Funding cuts force ODU to plan slower growth

NORFOLK

Old Dominion University has decided to slow its roll.

After years of rapid growth built on the assumption that student enrollment would reach close to 30,000 by the fall of 2013, university officials say they can no longer support that enrollment, because of shrinking state funding.

Acting President John Broderick will meet with officials of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia today to discuss the university's latest enrollment forecast, which proposes its student population in 2013 be just under 25,000 - about 2,000 more than the university's current enrollment.

Students and faculty say controlling growth can ease the crush on parking, dorm and classroom space. It also means fewer students will be able to be admitted in future years.

Broderick said the rationale is simple: In the past three years, the student body has grown a little more than 8 percent while the university has lost 20 percent of its state revenue. A school can't add students without the money needed for extra faculty and staff, advising services and increased costs to maintain the campuses, he said.

"Those projections should have been submitted with a comma or asterisk pending corresponding state support," Broderick said. "The point is we need to grow responsibly. We need to grow in a way that we're ensuring the best education for our students.... Everyone here wants Old Dominion to be a great institution."

The idea of slowed growth was mentioned at a recent ODU Board of Visitors meeting where administrators said the university loses money with each student; tuition doesn't cover the complete cost to educate them.

Administrators are not the only ones who believe the school needs to slow down. Civic groups, professors and students have complained for years about a lack of campus parking. They also say too many students rent housing in surrounding communities because there aren't enough beds on campus, and, in turn, those renters try the patience of neighbors with student parties and traffic.

The university is in the midst of an institutional assessment, which is surveying external and internal groups about the school. One constant refrain is too much growth.

One of the preliminary reports states: "While there's pride in the growth of student enrollment and in the development of the campus and its infrastructure, many expressed concern that the growth in size may have outpaced the growth in quality.

"ODU has grown so fast it's time to take a breath."

Skye Jaundoo, a sophomore, said she thinks it's a smart decision on the part of the university. She's tried signing up for classes that filled up in less than a day. "Being a commuter student, it's very hard for me to find things like parking," Jaundoo said. "I think if they were to build the housing and parking and then get the students, that would be smarter."

Faculty senate chair Paul Champagne said he believes the faculty is in agreement with easing enrollment.

"With some of the projections being used previously, it was hard to understand how to properly serve that many students," he said.

Champagne said scheduling in recent years has become much more complex. When he began teaching more than 25 years ago, there were some hours when there were no courses being held, and it was easier to schedule classes. "That's not the case anymore," he said. "Classrooms are being used all day, every day."

While the university is looking at moderating growth, the number of applicants continues to increase. End-of-April figures show that the university has received more than 15,000 applications for next school year, up 7 percent over this time last year.

Broderick doesn't want to scare potential students away with the idea of admitting fewer students; there will always be a spot for qualified students at ODU, he said.

"Close to 90 percent of our students are from Virginia. It's still going to mean more access for Virginia students, both transfer and freshmen," Broderick said. "That remains a big part of our mission and has always been."

Next fall, the university will admit about 2,700 freshmen, slightly less than the 2,800 admitted last fall but more than it has in the past. In 2007, ODU admitted close to 2,600, and in 2006, 2,100.

The influx of students is mitigated by attrition. Last spring, for example, the university graduated close to 3,200 students and a certain percentage of students leave each year, transferring to another institution, for example, or moving from the area.

The plan discussed today with the State Council, which oversees colleges and universities in Virginia, is used by the board to make budget recommendations to the state. Every two years, the state's public colleges and universities are required to send projected enrollment figures.

Denise Watson Batts, (757) 446-2504 or denise.batts@pilotonline.com