Two Virginia Universities in Top Five of Kiplinger’s “Best Values in Public Colleges” Rankings

The David Student Union at Christopher Newport University (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

UVa Remains 2nd in Nation; William and Mary Keeps Number 4 Ranking

James Madison, Virginia Tech, Mary Washington, George Mason, and Christopher Newport Included in the Top 100

RICHMOND – Two Virginia public universities are ranked in the Top 5 of Kiplinger Magazine’s annual ranking of the “Best Values in Public Colleges.” The University of Virginia was ranked second, while The College of William and Mary stayed at number four.  Five other Virginia universities also ranked in the magazine’s top 100, including James Madison University (22), Virginia Tech (27), The University of Mary Washington (61), George Mason University (72), and Christopher Newport University (84).

Speaking about the rankings, Governor McDonnell said, “Once again, Kiplinger saw what Virginians have long known: our colleges and universities provide world-class educations while keeping higher education affordable. Kiplinger specifically noted that UVa has the highest four year graduation rate on its list and the second lowest in-state cost, an average of $5,070 after need based aid is applied. This further demonstrates our commitment to making higher education more affordable and accessible. Over the past four years we have put nearly $600 million in new funding into higher education, including the $183.1 million for fiscal year 2015/2016; we know that helping Virginia students access our great colleges and universities is crucial to their future professional success and the future prosperity of our Commonwealth. Over the next few years we will continue our commitment to higher education by including over $183.1 million in the upcoming biennial budget to ensure that the nation’s best higher education system is even more affordable and accessible for Virginia students.”

The entire Kiplinger ranking is available online here.

The governor’s proposed funding for higher education in the upcoming biennial budget was announced earlier today and can be found here.

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Governor McDonnell’s Biennial Budget to Continue Commitment to Making College More Affordable and Accessible for Virginia Students

English: The state seal of Virginia.  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

RICHMOND - Continuing his administration’s four-year effort to make college more affordable and accessible for Virginia students, Governor Bob McDonnell announced today that his FY 2015/2016 budget will include $183.1 million over the biennium in new support of Virginia’s colleges and universities. The governor’s proposed new funding will help the Commonwealth achieve the goals of the historic “Top Jobs” legislation (Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2011), put forward by McDonnell, that has the state on the path to generating 100,000 additional degrees and certifications over the next 15 years, is reducing the growth of tuition, and enhancing access to higher education. This legislation has also contributed to the creation of 14,000 new slots for incoming students at Virginia schools, and Virginia has recently seen the lowest average yearly increase in tuition in a decade.

 Speaking about the new funding for higher education, Governor McDonnell said, “I firmly believe that in order to get a good job, you need a good education. Our 2011 ‘Top Jobs’ legislation had one very clear goal: to increase the accessibility and affordability of higher education here in the Commonwealth. That legislation is working. We have already added 14,000 new undergraduate slots for Virginia students.  We have invested over $400 million in higher education and created a new higher education funding formula based on enrollment growth, initiatives, incentives, research, financial aid, productivity, and other critical goals. And we have put the Commonwealth’s universities on a pathway to awarding 100,000 additional degrees and certifications over the next 15 years. However, in order to remain one of the nation’s premier systems of public higher education, we must continue our commitment to higher education in the fiscal year 2015/2016 budget. We have started a process that is working, now we must invest in it, and, by doing so, invest in our students and Virginia’s economic future. That is why I am proposing another $183.1 million for higher education in this budget. Virginia’s future prosperity depends upon our current commitment to today’s higher education system. We are investing in the future, and we are making Virginia a more vibrant, prosperous and competitive Commonwealth.”

The governor’s budget will provide the following funding for higher education:

Approximately $32.4 million will support a variety of higher education-related entities and programs, including:

·         Sufficient funding to raise the Tuition Assistance Grant (TAG) to Virginia residents attending private Virginia colleges and universities from $3,100 to $3,300

·         Nearly $6.1 million in workforce development programs and initiatives through the Virginia Community College System, the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, New College, the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center, the Roanoke Higher Education Center, and the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center

·         Support for higher education consortiums such as 4-VA Partnership, Center for Advanced Logistics and Virtual Library of Virginia

·         Funding to allow the Jefferson Lab in Newport News to compete for significant new federal infrastructure investment at Virginia’s particle accelerator facility

Over $150 million will be provided directly to the higher education institutions, consistent with the provisions of the “Top Jobs” Act, with $45 million (30 percent) dedicated to base operations and financial aid, while $105 million (70 percent) is directed towards incentivizing performance.

