The University will continue expansion of on-Grounds facilities, such as housing for students, in wake of possible enrollment increases. Photo by Toby Loewenstein.

As the University awaits likely recommendations from the state to increase the school’s enrollment, President Teresa A. Sullivan and the Board of Visitors are contemplating how to best accommodate such a request.

University spokesperson Carol Wood said the University expects the Commission on Higher Education Reform, Innovation and Investment to issue a statewide request for increased enrollment at all public universities as a part of the state’s effort to raise the number of degrees issued to state residents.

The commission, established by Gov. Bob McDonnell in a March 26 executive order, lists “increasing significantly the percentage of college-age Virginians enrolling in institutions of higher education and attaining degrees,” as one of its major goals, according to a press release from McDonnell’s office. The commission set the goal of awarding 100,000 more degrees in the state during the next 15 years.

The University has already made some efforts to reach this goal. Wood explained that the University has focused on increasing the number of degrees given through the School of Continuing and Professional Studies and also has begun developing a ‘three plus one’ option, in which some students could obtain two degrees — a bachelor’s and a master’s degree­ ­— within four years. Wood, however, expects the commission to issue further requests for higher enrollment within the next few weeks.

If the commission does issue such requests, the University may aim to increase enrollment by 1,400 undergraduate and 100 graduate students during the next four to five years — along with the existing plan that began in 2003 to add 1,500 students by 2013. This number is what Sullivan believes would best fit the University’s capacity to grow, Wood said. “Thinking ahead, if the recommendations are [for enrollment growth], this is what we could put forward,” Wood said.

Currently, the University has about 13,600 undergraduate students and 6,100 graduate students enrolled. With the additions, the University’s undergraduate population will reach nearly 17,000 students.

Sullivan outlined this hypothetical situation at the Nov. 15 Board of Visitors meeting and also pointed out various factors on which the plan would be contingent, such as state funding. “We expect the state to provide appropriate funding for the additional Virginia students, and we made this clear in our suggestions to the commission and in our discussion with members of the General Assembly,” Sullivan said.

Wood emphasized that the increase in enrollment could not occur “without additional resources from the state of Virginia.” Expansion of the student body would require additional funding for both financial and logistical aid.

In her remarks to the board, Sullivan reiterated, “We assume the board will not condone this growth without assurances that we have adequate housing, dining, recreation spaces, need-based financial aid and faculty and staff to serve the new students and protect the undergraduate experience.”

Faculty expansion would be required because the University does not wish to compromise the current student-to-faculty ratio, Wood said. Furthermore, the University would have to look at dining, housing and classroom facilities to determine what is needed to accommodate additional students.

“We feel like we are positioned well in dining and housing, although we would have to look holistically across the University at what the impact of 1,500 more students would be,” Wood explained.

Wood emphasized that the University certainly does not want any hypothetical expansion to “jeopardize our unique undergraduate experience” and noted that the 1,500-student increase is calculated to allow for expansion while preserving the undergraduate experience.

The hypothetical enrollment expansion would increase the number of both in-state and out-of-state students while maintaining the current 70-to-30 ratio. Even with such an increase, officials “expect to remain every bit as competitive as we are today.”

Although the University plans to comply with the commission’s requests, it also will try not “to jeopardize in any way the academic or student affairs programs” currently in place, Wood said.

At the conclusion of the last Board of Visitors meeting, Rector John Wynne asked the board to reserve Jan. 8 for a possible special meeting to discuss the commission’s recommendations.

The University’s capital campaign, an effort to raise $3 billion by Dec. 31, 2011, is entering its final stretch.

The campaign is currently behind schedule despite having secured more than $2.2 billion since its inception at the start of 2004. Administrators initially estimated that the campaign would have amassed $2.6 billion by this time, which places the campaign about 10 percent — $300 million — behind schedule, said Robert Sweeney, senior vice president for development and public affairs.

“We’ve raised about 75 percent of the goal, and about 85 percent of the time has elapsed,” Campaign Chairman Gordon Rainey said.

To reach the $3 billion goal in time, the campaign must secure a significant number of large gifts — including multiple $100 million donations — while simultaneously reaching out to gain donations of all amounts from massive numbers of young alumni and students, Sweeney explained.

“A lot of people all over this country are working very hard on this campaign,” Rainey said, citing efforts by the National Committee on University Resources, a volunteer group of more than 400 alumni.

The University uses these funds for fellowships, professorships, global programs, undergraduate and graduate research, new buildings, institutions and more. The intent of the campaign has been two-fold — to address the physical and human capital needs of the University.

The University’s campaign, like others, has had to grapple with state funding cuts during the economic downturn. In her Gifts and Grants report at a recent Board of Visitors meeting, President Teresa A. Sullivan reported a decline in giving.

