Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 16, 1995 TAG: 9506160047
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALLISON BLAKE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
"We don't want to simply accept the loss of 200 students as inevitable," said Douglas Covington, speaking at his first board of visitors meeting.
If 200 fewer students come in the fall, Radford's enrollment will drop below 9,000 students.
Among the potential pools of students: those in the university's back yard.
"I think we have taken Southwest Virginia somewhat for granted," said Paul Harris, vice president for student affairs. "I don't know why."
If the estimates hold, Radford will see a $1.367 million shortfall. But the school easily should make up for it with several strategies, including a dip into a surplus for university auxiliary businesses.
"We're going to be solvent," said Charles King, vice president for business affairs.
Board member Nancy Wilson, a Salem educator, wondered about reports she's heard that Radford's recruiting in Roanoke-area high schools is weak.
"Virginia Western [Community College] is just swallowing them up. Radford's sitting here, and they're not being tapped," Wilson said.
Recruiting efforts under way include expanding evening classes and offerings in Roanoke, and intensified recruitment in Northern and Southwest Virginia.
"Faculty have expressed a concern about academic quality," Covington said. "As we design strategies for boosting enrollment, we don't want to sacrifice academic quality.
"We may need to opt for quality and accept the future possibility of a smaller institution."
The board also approved some major changes to the university restructuring plan, which had to be rewritten after the New College of Global Studies was dropped in January. Covington said the plan, due to the state July 1, will become part of a long-range university plan he hopes to unveil in August.
Replacing the college is a Consortium for Southwest Regional Economic Development and International/Multicultural Education. The consortium will use existing Radford programs to build connections to businesses and expand offerings to nontraditional students - at least to start.
Also, several academic programs will be dropped this fall, although juniors, seniors and graduate students will be allowed to complete them. The programs all have low enrollment, said Charles Owens, vice president for academic affairs.
Undergraduate programs to be dropped include liberal studies and statistics. Graduate programs include educational media, science education and leisure studies. The chemistry and physics departments will be combined, and another two departments will be merged by December.
Overall savings in the year 2004 are estimated, in 2004 dollars, at $8 million.
A faculty/student senate also will be set up.
After a year in which "this board has made decisions and done some work with good intentions," only to discover dissent, board member John Clayton wanted to know if the restructuring plan was accepted.
"Is there going to be an element rise up and be concerned about our decision today?" he said.
"I don't think you're going to hear any great uprising," said Owens, acknowledging that there's no "great enthusiasm" for ending programs.
Everyone agrees change is needed - but opinions will differ on how it should be made.
"We have to grow as a university, in terms of working together. Someone has to make a decision and move forward; otherwise, we're on a treadmill to oblivion," Covington said.
by CNB