Mayor Reynolds; Chairman Vaughan; Senator Reynolds; Delegate Armstrong; Delegate Hurt; Delegate Marshall, Dr. Dorsey; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen; good afternoon.  What a great day to be in Martinsville!

A New Beginning

Today, with the cutting of this ribbon, we begin a new era in Martinsville/ Henry County and a new era throughout Southern Virginia.

Today, we begin a new era where moms and dads in this part are no longer forced to send away their children to pursue the opportunity of a higher education, knowing that there was little chance they would permanently return.  Today, we begin a new era, taking an important step in building that higher education infrastructure that is critical to competing and succeeding in the 21st century.

Today, we begin a new era of opportunity in Southern Virginia.

And it is an honor to be here with so many friends and leaders who have given their time and talents to transform this from a neat idea to a promising reality.   I would especially like to thank your state lawmakers – Democrats and Republicans – who stood together and worked hard through the challenges of the process, of cynics, of pessimist who said sure, it’s a great idea, but you can’t make it work.

Today, we extend a simple reminder that when you have a good idea and the willingness to work hard, nothing can stand in your way.

Virginia Higher Education:  Modest Beginnings, Big Successes

The New College Institute honors a tradition in Virginia higher education:  It is beginning small.  Today, the institute has 50 students in three programs.  That will soon expand to seven programs.  And the number of students will grow as well.

In 1690, the Virginia clergy of the Church of England called for the creation of a college that offered three programs:  grammar, philosophy and divinity.  King William III and Queen Mary II granted a charter for the school and provided a little less than 2,000 pounds in initial funding.

 In 1825, a former Virginia Governor and former U.S. President – with the financial backing of a begrudging General Assembly – opened a public university in Charlottesville, serving 123 students.

In 1872, after more than two-dozen organization fought over who should control the grant money for the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College, and whether it should be its own school or a branch-off of another, the school that would become Virginia Tech opened.  The opening generated little fanfare and a frightening lack of students.  The college had to wait another two years before earning its first state allocation of $45,000.

George Mason University, Old Dominion University and Virginia Commonwealth University also began in humble fashion.  Each school started as a branch of another college and eventually grew into independence.  In fact, those who began the three would find the re-used storefront you are beginning in eerily familiar.

As a result of these and other decisions, we have created a uniquely Virginian system of higher education.  We do not have a centralized university system with flagship, and lesser, institutions. Instead, we have a collection of independently managed, distinct and even quirky institutions, with different strengths and personalities for the very different students who arrive to learn.

Our network of community colleges offers still different options in every Virginia community. Our independent colleges round out a system of wonderful differentiation and complexity.  This helps explain why Virginia’s higher ed system as a whole, and why individual colleges, achieve such impressive national rankings.  This rich tapestry of higher education options is the outstanding feature of Virginia higher education and must be protected.

And with the New College Institute, we are proud to say that we are expanding that family – and expanding the opportunity it creates.

A Promising Future

Not only will this institute bolster this region; it will bolster the entire Commonwealth.

Already, two of the three programs it offers – teaching and nursing – will produce professionals in areas where we face severe shortages, and will likely face them for years to come.  We are also a growing state.  A lot of people want to be part of Virginia’s success.  Last week, America passed a milestone and we now have 300 million people.

What does that mean for Virginia?  Between now and the end of my term in 2010, our population will grow 5%.  It will increase by nearly 15% by the year 2020 and nearly 24% by the year 2030.  By then, Virginia’s population will be 9.3 million people.

Similarly, we are expecting that the number of in-state students in Virginia’s colleges and universities will grow by more than 56,000 by the start of the 2012 school year.

Like Virginia’s other institutions of higher education, the New College Institute will grow as we move forward.  And we will be counting on you to help accommodate that increasing load of students.  We will also be counting on you to help fulfill a goal of our economic development strategic plan:  increasing the percentage of Virginians who have college degrees – and so goes the many things we will be counting on from this institute as we work to keep Virginia moving forward.

I am proud to be here for this ribbon cutting.  I am encouraged by the leaders and supporters who are here with us today.  And I am excited about the new era of opportunity the New College Institute signals for not just Southern Virginia, but the entire Commonwealth.

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