·         Of the $45 million for base operations and financial aid, $13.5 million is dedicated to base operations and $31.5 million will go to financial aid.  Of the $31.5 million in financial aid, 10 percent will be applied towards graduate financial aid to attract high caliber students to Virginia’s research programs.

·         Of the $105 million given to incentivize performance, $21 million will be provided for enrollment growth, $63 million for incentive funding, and $21 million for research and initiatives in support of the goals of the “Top Jobs” Act.

o   The incentive funding rewards performance of higher education institutions for increasing graduation and retention rates, graduating additional STEM-H students needed to keep our economy competitive, and attracting students of all socio-economic levels to higher education.

o   Also included in the funding for research is $2 million over the biennium for cancer research at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU); $2 million for cancer research at the University of Virginia (UVA); $3.3 million for brain research at Virginia Tech; $2 million for ultrasound research on movement disorders at UVA; $1.95 million to support the Center for Bioelectrics at Old Dominion University (ODU); and $1.3 million for Parkinson’s Disease research at VCU.

Higher Education Accomplishments During McDonnell Administration

·         Reduced tuition increases at Virginia’s colleges and universities to the lowest average yearly increase in a decade (from nearly 10% average during 2000-2010 to 4% in 2012)

·         Reformed higher education to generate 100,000 new degrees by 2025 focusing on STEM through “Top Jobs of the 21st Century” legislation in 2011; colleges and universities have already enrolled an additional 14,000 in-state undergraduates

·         Invested over $400 million in new money in higher education and created new higher education funding formula based on enrollment growth, initiatives, incentives, research, financial aid, productivity, and other critical goals

·         Implemented and secured funding for Old Dominion University’s MonarchTeach which will afford aspiring STEM teachers an opportunity to engage in clinical/field experience during their first year of college

·         Established the Governor’s Center for Excellence in teaching at George Mason University

·         Established a school and campus safety week to raise awareness and highlight the importance of all-hazards preparedness on school and college campuses

·         Implemented requirement for university specific strategic plans and efficiency goals to reduce overhead

·         Ensured in-state tuition for a larger population family members of active military, and members of the National Guard; including passage of landmark legislation providing in-state tuition to all veterans

·         Expanded non-credit funding in the 2012-14 biennial budget for community college workforce training and services to 9,463 businesses annually

·         Expanded use of higher education equipment trust fund to provide pre-employment and incumbent workforce training through community college and non-credit programs

·         Launched the state’s first workforce development report card that provides state and regional data on outcomes in the areas of STEM-H pipeline development, college and career readiness, secondary and postsecondary credential attainment, employment, and training capacity

·         Expanded the role of the Virginia Workforce Council to advise the governor on leadership and administration of more than 25 career and technical education and workforce programs targeted to Virginians from middle school to retirement age

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Governor McDonnell Announces Awarding of $200,000 for the Building Collaborative Communities Program

English: Governor of Virginia at CPAC in . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Program Promotes Regional Economic Collaboration across Virginia

RICHMOND - Governor Bob McDonnell today announced $200,000 in funding for three collaborative efforts in Virginia through the Building Collaborative Communities program. The program promotes regional economic collaboration in economically-distressed areas that stimulate job creation, economic development and provide a significant return on state investment.

“Building Collaborative Communities encourages cooperation between communities to reach common goals,” said Governor McDonnell. “Since the inception of this program, we have seen great regional partnerships created and fostered through this program, as well as the involvement from the private sector, community organizations, and various other regional organizations.”

Building Collaborative Communities is a broad-based program that brings to bear resources from a number of state entities, including the Lieutenant Governor's Office, Senior Economic Advisor, Department of Business Assistance, Virginia Tourism Corporation, Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Virginia Community College System, and other agencies as appropriate. The Commonwealth is providing $200,000 to support this program in FY2014.

