial and administrative performance targets as defined in the Higher Education Opportunity Act and the Appropriation Act.
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| ♦ | Number of students who complete their credentials on-time.
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| ♦ | On-time (by November 1) transmission of "cost of education" calculations to the Governor, General Assembly, and public colleges and universities.
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| ♦ | Percent (level) of overall satisfaction with the agency's annual educational orientation for recent appointees to the governing boards of the public institutions of higher education as reported by attendees.
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| » | Advocate the interests of Virginia higher education SCHEV strives to advocate the interests of Virginia higher education by: 1) communicating higher education interests through research-based reports, public briefings and hearings, and electronic and other communication devices; 2) preparing and presenting testimony on pending legislation affecting higher education, particularly regarding SCHEV priorities (e.g., access, affordability, transfer and articulation, research, etc.) that results in adoption or rejection of advocacy principles; and 3) developing empirically-based resource allocation models to determine the adequacy of the existing funding structure of higher education in Virginia (e.g., base operating adequacy, faculty salary benchmarks, capital outlay space needs assessment, etc.). Further, SCHEV advocates the interest of Virginia higher education by presenting formal funding recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly based on the results of these models. • Develop the roadmap and funding model to support policies established in the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2011 in order to enable the Governor and the General Assembly to base the biennial budget on the new funding model and policies, thereby aligning ongoing higher education investment with the reform and innovation objectives of statute.
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| ♦ | On-time (by November 1) transmission of budget recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly.
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| » | Enhance the six-year planning and review process to assist state-level and institutional-level determinations regarding higher education policies. SCHEV staff coordinates the production, submission and review of public institutions' six-year plans, which the Code of Virginia requires the institutions' boards to develop and adopt in odd-numbered years and to affirm or amend in even-numbered years. Traditionally, these plans include information on planned: (i) academic initiatives (and associated costs); (ii) increases in tuitions and fees (and estimates of non-general fund revenues); and (iii) allocations of student financial aid (including any allocation of tuition revenue thereto); as well as reports of past-year information on research expenditures and intellectual property. • Develop, in collaboration with the group of state officials designated statutorily as reviewers of public institutions' six-year plans, the template for these plans; distribute the template to the institutions and respond to their questions; receive the plans; distribute the submitted plans to the reviewers; schedule meetings between the reviewers and each institution; facilitate/lead each meeting and produce reviewers' feedback in written form; submit this feedback to each institution; receive institutions' responses to the feedback and any updates or amendments to the plans; and communicate these updates, amendments or the lack thereof to the reviewers.
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| » | Advance non-public postsecondary education in the Commonwealth through the effective and efficient regulation of certain private and all out-of-state institutions. SCHEV strives to effectively and efficiently regulate: (1) all for-profit postsecondary entities; (2) all new non-profit postsecondary entities; and (3) all out-of-state postsecondary entities that seek to operate (initially and continually) in the Commonwealth. • Review non-public postsecondary educational entities' initial and continued eligibility to operate in the Commonwealth.
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| ♦ | Average number of processing days until our formal response to applicants' initial requests for certification to operate in Virginia.
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| • | Maximize higher education access and affordability for all qualified citizens.SCHEV is committed to supporting the investment of higher education funds so as to maximize the benefits of financial resources for all students seeking postsecondary education. In addition, SCHEV supports policies that optimize the effective use of financial resources to minimize costs to students. | |
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| » | Maximize higher education access and affordability for all qualified citizens. SCHEV strives to maximize access and affordability through: (a) administration of need-based and nonneed-based financial aid programs; and (b) identification of and reporting on the impacts of educational-costs increases on student financial need. • Advocate for increased allocations to support needy students in Virginia's public and private nonprofit institutions of higher education.
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| ♦ | Amount of annual allocation of state funds for student financial aid.
