University of Virginia Library

Shannon Asks State
For Expansion Funds

By TERRY JASPERSON

The University of Virginia told
Governor Linwood Holton and his
Budget Advisory Committee yesterday
that it needs 66,244,300 dollars from the
State's general fund for operating costs
during the 1972-74 biennium.

Edgar F. Shannon, President of the
University, appearing during the second
day of the budget hearings in Richmond,
that much of the increase over the current
general fund appropriation of 38,978,725
dollars is for increases in salaries of faculty and
staff and to meet the demands of projected
enrollment increases. In addition, the cost of
operating the various University libraries,
computer services and the maintenance of the
physical plant were cited.

Along with the general fund requests, the
University is seeking 55,140,595 dollars in
special fund appropriations themselves and
represent tuition fees, food services, etc., and
include for the University some 30 million
dollars in research funds largely received from
the Federal government. These federal funds,
under new state policy, are budgeted by the
state and reappropriated to the institutions.

70 Percent Increase

The University's request from the general
fund represents a 70percent increase over
appropriations for the current two year period.

In a separate request the University is asking
for an additional 13,613,720 dollars from the
general fund for its 600-bed teaching hospital.
This request represents a 44.5 per cent increase
over the current biennium appropriation.

This past spring the University filed a
request for 23,631,275 dollars from tax funds
for capital outlay for the 1972-74 biennium.
Capita? Outlay is used for new buildings,
whereas operational cost funds are used for the
maintenance of the University.

Increased enrollment is a major factor in
70 percent increase in the request for funds.
Mr. Shannon told the committee that "the
main factor affecting enrollment is the
admission of women into the College of Arts
and Sciences." This factor automatically
doubles the pool of applicants. In the
undergraduate schools applications have gone
up 40 percent and in the graduate schools they
have gone up 25 percent. Also affecting the
overall size of the University is the quality of
the students. Although the entering class has
increased by only 100 the entire enrollment for
the undergraduate schools has risen by 600. Mr.
Shannon attributed this to the fact that
students are doing well and not failing or
dropping out for personal reasons.

Not only has the entire enrollment of the
undergraduate schools gone up, but the size of
the graduate schools is increasing too. Graduate
and first profession schools, such as Medicine
and Law account for 38 percent of the entire
University enrollment. The total annual
enrollment in these schools has increased 44.3
percent and the number of the degrees they
grant has increased by 74.9 percent.

Third Largest

Furthermore Virginia grants 20 percent of all
degrees in the state, although she is only the
third largest school. This 20 percent represents
53 percent of the first profession degrees, 43
percent of the masters and 59 percent of the
Doctorate degrees granted in the State.

Mr. Shannon emphasized that "we have a
heavy graduate commitment, but the amount
appropriated per student is low in Virginia."

Library Important

An important part of Mr. Shannon's
presentation dealt with the library. Up until
1956 the University received no funds from the
state for the library. Although the University's
volume count corresponds closely with those at
11 other comparable southeastern University's,
the monies appropriated by the state for the
facility are substantially lower. Without greater
appropriations the University will not be able
to keep the library up to standards much less
provide for the increasing demands for research
facilities. Mr. Shannon said, "We are barely
holding our own in research libraries and in
volumes and have dropped a little in rank in last
several years."