ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Tuesday, October 8, 1996               TAG: 9610080073
SECTION: VIRGINIA                 PAGE: C-1  EDITION: METRO 
DATELINE: WISE
SOURCE: Associated Press

ENROLLMENT MISCOUNTS COST COLLEGES

Three colleges that overestimated their enrollments this year should get their budgets cut by $2.7 million and their work force reduced by 143 positions, a state agency recommended Monday.

The State Council of Higher Education said George Mason University, Old Dominion University and Virginia State University significantly miscalculated the number of incoming students.

The council recommended cuts of 88 employees and $1 million at George Mason, 49 employees and $1.4 million at Old Dominion and six employees and $278,000 at Virginia State.

The enrollment errors were caused when students who indicated they were choosing between two schools were counted as planning to enroll in both, the council said. Researchers also failed to account for new admissions by transfers, graduate students and professionals.

The council also adopted a plan for improving enrollment forecasting and will submit it to the General Assembly.

For several years, Virginia's colleges have been planning for an enrollment surge caused by the state's steady growth and the rising number of students in middle and high schools nationwide. The boom is projected to bring 62,000 more full- and part-time students to the state by 2000.

Initially, the council predicted the increases would start in 1994. When that didn't occur, some colleges struggled to fill their freshman classes and had to slash overly optimistic budgets.

The council voted to seek an additional $18.6 million in state funding in 1997-98 to increase college faculty salaries and another $24.9 million to bolster financial assistance for students.

Also Monday, the council put off Virginia State University's request for an increase in student aid. Virginia State wanted an additional $100,000 to assist 32 students who have been admitted but require additional assistance to remain in school.

The council took no action on Blue Ridge Community College's proposal to establish an off-campus job training center in downtown Harrisonburg. The council rejected the plan in June, and the college appealed the vote.

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