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| » | Maximize educational options. Through administration of the Tuition Assistance Grant (TAG) program, SCHEV strives to ensure that financial aid provides Virginia's students with the ability to consider private institutions. • Advocate for increased allocations to support larger per-student awards for qualifying Virginia residents attending eligible private, nonprofit institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth.
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| ♦ | Amount of annual TAG (Tuition Assistance Grant) appropriation per eligible student
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| » | Maximize allocation of available funds to qualified students for financial assistance. Through administration of appropriations for "regional financial assistance for education," SCHEV strives to assist students who: (a) attend colleges of optometry; and (b) participate in the Stephen J. Wright Scholars Program of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), which is a scholarship program for minority students pursuing doctoral degrees. • Award all available funds to eligible students.
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| ♦ | Amount of available funds awarded annually to qualified applicants.
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| • | Promote and convey progress toward state goals for educational attainment and workforce development. SCHEV collaborates with public and private institutions of higher education to develop enrollment projections and estimates for credential awards (degrees and non-degree workforce credentials). The agency also assists institutions with efforts to improve students' educational attainment and workforce readiness, and it reports on progress toward relevant goals set by the Governor and General Assembly. Education: Elevate the levels of educational preparedness and attainment of our citizens. Lifelong Learning | |
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| » | Develop system capacity. SCHEV strives to develop system capacity by producing college and university enrollment projections, degree estimates, non-degree workforce credential estimates and economic-opportunity scorecards that are consistent with institutional six-year plans, performance measure responses and the goals of the Governor and General Assembly. • Develop and administer processes that enable institutions of higher education to communicate their projections and estimates to SCHEV and state policymakers in ways that are timely and conducive to executive- and legislative-branch planning and resource-allocation decisions.
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| ♦ | Number of economic-opportunity scorecards for non-degree workforce credentials developed.
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| ♦ | Percent of enrollment projections that are accurate.
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| ♦ | Percent of institutions' aggregated degree estimates that are accurate.
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| • | Coordinate and enhance the federal programs that support Virginia's postsecondary education system.The purpose of the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Title II, Part A, Improving Teacher Quality State Grants," is to increase the academic achievement of all students by helping schools and school districts improve teacher and principal quality and ensure that all teachers are highly qualified. SCHEV is responsible for competitively administering federal grants to institutions of higher education that partner with local school districts to support this purpose. The purpose of the GEAR UP program is to increase the awareness and readiness of low-income school childhood for postsecondary education and training. This goal is consistent with SCHEV’s mission to promote the development and operation of an educationally and economically sound, vigorous, progressive, and coordinated system of higher education. Education: Elevate the levels of educational preparedness and attainment of our citizens. Educational Attainment | |
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| » | Administer federal grants efficiently, in accordance with federal requirements. SCHEV strives to efficiently administer two federal grant programs: 1) the Title II, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act grant, which seeks to improve the quality of teachers and principals in grantee-selected schools; and 2) the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) grant, which seeks to increase the awareness and readiness of low-income school childhood for postsecondary education and training. • Ensure that federal funds are expended efficiently and in accordance with all state and federal requirements.
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| ♦ | Rate of compliance with the reporting requirements of the federal GEAR UP program.
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| ♦ | Rate of compliance with the reporting requirements of the federal Improving Teacher Quality State Grant (Title II, No Child Left Behind Act of 2001) program.
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| • | Maximize productivity through the efficient use of resources. SCHEV strives to maximize productivity through the efficient and effective use of resources in the administration of the agency’s budget and finance functions, while adhering to all applicable state laws and regulations. | |
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| » | Ensure that resources are used efficiently and programs are managed effectively, and in a manner consistent with applicable state and federal requirements. SCHEV strives to be efficient and effective in its use of resources in the administration of the agency’s budget and finance, human relations, and facilities management functions. • Enhance the productivity and efficiency of state government operations.
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| ♦ | Percent of compliance (annually) with the Small Purchase Charge Card (SPCC) program. Maximized compliance with SPCC requirements maximizes the associated cost savings for the Commonwealth.
