University of Virginia Library

Board Approves Enrollment Increase Of 2,000 By 1976

By SUZY LAWSON

The total University
enrollment must be increased
to 15,000 students for the 1976
session from its present level of
approximately 13,000, the
Board of Visitors said Friday in
a major policy statement.

The number of out-of-state
admissions for the "next
several years" shall be limited
to the preliminary estimate of
1,465 of those entering in the
fall 1972 session, the Board
determined. No "arbitrary
limits" will be placed on
enrollment, "in order to
assure the admission of
qualified Virginia residents."

The Board continued, "It
shall be the policy of the
University to enroll all
qualified Virginia residents
who seek admission here,
without regard to race,
religion, or sex, providing
financial assistance where
necessary to the extent of
available funds."

The "desirability of
increasing the number of
students entering the
University from the Virginia
Community College System" is
considered by the Board to be
an important point.

"Additionally," the Board
said, "if funds are made
available for necessary faculty
and facilities, the enrollment
must be increased to
approximately 16,000 by
1980."

This is substantially less
than the 18,088 students
previously projected for 1980
by the Committee on the
Future of the University in its
First Annual Report on Dec. 6,
1966.

The Board, in order to
implement this policy, studied
"past enrollment history, the
availability of facilities and the
prospective growth of the
University," according to the
statement

The recommendations by
the Board came after
consideration of an extensive
study by the University's
Committee on the Future of
the University and generally
parallels the enrollment
recommendations of its report
made public earlier this year

The Committee's
recommendation calls for two
plans, Plan A and Plan B.

Plan A recommends a "1980
student headcount population
of 16,054," which is a "full
time equivalent" of 15,872.

This plan, according to the
report, "is dependent upon the
completion by fall 1978 of new
educational facilities sufficient
to accommodate 955
additional headcount students
(1,000 FTE) in Arts and
Sciences"

"In the event that these
facilities are not forthcoming,"
Plan B is recommended by the
committee for implementation.

The policy stated by the
Board of Visitors follows Plan
A of the Report of the
Committee on the Future of
the University.

According to University
President Edgar F. Shannon,
the Board chose Plan A
because they were
"predisposed to go with the
majority report." The plan
must now be approved by the
State Council on Higher
Education for Virginia.

Vice-President for Public
Affairs Edwin Crawford said,
"We do not foresee a problem
with their accepting the plan."