Latest from the Senate - February Meeting Recap
VCU’s Presidential Priorities
VCU President Dr. Eugene Trani shared plenty of numbers and set out some of his priorities before the Faculty Senate on February 5. With the General Assembly meeting just up the street, Trani indicated that achieving Tier III status for VCU is at the top of his legislative agenda. He told VCU senators that being a Tier III institution would help the university “avoid some bureaucracy” and could help VCU save millions on the construction of buildings. According to Trani, bills in support of VCU’s change in status are moving forward in the legislature.
He also told the group that building a new School of Medicine is at the top of his list for capital improvements. Along with the new building would come a goal to increase the number of first year medical students from the current 184 to 250 per year. In a bond package proposed by Governor Tim Kaine, the state would provide $70 million toward construction of the new school, and VCU would contribute $90 million. However, Trani said that the House of Delegates appears to oppose a bond referendum and will likely craft another plan that may or may not include funding for the new school.
In response to a question from the audience, Peter Wyeth, Vice President for University Advancement, said that funding for the VCU Libraries would be included in the next capital campaign, which Trani earlier had said would be even larger than the $400 million raised in the just-completed campaign.
The president shared some interesting enrollment figures with the senate. In 1996, VCU received 4,762 applications and enrolled 1,928 new students that year. In 2007, that number had shot up to 15,160 applications with 3,882 accepted and enrolled. He also indicated that as of February 5, VCU had already received 15,000 applications for the 08-09 academic year.
When asked how VCU can handle any more growth, Provost Stephen Gottfredson, who was also in the audience, spoke up. “We are hoping to reduce the freshman class by about 150 students for next year,” said Gottfredson.
Trani also shared some faculty numbers. In 1997, VCU employed 1,560 full-time tenure/tenure-eligible and collateral faculty. In 2007, that number was 1,888, about a 20% increase in faculty. At the same time, the student population increased by about 50%. Trani was asked if VCU was overstaffed in 1997 or understaffed in 2007.
“A little of both,” said Trani. He went on to say that new facilities have made teaching more efficient and effective, allowing a single faculty member to teach larger classes, and he also pointed to the increased use of teaching assistants as a means by which a smaller number of faculty can handle a larger number of students.
The senate was also told that the ratio of tenure/tenure-eligible faculty to collateral faculty had changed in the last five years. In 2002, there were 958 people in tenure/tenure-eligible positions at VCU and 602 full-time collateral faculty. In 2007, there were 941 tenure/tenure-eligible faculty and 947 collateral faculty.
“Are those collateral numbers too high? Probably,” said Trani, but he went on to say that some of that change is by design, and that some programs and schools actually prefer to hire faculty in collateral positions for a variety of reasons.
His final comment on the issue of faculty growth? “There are more faculty members but clearly not enough,” said Trani.
For more information about the new School of Medicine and other projects on the horizon, see the 2008 General Assembly Highlights
