Virginia Private Colleges

05/29/2026

Congratulations to Roanoke College President Frank Shushok, Vice Chair of Virginia Private Colleges, on his recent feature in University Business.

President Shushok highlights how stronger partnerships among colleges, employers, and communities can help address workforce needs while preparing students for meaningful careers. Roanoke College’s innovative approach demonstrates the important role Virginia’s nonprofit private colleges play in developing the Commonwealth’s talent pipeline.

https://universitybusiness.com/how-roanoke-colleges-new-pathways-tackle-the-workforce-mismatch/

Virginia Chamber of CommerceeVirginia Foundation for Independent CollegessGrowth4VAA

Frank Shushok is reengineering how students move between high school, college and work, with on-ramps, off-ramps and fewer dead ends.

05/26/2026

As our nation nears its 250th anniversary, Virginia has an opportunity to lead by strengthening institutions that teach the habits of democracy: civil discourse, bridge-building, and engagement across differences.

Colleges and universities that practice pluralism are helping prepare the next generation for citizenship in a divided age, reminding us that democracy is sustained not only by government, but by communities willing to listen, learn, and lead together.

ICYMI: To safeguard democracy, Virginia must strengthen pluralism-practicing institutions | Guest column by Virginia Private Colleges President Chris Peace



Roanoke College
Bridgewater College
Randolph-Macon College

America’s 250th anniversary underscores Virginia’s pivotal role in renewing our democratic experiment by rebuilding the civic character, pluralism‑practicing institutions and cross‑difference cooperation essential to a healthy republic.

05/23/2026

Virginia Private Colleges will be closed Monday in observance of Memorial Day.

05/21/2026

Attorney General Jay Jones called a new rule from President Donald Trump's administration limiting access to student loans "unlawful," as Virginia joined a multistate lawsuit against the Department of Education (DOE) challenging the policy.

05/20/2026

Virginia’s next biennial budget negotiations are not just about tax policy or revenue forecasts. They are about college affordability for students and families. For Virginia’s students, a new state budget will help determine whether college remains within reach.

Governor Spanberger recently requested an updated revenue forecast as lawmakers weigh economic uncertainty, federal policy impacts and workforce reductions, and the future of certain tax preferences. Virginia Private Colleges hopes this is the beginning of resolving the differences between the two chambers where the House proposed $9.6M new TAG dollars and the Senate has proposed $17.3M.

As the Commonwealth finalizes a new two year state budget, continued investment in student aid must remain a priority.

05/20/2026

2026 CICV Summer Admissions Leaders Conference hosted at Eastern Mennonite University welcomed representatives from over a dozen institutions to learn recruitment and athletic enrollment strategies, discuss admissions trends, along with receiving statewide policy updates from staff. This gathering reflects the strong collaboration of our members. We are grateful to our presenters, sponsors, and campus hosts for bringing this important conversation together in Harrisonburg this week.

05/14/2026

Virginia Private Colleges salutes Mary Baldwin University for its leadership in hosting an Internship Summit: Building Stronger Pathways from Education to Employment.

Thank you to Kirk Cox, president of Virginia Business Higher Education Council (Growth4VA) for presenting at our member institution and for his continued leadership on work-based learning.

Under Kirk Cox’s leadership, VBHEC is advancing an important goal all sectors share: ensuring every Virginia college student has the opportunity to complete at least one meaningful paid internship in their field of study.

Internships strengthen students, employers, and Virginia’s workforce.

05/13/2026

Yesterday, Virginia Private Colleges presidents joined members of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia at Hampden-Sydney College for the annual Private College Advisory Board (PCAB) meeting.

As Virginia prepares to mark the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, Hampden-Sydney’s 250-year mission of forming “good men and good citizens in an atmosphere of sound learning” offered a fitting setting for a timely conversation about the future of higher education. We were honored to be joined by national committee representative Carly Fiorina and Colonial Williamsburg’ President James Madison, an original trustee of the college.

Our member presidents discussed shifting federal policy, college affordability, the importance of TAG grants, demographic pressures, the fading public confidence in higher education, and how best to prepare students for an AI-driven economy.

Our colleges are dedicated to constructive dialogue and civil discourse as essential skills for work, citizenship, and leadership.

05/12/2026

Welcome back President!

Kenneth P. Ruscio ’76, president emeritus of Washington and Lee University, has been named interim president of the university, effective July 1.

Ruscio, who served as president of Washington and Lee University from 2006-2016, will return to the role in an interim capacity until the university’s next president is named and seated. Current W&L President William C. Dudley, who has held the position since Jan. 1, 2017, will assume the presidency of Claremont McKenna College this summer.

Read more on The Columns: columns.wlu.edu/kenneth-p-ruscio-named-interim-president-of-washington-and-lee-university/

05/10/2026