With about a month-and-a-half until the General Assembly convenes for its annual session, Virginia's state college administrators are paying particularly close attention to long-term planning for their institutions. These decisions come at a time when state higher education funding continues to decrease and the governor is pushing for a significant uptick in the number of Virginians obtaining college diplomas during the next 15 years.
University President Teresa A. Sullivan proposed a plan last week to add 1,400 undergraduate and 100 graduate students during the next four or five years - on top of the existing plan to increase enrollment by 1,500 students during a 10-year period that will end in 2013. For those critical of enrollment growth, be mindful that University officials must appease legislators and members of Gov. Bob McDonnell's Commission on Higher Education Reform, Innovation and Investment. Both lawmakers and committee members have indicated that Virginia's public universities will be expected to accommodate more in-state students in the future.
Sullivan and other administrators have rightfully argued that the University can only embrace modest growth efforts that do not strain the school's resources or negatively affect the undergraduate experience. But the problem with "modest" growth is that over time, it still changes the nature and reputation of the University significantly.
Leonard Sandridge, executive vice president and chief operating officer said at the Board of Visitors' 2010 summer retreat that the University can accommodate an increase of 2,000 students during a five-year period without investing in additional academic facilities. Sandridge also indicated that the University is already making efforts to accommodate a growing population, citing the recently expanded Observatory Hill Dining Hall and the upcoming renovation of Newcomb Dining Hall, which will double in size. Of course, logistical challenges remain with any growth plan. For example, as anyone who has been unfortunate enough to visit Observatory Hill Dining Hall during peak lunch hours can attest, expansion projects can only accomplish so much to ease the burden of overcrowded facilities.
Increasing the size of state colleges clearly has implications for the schools, but the cities and towns that host these institutions also will be affected significantly. One oft-neglected group in the state's plans for enrollment growth is the Charlottesville community. When university growth outpaces increases in the local population, public infrastructure can become overburdened. In Charlottesville, roads near the University already face significant congestion, and there is little room to expand them. Other municipal services, such as water, also could face heightened demand. In many cases, it is local taxpayers who must pick up the tab for these needed upgrades, not the state.
As University administrators discuss enrollment plans with legislators and other state officials, they should be aware of community interests, as well. After all, if local residents take issue with increasing the University's student body, they have a mechanism to hold public leaders accountable: the voting booth.
Apart from community concerns, modest growth plans lead to an obvious question: Is there an end in sight? The state population, as well as the country's, will continue to grow for the foreseeable future. State leaders would rather increase enrollment at existing universities than build new ones, as it is a cheaper solution to graduating more residents from college. But too few government leaders are questioning how sustainable this strategy is. If Virginia colleges continue to embrace moderate growth to accommodate general population increases in the future, the University will eventually reach the size of schools such as Ohio State University. Simply put, there must be a limit to growth. And if the University would like to continue marketing itself as a research university with the feel of a smaller liberal-arts college, it cannot become several or many times larger than its peer institutions - many of which are private and not increasing enrollment.
When it comes to evaluating the University's future, five-year plans cannot be considered the end game. School officials must be realistic - and candid - about how these short-term initiatives can change the character of an institution during the course of 10, 20 or 50 years.
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