The following projects were awarded funding through the Building Collaborative Communities program:

Applicant and Localities Targeted	Project Name	Award Offer
Northern Neck Planning District Commission (Counties of Westmoreland, Richmond, Lancaster and Northumberland and the towns of Colonial Beach, Montross, Warsaw, Kilmarnock, White Stone and Irvington)	Northern Neck Planning District Commission	$ 85,000
Roanoke Regional Partnership (Counties of Botetourt, Franklin and Roanoke, the cities of Roanoke and Salem and the town of Vinton)	Roanoke Regional Partnership	$ 65,000
The Southern Virginia Regional Alliance (Counties of Halifax, Pittsylvania, Henry  and Patrick and the cities of Danville and Martinsville)	The Southern Virginia Regional Alliance	$ 50,000

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Governor McDonnell Announces More than $2 Million in Industrial Revitalization Fund Grants

Governor of Virginia Bob McDonnell speaking at CPAC. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore if used elsewhere. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Grants Will Help to Revitalize Derelict Commercial and Industrial Structures in Communities

RICHMOND - Governor Bob McDonnell today announced more than $2 million in Industrial Revitalization Fund (IRF) grants for five projects in Virginia. The IRF program provides gap financing for construction projects aligned with local and regional economic development strategies, primarily in distressed communities.

“This program focuses on bringing derelict structures back to life,” said Governor McDonnell.  “By revitalizing vacant structures, we are encouraging economic growth in communities that want new investments and creating new vitality for vacant buildings.”

Projects were reviewed and evaluated competitively, with an emphasis on those with a high level of blight, identification of impediments to economic development efforts, alignment with regional or local strategies, availability of matching resources, level of community distress where the property is located and an identified and feasible end use.

The maximum award was $600,000 per project. Seventeen applications totaling nearly $7.4 million in requests were received by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). The funds are intended to leverage local and private resources to achieve market-driven redevelopment of these derelict structures, creating catalysts for long-term employment opportunities and on-going physical and economic revitalization.

2014 IRF Grant Awards:

Applicant	Proposal Name	Award Offer
City of Martinsville	Henry Hotel Redevelopment Project	$600,000
City of Hopewell	238 E. Broadway Rehabilitation Project	$387,900
Wise County Industrial Development Authority	Wise Inn Redevelopment Project	$200,000
St. Paul Industrial Development Authority	Willis Building Rehabilitation Project	$600,000
Town of Clifton Forge	Masonic Theater Rehabilitation and Expansion Project	$250,000

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Sugar Promotes Heart Disease and Cancer

Sugar (Photo credit: oskay)

By Dr. Mercola

More than 1,660,290 new cancer cases are projected to be diagnosed in the US this year, and an estimated 580,350 Americans will die from the disease.1Another 600,000 Americans die of heart disease each year.2 At present, heart disease is the leading cause of death among both sexes.

Despite massive technological advances over the past half-century, Western medicine is still at a loss for how to rein in the prevalence of these top two killers.

It’s become increasingly clear that many of the conventional strategies, from diagnosis to treatment, are riddled with flawed assumptions and approaches that, in many cases, do more harm than good.

What’s worse, virtually none of the conventional strategies actually address the root cause of the problem, a flawed diet high in sugars and processed foods.

In fact, conventional dietary recommendations for the prevention of heart diseaseare diametrically opposed to what you actually need for optimal heart health! For over 60 years, saturated fats have been blamed for heart disease, resulting in the promulgation of a dangerous low-fat, high-sugar diet.

In reality, a diet that promotes health is high in healthful fats and very, very low in sugar and non-vegetable carbohydrates... Research coming out of some of America’s most respected institutions now confirms that sugar is a primary dietary factor driving chronic disease development.

Sugar, and fructose in particular, has been implicated as a culprit in the development of both heart disease and cancer, and having this information putsyou in the driver’s seat when it comes to prevention.

How Much Sugar Is in Your Diet?

Ever since I started this Web site back in 1997, I’ve been warning about the dangers of high sugar consumption. It’s important to realize that even if you don’tadd sugar to your foods, hidden sugar, typically in the form of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), is in virtually all processed foods, from yogurts and sauces to breads and sodas.

Many favorite staples are also grain-based, such as bagels, pancakes, and breakfast cereals. All those grains are also quickly turned into sugar in your body, adding to your sugar burden.

Clinical trials have shown that those who consume HFCS tend to develop higher risk factors for cardiovascular disease within as little as two weeks, so if I had to pick out the worst culprit among sugars, it would be fructose.

Other studies indicate that if you limit your sugar, no matter what form you get it in, you effectively decrease your chances of developing cancer—including breast and colon cancers.

Soda Drinkers Have Increased Cancer Risk

According to recent research,3, 4 older women who drink a lot of soda or other sugary beverages may be at significantly increased risk for endometrial cancer—an estrogen-dependent type of cancer that affects the lining of a woman’s uterus.

