University of Texas Austin - Cactus Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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Dr. Bryce Jordan, Vice-President for Stu dent Affairs, said computers will be in strumental in University management, reg istration, instruction of computer sciences and as an instructional aid. 18

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A Sign for the Future: The Sprawling Multiversity In 1 876, the State of Texas officially decided to establish a University of the First Class and, in so doing, gave The University of Texas an endowment of 2.1 million acres of semiarid waste- land. Later, oil was discovered on that wasteland which in 1968 provided the bulk of UT ' s $485 million endowment, an endowment second only to Harvard ' s $1 billion. Over 90 years later, that University of the First Class truly had become a sprawling multi- versity, claiming 12 branches. Present enrollment at the Austin campus a lone had reached the 30,000 mark while W. Bryon Shipp, University registrar, estimated that by the 1971-72 aca- demic year the student population would total more than 35,000. How would The University of Texas adjust to this increase? What plans were being made to accommodate an increasing, state-supported student population? A rise in entrance requirements or possible limitation placed on out-of-state students was seen as an alternative to the enrollment problem but would only put off enrollment for a while, according to Registrar Shipp. Eying an increase in state junior colleges, he stated that a freshman class size of 3,400 at the University was not large compared to a 30,000 total enrollment. High school graduates were being forced into junior col- leges and other state schools before transferring to the University with the required C-plus average. University President Norman Hackerman said, | Fixed enrollment is an illusion the State University must be available to all students. At some point, however, there would have to be a legitimate enrollment limit based upon the existing space requirements, Hackerman added. Facilities as well as faculty-staff numbers would estab- lish guidelines rather than an arbitrary number limit. A corollary to the problem of increased enrollment was the problem of increased build- ing facilities. Few realize that it takes as long as three years from the approval of a building to its completion, said Mrs. Henrietta Jacobson, executive assistant to the Chancellor. First the Board of Regents must authorize the money (usually met with one-half grants provided by the federal government). Architect ' s preliminary plans must be approved by the Faculty Building Continued 17

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' Fixed Enrollment an Illusion ' - Can a Man -Made Giant Survive? Committee, and the Regent ' s Building Committee before actual plans are submitted to the Board, Texas Governor,, and State Coordinating Board for their approval and the opening of construction bids. Increased building facilities, however, must be matched with increased faculty-staff num- bers, President Hackerman stressed. Building projects must keep up with those in the last five years, that is, a new classroom-office building and a new laboratory building completed each year. You can ' t build for 1980, Hackerman emphasized. It is better to be on the tight side and make more efficient use of available funds and space. An expanding student enrollment also means the need for expanded student housing. Jack Holland, Dean of Student Life, predicted that the University would continue to house a small percentage of enrolled students and the trend towards off-campus housing would continue. At some point, the University might have to use its own dormitories only for freshman students, but this was mentioned merely as a possibility. Besides more classroom building, Dean Holland also foresaw a greater use of existing classrooms as study areas. For example, classroom space in the new dormitory complex will be open 24 hours a day for study a test case before open- ing other University classrooms for night study. With an increased enrollment there would be an increase in the University ' s security staff, as in all University staffs, although Dean Holland fore- saw no stricter regulations applied to students. Student recreation areas likewise will be affected by the increased student body. The Uni- versity ' s intramural sports field was moved off-campus last year, a move that has been termed highly successful by both Dean Holland and Sonny Rooker, director of men ' s intramurals. Also under consideration was the relocation or enlargement of Memorial Stadium. Geographically, the main Austin campus will probably grow from 250 acres to 350 acres by 1975, President Hackerman said. Much of this additional land will be used for parking another serious problem facing a campus where a large student percentage lives off-campus. At the core of all these problem areas, though, is a more fundamental problem of fi- nances, that is, increased revenue sources to match increased enrollment. C. C. Nolen, associate director to the Development Board responsible for private funds, said that the Texas State Legis- lature provides 62 per cent of the University ' s income. What makes the University superior, however, is its additional income from gifts, grants, and endowments. It is these four sources and the federal government (which provides 4.9 per cent of the University ' s total income) that make it possible for the University student to get a $1,500 education each year for $150, Nolen said. But, according to Nolen, momentum is the solution to the financing of academic growth. With more money, better teachers and consequently better students are attracted. Thus, a more respected University is created that can attract more private gifts and perpetuate the cycle. 19