“Philanthropic giving to the University of Virginia and its related foundations is $52,446,157.41 for the fiscal year through Oct. 31, 2010. This is a decrease of $810,778.29, or 1.52 percent below the results of the previous fiscal year,” Sullivan said.

Since her arrival at the University, Sullivan has helped shape the campaign using an approach dubbed the “Heart of the Grounds,” which emphasizes the value of philanthropy for faculty members and students while highlighting construction needs of the historical iconography. Projects such as the Rotunda campaign, the South Lawn project and the construction of Bavaro Hall exemplify what can be accomplished through private donations, Rainey said.

“The second half of the campaign is more devoted to not so much the buildings but what goes on inside the buildings … which is, we think, the most important thing that we can accomplish,” Rainey said.

To encourage further donations, Sweeney said the campaign will need to emphasize that the funds will go toward cutting-edge programs such as the U.Va. Bay Game simulation and the Center for Innovation. Medical work and research, such as the completion of the Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center and the new children’s hospital, also has the potential to draw in a significant number of gifts.

With just one year remaining, officials hope to make up for the lag in funds quickly and efficiently.

“When you’re playing catch-up, everything has to go right,” Sweeney said, explaining that fundraising is involves contacting, engaging, involving, motivating and finally soliciting donors. “We’ve done the research; we know prospects that have potential for us.”

Sweeney characterized this final push as a call to arms to University alumni, asking them to step forward, and remains confident the team will achieve the monetary goal on schedule.

“I’m betting my career on it. We are not looking at failure. Failure might be forgiving, but not doing everything in our power to raise this money in the allotted time for this university is unforgivable,” he said.

The University received a ‘D’ grade this semester for the amount of core courses it requires for graduation from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni.

ACTA’s study — which graded more than 700 universities — entitled “What Will They Learn?” spanned the past two years and assessed the schools in seven areas — composition, literature, foreign language, U.S. government and history, economics, mathematics and science.

“Our grading system goes from A to F and depends on the number of those core courses that the university requires,” ACTA Policy Director Michael Poliakoff said. “It’s not enough for it to be an option; it has to be a requirement.”

Poliakoff cited the University’s lack of a dedicated literary program or requirements for a broad study of economics or U.S. government and history in his explanation of the low grade. Additionally, the University was marked down for combining science and math into a single requirement.

“U.Va. only fulfilled two of the seven categories,” he said.

College Dean Meredith Woo responded to the critique by comparing the University’s grade to the grades of other top institutions in the nation. Johns Hopkins University, for example, received an F, and both Yale and Cornell Universities received bottom marks, as well.

“The College’s requirements ensure that students have breadth, depth and flexibility in crafting a course of study that challenges their intellect while advancing their personal goals,” Woo said. “We offer many courses in all seven areas of the ACTA study yet give our students appropriate flexibility in course selection. Like Johns Hopkins, Berkeley, Michigan and other top universities that received low grades in the study, U.Va. has high-caliber students.”

Moreover, Kennedy Kipps, special assistant to the dean, said the College’s curriculum and degree requirements are not permanent and evolve over time. “This happens under the direction of the faculty committee on educational policy and the curriculum,” he said. Just last April, a total of 15 requests to alter the current requirement structure were approved.

ACTA believes its ranking system fills an important gap in public knowledge of what the nation’s universities offer.

“With the exception of this project, there is no system that rates schools on the strength of what they require, about which we feel very strongly,” Poliakoff said. “On the basis from what we’ve been reading from U.S. employers, we didn’t see any system that rated schools on what they covered in general education.”

ACTA was founded 15 years ago with a mission of the “three As” — academic standards, academic freedom and accountability. The 10,000 trustees worked to prevent tuition increases and are active in promoting issues in diversity and academic freedom, among other initiatives.

“Project ‘What Will They Learn?’ is a major contribution to ensure that people understand core curriculums and that schools work hard to offer a broad and thorough education for their students,” Poliakoff said.

But Woo said the University’s culture of autonomy would not correspond with a stricter core curriculum.

“Although we set out broad academic guidelines, we entrust our students with the details of completing their degree requirements,” she said, “just as you would expect at a university known for student initiative, leadership and self-governance.”

The Federal Communications Commission unveiled last week a plan to retool the nation’s emergency response system to allow for alerts in more forms than the traditional 911 phone call. Most notably, the upgraded system would have the capacity to receive text messages.

The FCC’s vision, named “Next-Generation 911,” helps meet the challenges posed by a shifting emphasis on mobile devices. With the new system, users would be able to contact 911 via text and media messages sent from cell phones in an effort to give users safer methods of contacting emergency services.

In a press release announcing the changes, the FCC identified the Virginia Tech campus shootings in 2007 as an instance when the program could have saved dozens of lives.

“During the … shooting, students and witnesses desperately tried to send texts to 911 that local dispatchers never received,” the press release stated. “If these messages had gone through, first responders may have arrived on the scene faster with firsthand intelligence about the life-threatening situation that was unfolding.”