The study included data for more than 23,000 postmenopausal women who were followed for 14 years.

Women who had the highest intake of sugary beverages had a whopping 78 percent higher risk for endometrial cancer, and the risk appeared to be dose dependent; rising right along with consumption. Study author Maki Inoue-Choi was not surprised by the results, and neither am I.

“Other studies have shown increasing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages has paralleled the increase in obesity. Obese women tend to have higher levels of estrogens and insulin than women of normal weight, [and] increased levels of estrogens and insulin are established risk factors for endometrial cancer,” she said.5

Previous research has also shown that dietary fructose can promote cancergrowth in a number of different ways, including:

• Altered cellular metabolism
• Increased reactive oxygen species (free radicals)
• DNA damage
• Inflammation

Fructose Promotes Cancer Cell Proliferation

Studies have shown that different sugars are metabolized using different metabolic pathways, and this is of MAJOR consequence when it comes to feeding cancer and making it proliferate. Three years ago, researchers published findings showing that fructose is readily used by cancer cells to increase their proliferation.6 Cancer cells did not respond to glucose in the same manner.

In this case, the cancer cells used were pancreatic cancer, which is typically regarded as the most deadly and universally rapid-killing form of cancer. According to the authors:

“Traditionally, glucose and fructose have been considered as interchangeable monosaccharide substrates that are similarly metabolized, and little attention has been given to sugars other than glucose. However, fructose intake has increased dramatically in recent decades and cellular uptake of glucose and fructose uses distinct transporters.

Here, we report that fructose provides an alternative substrate to induce pancreatic cancer cell proliferation. Importantly, fructose and glucose metabolism are quite different; in comparison with glucose, fructose... is preferentially metabolized via the nonoxidative pentose phosphate pathway to synthesize nucleic acids and increase uric acid production.

These findings show that cancer cells can readily metabolize fructose to increase proliferation. They have major significance for cancer patients given dietary refined fructose consumption, and indicate that efforts to reduce refined fructose intake or inhibit fructose-mediated actions may disrupt cancer growth.” [Emphasis mine]

The study confirms the old adage that sugar feeds cancer because they found that tumor cells do thrive on sugar (glucose). However, the cells used fructose for cell division, speeding up the growth and spread of the cancer. This difference is clearly of major consequence, and should be carefully considered by anyone who is currently undergoing cancer treatment or seeking to prevent cancer.

This does not mean you should avoid fruits, the benefits of most fruits outweigh any concerns to fructose.   I would suggest to not juice your fruits and to eat them whole, and also realize we have bred many of these fruits to a very high level of fructose.   Fruits today are many times sweeter than they were historically, and should be consumed in moderation.

The real problem is the high fructose corn syrup that is added to practically every processed food and drink you see.

Remember: Exercise Is Another Potent Ally Against Cancer and Heart Disease

Controlling your blood-glucose and insulin levels—through diet, along with a comprehensive exercise program—can be one of the most crucial components to a cancer recovery program. These factors are also crucial in order to prevent cancer in the first place. Diet and exercise—particularly high intensity interval training—are also the dynamic duo that will help you stave off heart disease.

In fact, a recent meta-analysis that reviewed 305 randomized controlled trials found no statistically detectable differences between exercise and medications for heart disease, including statins and beta blockers. (Previous research has also shown that exercise alone can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease by a factor of three,7 which isn’t too shabby.) Exercise is in fact so potent, the researchers suggested that drug companies ought to be required to include it for comparison when conducting clinical trials for new drugs. As reported by Bloomberg:8

“The analysis adds to evidence showing the benefit of non-medical approaches to disease through behavior and lifestyle changes... ‘In cases where drug options provide only modest benefit, patients deserve to understand the relative impact that physical activity might have on their condition,’ Naci and Ioannidis said in the published paper. In the meantime, 'exercise interventions should therefore be considered as a viable alternative to, or, alongside, drug therapy.'”

In a nutshell, being a healthy weight and exercising regularly creates a healthy feedback loop that optimizes and helps maintain insulin and leptin receptor sensitivity. And, as I’ve mentioned before, insulin and leptin resistance—primarily driven by excessive consumption of refined sugar and grains along with lack of exercise—are the underlying factors of nearly all chronic disease.

