University of Virginia Library

Rationale

There is some rationale for
planned growth of the University
here in Charlottesville. On the side
of the academicians, a larger
student body will, say some
administrators, attract a larger and
more qualified faculty on the
graduate level. And as most people
know, if the graduate program of a
university is more varied, it attracts
a higher qualified faculty and
student body. The prestige of the
University then rises and so, even
more qualified faculty and students
are attracted to the university and
the cycle begins once again.

On the side of the state, recent
figures have pressured the state
government to demand the
enrollment of more in-state
students at the University. In a
recent editorial in The
Virginian-Pilot, it was revealed that
in 1960 there were 32,635 students
on Virginia-owned campuses. "By
1970", the paper continued, "there
were 107,567, an increase of 230
percent."

Furthermore, in a speech given
to a meeting of the governing
boards of Virginia's public colleges,
Joseph McConnell, Rector of the
University, indicated that the
growth in college-age people is
expected "to rise from 325,000 to
380,000 by 1980". Indeed, if
expectations prove correct, the
state system of higher education
must grow and adapt to the
changing times.