The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) is the Commonwealth's coordinating body for higher education. Established by the Governor and General Assembly in 1956, the mission, as outlined in the Code of Virginia, is "to promote the development of an educationally and economically sound, vigorous, progressive, and coordinated system of higher education" in Virginia.
To fulfill that mission, SCHEV makes higher education public policy recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly in such areas as capital and operating budget planning, enrollment projections, institutional technology needs, and student financial aid. Furthermore, SCHEV administers a variety of educational programs that directly benefit students, faculty, parents, and taxpayers. SCHEV also strives to develop a cooperative relationship between policymakers, college administrators, and other concerned leaders as they work collectively to advance educational excellence throughout the Commonwealth.
The Central Virginia Regional Consortium (Amherst County, Appomattox County, Bedford County, Campbell County, Lynchburg City Schools, and Lynchburg College) has been the recipient of five annual SCHEV grants since 2004. Each grant has a different focus, which was identified by local school divisions' needs and has directly benefited hundreds of teachers within the five participating school divisions.
Participants are nominated by their school divisions and receive partial tuition support for designated courses/events during the specified grant period. The current 2008-2009 SCHEV grant focuses on providing training for middle school teachers to enhance mathematics instruction, the development of a curriculum and instruction course sequence that also prepares teachers for National Board Certification, and providing content coursework for secondary teachers in mathematics, biology, earth science, and English. To date, 124 participants have directly benefited from the grant initiatives that have been implemented this year.
For additional information regarding SCHEV eligibility and grant opportunities, please contact the Office of Graduate Studies at gradstudies@lynchburg.edu or 434-544-8383.