Connecting the Dots: Fructose—Uric Acid—Cancer and Chronic Disease Risk

The theory that sugar feeds cancer was actually born nearly 80 years ago. Shockingly, most conventional cancer programs STILL do not adequately address diet and the need to avoid sugars. The 1931 Nobel laureate in medicine, German Otto Warburg, Ph.D., first discovered that cancer cells have a fundamentally different energy metabolism compared to healthy cells. Malignant tumors tend to use a process where glucose is used as a fuel by the cancer cells, creating lactic acid as a byproduct.9

The large amount of lactic acid produced by this fermentation of glucose from cancer cells is then transported to your liver. This conversion of glucose to lactic acid generates a lower, more acidic pH in cancerous tissues as well as overall physical fatigue from lactic acid buildup.10, 11

This is a very inefficient pathway for energy metabolism, which extracts only about five percent of the available energy in your food supply. In simplistic terms, the cancer is "wasting" energy, which leads you to become both tired and undernourished, and as the vicious cycle continues, will lead to the body wasting so many cancer patients experience. Additionally, carbohydrates from glucose and sucrose significantly decrease the capacity of neutrophils to do their job. Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell that helps cells to envelop and destroy invaders, such as cancer.

While all forms of sugar are detrimental to health in general and promote cancer, but in slightly different ways and to a different extent, fructose clearly seems to be one of the overall most harmful. As mentioned above, fructose metabolism leads to increased uric acid production along with cancer cell proliferation.12 Again, ONLY fructose (not glucose) drives up your uric acidlevels.

Now, the connection between fructose, uric acid, and insulin resistance is so clear that your uric acid level can actually be used as a marker for toxicity from fructose. What this means is that if your uric acid levels are high, you’re at increased risk of all the health hazards associated with fructose consumption—including both heart disease and cancer. Subsequently, you’d be well advised to reduce your fructose intake. For more information about this, please see my previous interview with Dr. Richard Johnson, who is an expert on this topic. Two key recommendations however are:

• Keep your uric acid level below 4 mg/dl for men and 3.5 mg/dl for women, and
• As a standard recommendation, I strongly advise keeping your TOTAL fructose consumption below 25 grams per day

Reeling in Your Fructose Consumption May Be the Most Important Lifestyle Change You Can Make

Dr. Johnson has written one of the best books on the market on the health dangers of fructose, called The Sugar Fix, which explains how fructose causes high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and kidney disease. It’s also safe to say that many cancers are also on the list of diseases that are directly linked to excessive fructose consumption. In addition to the studies already mentioned, fructose has also been found to promote metastasis in breast cancer,13 and shows genotoxic effects on the colon in animal research.14

Fructose also promotes a condition called intracranial atherosclerosis15—a narrowing and hardening of the arteries in your skull—and contrary to popular belief, it is the sugar/fructose in your diet that increases your risk for heart disease, NOT saturated animal fats.

At the basic dietary level, the prevention strategies for heart disease and cancer are identical. First and foremost, you need to address your insulin and leptin resistance, which is the result of eating a diet too high in sugars and grains—again, not fat, with the exception of trans fats from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, which have been linked to increased heart disease risk, even in small amounts. To safely and effectively reverse insulin and leptin resistance, you need to:

• Avoid sugar, processed fructose, grains if you are insulin and leptin resistant, and processed foods
• Eat a healthful diet of whole foods, ideally organic, and replace the grain carbs with:
• Large amounts of vegetables
• Low-to-moderate amount of high-quality protein (think organically raised, pastured animals)
• As much high-quality healthful fat as you want (saturated and monosaturated from animal and tropical oil sources). Most people actually need upwards of 50-85 percent fats in their diet for optimal health—a far cry from the 10 percent currently recommended.

Restricting Fructose Consumption Is Crucial Part of a Healthy Lifestyle

Whether we’re talking about heart disease or cancer, reducing (or preferably eliminating) fructose and other added sugars, as well as limiting grain carbohydrates from your diet is a primary strategy on my list if you have insulin and leptin resistance. This dietary modification should also be part of your comprehensive treatment plan if you’ve been diagnosed with either cancer or heart disease.

Understand that excessive fructose consumption leads to insulin resistance, and insulin resistance appears to be the root of many if not most chronic disease, including heart disease and cancer. So far, scientific studies have linked excessive fructose consumption to about 78 different diseases and health problems.16

By severely reducing your intake of fructose and carbs in your diet, you help stave off any potential cancer growth, and “starve” any tumors you currently have. It also bolsters your overall immune function, because sugar decreases the function of your immune system almost immediately.

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