Current Release: September 11th, 2007 | Vol. XXIV Iss. 10

Our Voice

staff

Tuition and fees increased for the 2008-2009 academic year to cover rising costs of the college.

According to an e-mailed letter signed by President Billy Greer, VWC added eight new full-time professors. During the spring semester, a search will begin for nine new faculty members to begin the new academic year.

“While some of these positions fill vacancies created by retirements or departures,” wrote Greer, “others add new professors in key areas where they are needed. These additions will further strengthen our already outstanding faculty, enrich our course offerings, and sustain our close student-faculty relationships.”

Village IV is complete, and the students have moved in. These condos are expected to extend the on-campus population to 800.

With more students living on campus, VWC will be able to offer “more interesting programs and a more stimulating environment.” Next fall we will see pilot “living-learning communities” in residence halls. WAC, using student activities fees, offers social and educational events on weekends, according to the letter.

These sound like great additions that will benefit the campus. As we achieve Phi Beta Kappa, we should expect more additions and higher prices.

However, how often will prices rise in order to accomplish such a vision? Can we expect an annual tuition increase? If so, what about scholarship or grant options to compensate?

According to the Phi Beta Kappa website, John D. Zeglis, a corporate leader in wireless communication, had this to say about members of the society:

“You are here because you’ve made a habit of excellence. Occasional brilliance will not get you into Phi Beta Kappa. You are not one-subject wonders. You’ve established your intellectual credentials in a wide range of subjects. The excellence that brings you here is not accidental. You have chosen to pursue it, and you have earned it. You’ve broken the code of how to get it done. And that stays with you for life.”

We’re not one-subject wonders. The excellence we bring is not accidental. We have earned it. Our diploma, pre-Phi Beta Kappa, will stay with us for life. And the incurring debt to pay for that diploma will stay for a while, too.

We ask that in all the growing and achieving the college experiences, you neither forget nor lose sight of the students who helped get us to this place.