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| ♦ | Percent of vendor invoices paid on or before the "required payment due date" (as defined in Virginia's Prompt Payment Statutes) annually.
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As a coordinating body, SCHEV serves as a reliable source of accurate data, objective information, and policy expertise to elected and appointed officials, students, families, colleges and universities, media, and the public. SCHEV’s statutory authorities and responsibilities include:
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- Development of a statewide strategic plan for higher education at least every six years (the current plan was approved in fall 2014);
- Policy guidance and recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly regarding capital and operating budget planning, faculty salaries, college/university equipment and technology needs, performance and innovation incentive funding, and financial aid;
- Certification of public institutions’ performance on various education-related state goals and measures;
- Oversight of the Commonwealth’s need-based and non-need-based student financial aid programs;
- Approval of various academic matters at public colleges/universities, such as new mission statements, degree levels, degree programs, and certain organizational changes;
- Review and potential discontinuance of public-institution degree programs deemed to be unproductive and/or unnecessarily duplicative;
- Review and approval of public and private institutions’ enrollment projections and degree estimates;
- Administration of the Virginia Longitudinal Data System;
- Provision of educational training programs for new appointees to public institutions' governing boards;
- Provision of advisory services to private, nonprofit institutions;
- Regulation of proprietary and out-of-state postsecondary entities that seek to begin or continue operating in Virginia;
- Administration of various federal grants; and
- Development of the Commonwealth Research and Technology Strategic Roadmap and staff support to the Virginia Research Investment Committee.
| Authorized Maximum Employment Level (MEL) | | 63 | | Salaried Employees | | 42 | | Wage Employees | | 11 | | Contracted Employees | | 0 |
The key risk factors most likely to impact the agency over the next few years are related to funding, workload and staffing, and to the interplay of the three. Multiple budget cuts this century have reduced significantly the agency's operating budget, thereby impacted the agency's ability to procure supplies, materials, and equipment; to fund staff professional development and work-related travel; and to contract for certain services. The efforts of both the SCHEV Council and its staff are complicated by a changing and growing agency workload. The number and complexity of the agency's legislatively-mandated responsibilities expanded in recent years, often without a corresponding increase in staffing. The agency's full-time workforce has grown only marginally since January 2012. Moreover, about half of all current full-time employees joined the agency between January 2012 and May 2019. As a result, the SCHEV Council and its staff continue to explore ways to focus agency human and fiscal resources more strategically in an effort to mitigate current and future risks. The statewide strategic plan, The Virginia Plan for Higher Education, serves as a guide for this strategic re-focusing.
General Information About Ongoing Status of AgencyThe future direction of the agency will be charted largely by the priorities of the 13-member SCHEV Council, the goals of its statewide strategic plan, and evolving statutory responsibilities. SCHEV recently undertook a review of agency responsibilities and processes in order to better align its processes and personnel with the needs of the Commonwealth and the goals of the new statewide strategic plan for higher education.
Information TechnologyAt this time, agency staff are not aware of any external factors, requirements or mandates that will necessitate non-routine IT investments in the foreseeable future. Most agency desktop computers have been updated in the past two years.
Estimate of Technology Funding Needs Workforce DevelopmentIn recent years, expanding workloads and expectations have outpaced growth in the number of SCHEV's approved staff positions. Some approved positions remain vacant due to funding issues, and retirements may become an issue for the relatively small agency over the next few years. To address current and potential workforce issues, the agency is: (a) restarting efforts to improve the knowledge, skills, and abilities of current staff through tuition-assistance programs and other professional development opportunities, such as the Commonwealth Management Institute, the Virginia Executive Institute, Lead VA, and professional conferences; and (b) continuing to seek maximum alignment between current staff and the future needs of the higher education system.
Physical PlantOffice space leased on the 9th and 10th floors of the James Monroe Building adjacent to Capitol Square in Richmond provides SCHEV with area, functionality, and accessibility that are adequate for its needs.
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