University of Virginia Library

Shannon's Letter

can be made until the General
Assembly acts upon our budget
request and until we, have the
recommendations of the
Committee on the Future of the
University.

Relative Size

Neither the Board of Visitors
nor I have the slightest desire to see
the University get larger for the
sake of largeness. During the years
of my administration, the
University has declined in relative
size from first place to third last
year among Virginia's universities. I
anticipate that it will ultimately be
the fourth largest. The Visitors and
I are dedicated, however, to the
University's founding commitment
to provide opportunity for
educational development of the
very highest quality both to
Virginia and the nation. An attempt
to shut out an appreciable number
of well-qualified students from
Virginia, or from other states,
would be a violation of principles
that are the very cornerstone of this
institution. At a time when
students, faculty, and governing
boards at other colleges and
universities are striving to provide
greater educational opportunities,
and are under the public
responsibility to do so, I find it
hard to believe that the Student
Council wishes absolutely to close
the doors of Virginia's University to
those who are clearly qualified and
who can benefit form the type of
educational opportunity offered
here.

Open Communication

The Board of Visitors and I have
constantly sought to provide open
channels of communication. We
have regularly listened and
responded to Student Council
proposals. We also desire the
counsel of the newly appointed
University committees for which
the Student Council selected more
than 160 student members.

Disturbances, such as those
planned for Monday and Tuesday,
can only distract from the academic
commitment of the University and
from the serious work that must be
done on our committees by
members of the faculty and student
body, and endanger our prospects
for maintaining a creative and
innovative institution of national
stature. No matter what the intent
behind such actions, they will be
construed as irresponsible
demonstrations. I, therefore, call
upon you to abandon this hasty
project, and direct Student
Council's energies and leadership
into the constructive approaches
with which you made such a
promising beginning. This cannot
be done unless Student Council
gives full support to the student
members on the representative
academic committees through
which all planning is developed at
the University and continually
reviewed.