University of Virginia Library

College Presidents Urge Citizens
To 'Pressure State Legislature'

By JIM MASSEY
AND TRICIA PAYNE

Presidents of seven major Virginia
colleges and universities urged citizens to
pressure the State Legislature for more
funds for education at a dinner in
Roanoke last week.

At the dinner, Edgar F. Shannon,
President of the University, stated, "It is
going to require effort, determination,

and money to maintain the progress made
in the sixties and for Virginia fully to overcome
remaining educational deficiencies."

Speakers included President Shannon, T.
Marshall Hahn, President of Virginia
Polytechnical Institute, Ronald E. Carrier,
President of Madison College, Wendell P.
Russell, President of Virginia State College,
Harold H. Hopper, President of Virginia
Western Community College, Grellet C.
Simpson, Chancellor of Mary Washington
College and Charles K. Martin, President of
Radford College.

Tom Gollier, President of the Student
Council, commenting on the statements of the
Virginia university presidents said, "It is
heartening that these college and university
presidents are actively working for funds for
expanding educational facilities. I hope they
will take up another plea expressed by
University Tuesday which is that we should
place top priority on maintaining the integrity,
quality, and community spirit of our
institutions and place second priority on rapid
quantitative growth."

Need Money

Mr. Collier went on to say, "I agree with
Marshall Hahn and President Shannon; Virginia's
colleges need more money. We are
overcrowding and overburdening existing
facilities, especially the University of Virginia."

"In spite of these impressive gains" (of the
1960's) President Shannon told the group of
alumni, "Virginia is only beginning to catch up
with the rest of the nation. In 1971 the state
still had only 41.5 per cent of its young people
in college, compared to the national percentage
of 60.5 per cent."

"The Carnegie Commission," he said,
"recently reported that Virginia remains one of
a handful of states providing fewer than 30
places for every 100 young persons of college
age in either public or private institutions."

President Shannon noted the state funds for
operating state colleges and universities has
increased from $56 million during the 1960-62
biennium to $257.7 million. Pressure on the
state legislature is needed at this time the
presidents implied because rumblings from the
governors mansion and members of the
legislature indicate school budget cuts might be
in order.

Urgent Need

President Russell of Virginia State College, a
predominantly Black college, said there was an
urgent need to broaden educational
opportunities for the "disenchanted,
disadvantaged and disinherited."

He said community colleges have answered
some of the needs ignored by traditional forms
of higher education, but that even newer
approaches are needed if Virginians are to be
educated to do something and be contributors
to the Commonwealth.

Mr. Russell noted that other college
presidents had indicated their budgets were
realistic. "My budget," he said, "is not
realistic-not at all-because it is not enough. We
can't do all that needs to be done with what is
asked for because we have 100 years to catch
up."

Harold Hopper, president of Virginia
Western Community College, stressed the
contribution community colleges have made in
their five years of existence in Virginia. "But
their need was so great most are crowded,
several critically so," he stated.

Mr. Hopper reported that "of the 35,500
students taking credit courses in community
colleges throughout the state, 75 per cent are in
career programs equipping them to step into
good paying jobs in the commonwealth."