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Preserving and enhancing the instructional excellence of Virginia's leading universities and of the higher education system as a whole; Increasing significantly the percentage of college-age Virginians enrolling in institutions of higher education and attaining degrees; Attracting and preparing young people for the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) areas and other disciplines (e.g., healthcare and advanced manufacturing) where skill shortages now exist and/or unmet demand is anticipated; Forging new effective public-private partnerships and regional strategies for business recruitment, workforce preparation, and university-based research; Making Virginia a national leader in providing higher education opportunities to military personnel and veterans; Crafting a sustainable higher education funding model that will systematically move Virginia toward higher levels of educational attainment and economic competitiveness over the next decade-and-a-half; Developing innovative ways to deliver quality instruction, cost-saving reform strategies, and affordable new pathways to degree attainment for capable and motivated Virginians regardless of income or background; Evaluating strategies to reduce costs through additional college placement testing and accelerated degree completion; and Creating effective workforce development programs through expanded use of the Community College System in coordination with the Commission on Economic Development and Job Creation.

Many colleges are also offering block scheduling to help cut students’ energy costs. Brevard Community College (Florida) now operates on a four-day work week, which has had mixed reviews. Some students are happy to have a day off, while others find it difficult because the longer classes mean less time to handle daily responsibilities, college officials said. J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College (Virginia)also uses a form of block scheduling to cut the cost of commuting for students. Under its Fuel Smart Fridays program, students come to campus once a week and can still earn a full load of credits. The program operates on a 16-week semester.

this paper identifies eight practices common among high-performance organizations: leadership, focus on the customer, functional alignment, process improvement, use of measurement, employee involvement and professional development, and external linkages. Evidence suggests that these organizational practices have the greatest impact on performance when implemented in concert with one another.