Virginia Law

Roanoke Higher Education Authority

The Roanoke Higher Education Authority (the Authority) is established as a political subdivision of the Commonwealth.

1997, c. 813, § 23-231.13; 2016, c. 588.

The Authority shall:

1. Expand access to higher education in the Roanoke Valley by providing for adult and continuing education and degree-granting programs, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs, through partnerships with the Commonwealth's public institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education;

2. Serve as a resource and referral center on existing educational programs and resources by maintaining and disseminating information;

3. Develop, in coordination with the Council, specific goals for higher education access and availability in the Roanoke Valley; and

4. Accept, administer, and account for any state grant to a nonstate entity that may be provided in the name of the Roanoke Higher Education Center (the Center) or the Authority.

1997, c. 813, § 23-231.14; 1998, c. 360; 2016, c. 588.

A. The Authority shall be governed by a 19-member board of trustees (the board) as follows: two members of the House of Delegates, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates in accordance with the principles of proportional representation contained in the Rules of the House of Delegates; one member of the Senate, to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules; the Director of the Council or his designee; the Chancellor of the Virginia Community College System or his designee; the presidents of James Madison University, Old Dominion University, Radford University, the University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia State University, and Virginia Western Community College or their designees; the Director of Total Action for Progress (TAP) This Valley Works; and five nonlegislative citizen members representing business and industry in the Roanoke Valley to be appointed by the Governor. Nonlegislative citizen members of the board shall be citizens of the Commonwealth and residents of the Roanoke region.

B. The legislative members, the Director of the Council, the Chancellor of the Virginia Community College System, the Director of TAP This Valley Works, and the presidents of the named institutions of higher education or their designees shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office. Nonlegislative citizen members shall be appointed for terms of four years. Appointments to fill vacancies, other than by expiration of a term, shall be for the unexpired terms. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments.

No nonlegislative citizen member shall serve more than two consecutive four-year terms; however, a member appointed to serve an unexpired term is eligible to serve two consecutive four-year terms immediately succeeding such unexpired term.

C. Nonlegislative citizen members are not entitled to compensation for their services. Legislative members of the board shall receive such compensation as provided in § 30-19.12. All members shall be reimbursed for all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties in the work of the Authority as provided in §§ 2.2-2813 and 2.2-2825. Funding for the costs of compensation and expenses of the members shall be provided by the Authority.

D. The board shall elect a chairman and a vice-chairman from among its membership and may establish bylaws as necessary.

1997, c. 813, § 23-231.15; 1998, cc. 45, 55; 1999, c. 469; 2004, cc. 667, 1000; 2008, c. 236; 2009, c. 598; 2010, c. 39; 2012, c. 80; 2016, c. 588; 2017, cc. 307, 324; 2018, c. 140; 2022, c. 611.

A. The board has, in addition to such other powers, all the corporate powers given to corporations by the provisions of Title 13.1, except in those cases where, by the express terms of its provisions, this law is confined to corporations created under that title.

B. The board may issue bonds upon the advice of bond counsel and a financial institution with expertise in bonds and investments. Bonds issued under the provisions of this section shall not be deemed to constitute a debt or a pledge of the faith and credit of the Commonwealth or any of its political subdivisions other than the Authority.

C. The board may accept, execute, and administer any trust in which it may have an interest under the terms of any instrument creating the trust.

D. The board may lease property or hold any property for which it may acquire the title and dispose of such property in a manner that will benefit the Authority.

E. The board may enter into agreements with public institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth to provide adult education, continuing education, undergraduate-level education, and graduate-level instructional programs. The board may enter into agreements with local school boards and other entities to provide such programs as it deems necessary and appropriate to carry out the purposes of the Authority. The board shall, subject to the availability of funding other than from general funds, seek opportunities to collaborate with local comprehensive community colleges to meet specialized noncredit workforce training needs identified by industry. However, if local comprehensive community colleges are unable to meet identified industry needs, then the board may seek to collaborate with other education providers to provide or may provide Center-delivered specialized noncredit workforce training independent of local comprehensive community colleges.

F. The board may establish, with such funds as are appropriated for this purpose or made available to it, the Center.

G. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, any real estate and tangible personal property held or acquired by the board is exempt from any prohibition of the use of noncash assistance as matching funds.

H. The board may, on behalf of the Authority or the Center, apply for, accept, and direct the expenditure of gifts, grants, or donations from public or private sources to enable it to carry out the purposes of this article. Any locality may make gifts and donations of real property, personal property, or money to the Authority.

1997, c. 813, §§ 23-231.16, 23-231.18; 1998, cc. 45, 55, 360; 2001, c. 132; 2016, c. 588; 2024, c. 220.

A. From funds available for this purpose, the board may appoint an executive director for the Center who shall supervise and manage the Center and prepare and submit, upon the direction and approval of the board, all requests for appropriations. The executive director of the Center may employ such staff as necessary to enable the Center to perform its duties as set forth in the bylaws of the board and this article. The board may determine the duties of the staff and fix salaries and compensation from such funds as may be appropriated or received.

B. Additional staff support for the functions of the Center may be provided upon agreement by the participating institutions.

1997, c. 813, § 23-231.17; 1998, cc. 45, 55; 2016, c. 588.