Randolph joins Growth4VA initiative

Randolph College has joined a growing coalition called Growth4VA, which aims to make Virginia colleges more affordable and encourages lawmakers to invest more into the state’s future workforce.

Growth4VA is a function of the Virginia Business Higher Education Council and is a broad-based coalition that includes people from business, industry, and higher education working together to encourage the political leadership of the Commonwealth to put appropriate support behind the funding of higher education, including the funding for the Tuition Assistance Grant (TAG) program. Randolph is part of the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia (CICV), which is a sponsoring member of the initiative.

“Together, the aim is to bring information to elected officials to help them be reminded, or to learn for the first time, of the important role that all higher ed institutions play in developing the talent for the future of the state’s workforce, and also to ask them to focus on solutions that will help make higher education more affordable for students and their families,” said Sabena Moretz, director of government relations and member services for the CICV.

Moretz said the initiative would directly benefit Randolph students and families if it is successful at increasing funding for the TAG program.

“In 2018-19, 429 Randolph students were recipients of the grant, which brought more than $1.3 million into the College’s coffers, making it a significant piece of the revenue picture for the institution,” Moretz said. “Our hope is that we can continue to grow the size of that grant to help us remain in a competitive position versus public institutions in the state, which is a significant challenge. I think that families will typically be responsive to the message of additional state aid as a major benefit.”

Bradley W. Bateman, president of Randolph College, added that affordability is one of the main concerns for students and families considering small, private colleges like Randolph. Earlier this year, Randolph announced a price reset for tuition, room, and board in order to bring more clarity and transparency to the College’s pricing.

“At Randolph we talk a lot about opportunity, and we want the opportunities we provide here to be available to anyone who has an interest in becoming part of our community,” he said. “As part of the Growth4VA initiative, we are urging our state’s lawmakers to help us make college more affordable and attainable and to help us prepare even more future professionals and leaders from the Commonwealth.”

Find out more about Growth4VA at https://www.growth4va.com/.