University of Virginia Library

Shannon, Williams Stress Necessity For Growth,
Maintaining Present University Obligations

By Chris Donart
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

—Ed.

In 1822, Mr. Jefferson stated that the aim of
the University was to "make the establishment
the most eminent in the United States, in order
to draw to it youth of every state." As the
University continues to increase in size, steps
need to be taken to maintain academic quality,
the diversified national outlook, and the
"academical village" atmosphere to which its
founder referred.

There are those who oppose growth, fearing
that quality and standards will drop, and those
who favor growth, feeling that a larger
enrollment will create a greater institution. Since
some growth at the University is probably
inevitable, the main questions which arise
concern the amount of growth, rate of growth,
and effect which increased enrollment will have
on the University community.

Shannon's Growth Report

Edgar F. Shannon, President, in his report
on "Growth," opposed raising standards to
limit growth, emphasizing the "nature of
growth" and its relationship to the University
community rather than growth itself as the
important factor. He stated that the University
must increase its admissions to accommodate
the number of students seeking higher
education. "Any attempt to shut out
well-qualified students from Virginia or from
other states would be a violation of the
principles that are the cornerstone of this
institution," he said. He also stated that the
University could not stand still while other
public and private institutions of higher
learning are growing.

Mrs. Elizabeth Johnson

Assistant Director Of Admissions

D. Alan Williams, Dean of Student Affairs,
also said he felt growth was necessary,
acknowledging that it would entail problems.
He felt, however, that the same standards could
be maintained. The main conflict regarding
growth, Mr. Williams said, is the fact that the
University must serve the nation and at the
same time educate qualified Virginia students.
He said it would be difficult to predict how
growth would affect the in-state out-of-state
ratio. Mr. Williams added that the
undergraduate enrollment at the University is
not as large a percentage of the total enrollment
as at many institutions because both
undergraduate and graduate students are on the
same campus.

Lack Of Facilities

A concern for the lack of facilities needed to
implement the growth policy was expressed by
Kevin Mannix, Student Council President.
Reports from Council support maintenance of
the current limit or less and a raising of
standards to limit growth and maintain quality
Petitions with 1,000 signatures supporting an
enrollment limited to the present level were
presented to Frank L. Hereford, Provost, prior
to the meeting of the Education Policy
Committee of the Board of Visitors last
December.

Increased enrollment is the only way to
protect the diversified national outlook of the
University since the number of qualified
Virginia applicants continues to increase,
according to Ernest H. Ern, Dean of
Admissions. Mr. Ern said he felt that standards
would certainly not fall with growth but would
probably show a slight increase due to a greater
applicant pool. He explained that growth could
cause a lowering of standards at institutions
with static applicant pools.

Women's Admission Limited

Currently the number of qualified women
admitted is limited by a court order issued last
year. There are about 5,650 men and 900
women in the College and 8,900 men and 2,000
women in the entire University. In 1972, no
discrimination will be made regarding admission
of men and women.

Mr. Ern stated that there had been an
increase in the percentage of out-of-state
women who applied for admission this year. A
very high percentage of women in this year's
first-year class are in-state students, because 80
per cent of the women who applied were
Virginians. This year, about 43 per cent of the
women applicants were out-of-state students.

Coeducation

The most positive aspect of growth,
according to H. Conrad Warlick, Associate Dean
of Admissions, is that the University has not
had to mushroom in size except for the spurt
caused by coeducation. He explained that the
reason the University grows at a slower rate
than other institutions in Virginia lies in the
emphasis on both undergraduate and graduate
levels and the fact that graduate enrollment
increases at a slower rate.

Mr. Warlick stated that he hoped growth
would not alter the in-state out-of-state ratio.
He said he also hoped that the University would
maintain its diversity and not become like
many state universities.

A need for growth to be directed in the area
of black admissions and a need for the
University to move closer to a 20 per cent black
enrollment with the general enrollment increase
to 18,000 was expressed by Elizabeth Johnson,
Assistant Director of Admissions, and John
Thomas and Willie Ivey, recruiters for the
Office of Admissions.

Black Percentage

Since the University is a state-supported
institution, it should strike a median between
20 per cent, which the black percentage of the
population in Virginia, and the 12 to 13 per
cent in the nation, Mr. Ivey stated. Mrs.
Johnson felt that the percentage should be no
less than 20 per cent.

The percentage of black students in this
year's entering class was five per cent, bringing
the percentage enrollment in the University to
about two per cent. Percentage enrollment will
need to increase by 18 per cent in order to
achieve a balance comparable to the population
in the state. A very high percentage of black
students currently enrolled are in-state
students.

The most important need, Mrs. Johnson
stated, is for a University-wide commitment to
the idea that it is the right thing to do to
increase black enrollment. She said that a
change in spirit or attitude was necessary in
order to create an atmosphere in which blacks
would feel welcome. This change could be
implemented, Mrs. Johnson suggested, by
appointment of a black member of the Board
of Visitors and black Administrators. Black
admissions, she emphasized, must not just meet
a certain limit and no more.

Mr. Ivey suggested that immediate steps
could be taken to increase the number of black
administrators, professors, and graduate
students at the teaching level. He said that these
appointments were lacking this year although
there had been a large increase in the number of
black students enrolled.

Photo By Saxon Holt

Willie Ivey

Black Admissions Recruiter

Current enrollment in the College is nearly
11,000 students. President Shannon supports
an increase to about 12,000 for 1971-72 in his
report last February on "Growth." The
Committee on the Future of the University in
planning for growth has projected an
enrollment of 18,000 by 1980.