University of Virginia Library

Empty Desks

One result was nearly 5,000 empty
desks at the private institutions. The
CICV study argues that "at a time when
many public institutions are struggling to
accommodate booming enrollments, it is
poor economy to have private colleges
struggling to attract more students."

The study estimates that the state
subsidy to publicly supported colleges
runs about $800 a year per student,
about what it asks of the legislature in the
form of help for students in the private
schools

The call for help is addressed to a
legislature that is already the target of
unprecedented demands addressed to it
by the public colleges.

Public institutions have asked $535
million for the 1972-74 biennium, 91 per
cent more than the current biennium.
Governor Linwood Holton has already
indicated little enthusiasm for the plan at
a time when the budget is tight.