Michael Mulhare, director of Emergency Management at Virginia Tech, welcomes the changes.

“[Text messaging] is how we communicate as a society now,” Mulhare said. “It gives another channel for students and the community to contact their 911 center” in addition to the university’s current multi-channel alert system including e-mail and message board notifications in classrooms.

University Police Lt. Melissa Fielding said she supported any measure that improves the quality of services provided but recognized that any new innovation must be carefully evaluated.

“From a police perspective, the sooner we receive reports and information, the better the response we can provide. But while these technologies provide advantages, there are disadvantages, as well,” Fielding said.

One possible disadvantage is the potential for lost information, said Thomas Hanson, executive director of the Charlottesville-UVA-Albermarle County Emergency Communications Center.

“You actually do lose something when a verbal conversation isn’t taking place,” Hanson said. “When a communications operator is able to listen to things in the background, pick up things that are going on in addition to the conversation, a lot more valuable information can be gained.”

Nevertheless, Hanson, Fielding and others such as Kirby Felts, the University’s assistant director of Emergency Preparedness, are optimistic about using new technologies both during emergencies and to help alert students and citizens before they become entangled in an emergency.

“We’ve had a lot of conversations recently with students about how to work more with the social media pieces, and that’s an area that everyone in emergency preparedness is looking at. We’re working out ways for students to friend U.Va. on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, and receive updates that way,” Felts said. “We’re constantly looking at new technologies and assessing how they can be a part of the U.Va. alert system.”

For now, Next-Generation 911 remains “an evolving technology,” Hanson said, and although “everyone’s kind of waiting to see how it’s going to work out,” he predicted that in the next three or four years, it will come to fruition.

The Inter-Sorority Council and the Multicultural Greek Council recently held elections for their respective executive boards for the upcoming term.

The ISC elected Alexis Tarbet as president, Katie Beyer as vice president of the judiciary, Leah Truitt as vice president of administration and Kendall Galant as vice president of recruitment.

Meanwhile, the MGC elected Chufan Zhai as president, Nathan Park as vice president, Huyen-Trang Thai as treasurer, Esther Na as parliamentarian and Jessica Andrews as representative for the Inter-Greek Council.

Both groups’ executive board members will begin their terms next semester.

Tarbet, a third-year Commerce student, emphasized her enthusiasm for the coming year of sorority affairs. “[I’m] really excited and can’t wait to see what we’re going to bring to the ISC next year,” she said.

As for the ISC’s goals for the coming year, Tarbet and her board will work with the University’s newest chapter, Sigma Delta Tau. “We hope to incorporate them as well as we can and get them excited about being a part of the ISC.”

Sarah Feldner, fourth-year Commerce student and current ISC president, said Tarbet is highly qualified for her new position because of her experience as a public relations co-chair and has successfully earned the respect of all the chapters.

“Her expectations are to be open to suggestions and work with chapters and other organizations in the best way she can to make sure that the community is operating smoothly,” she said.

Chufan Zhai, a second-year Engineering student, expressed similar excitement for the coming year and said he has several goals for the Greek council.

As president, Zhai hopes to lead the MGC in becoming more involved with University-wide events such as Greek Week, a week celebrated each fall to establish a sense of unity among different Greek councils.

“I will work to increase publicity and internal coherence by bringing members closer together,” Zhai said. “Since [the MGC] is pretty small, I want each house to have better interrelationship swith its members and other members of the MGC.”

After leading Virginia to a 4-8 record this season, coach Mike London hopes to improve his team’s chances in 2011 with his first recruiting class. Photo by Grant Mathews.

The Virginia football team’s 2010 season may have ended, but the program’s rebuilding process is just underway. With his rocky first year behind him, coach Mike London has shifted his focus to solidifying his first recruiting class at Virginia.

A high number of defections and graduations means London will be able to bring in 25 recruits this offseason, the maximum number allotted by the NCAA. Offensive tackle Jay Whitmire — a four-star recruit out of T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va. — verbally committed to Virginia Tuesday after turning down offers from Maryland, Notre Dame, Penn State, Boston College, West Virginia and North Carolina.

The lineman became London’s 24th recruit. The coach’s pursuit of a large, talented recruiting class has been an ongoing process this year, and it only intensified when the 2010 season ended Saturday against Virginia Tech.

“The second season started soon after the game [against Virginia Tech] was over,” London said. “And my opportunity to sit in someone’s living room as far as recruiting on Sunday started that day and continues now. I’m looking to improve in all areas this season.”

Above all else, London has sought to level the recruiting playing field in the commonwealth, a talent-rich state dominated by Virginia Tech in recent years. So far it appears London has followed through on that promise, as 15 of his 24 recruits are in-state students. In comparison, former Virginia coach Al Groh — who placed a greater emphasis on out-of-state recruiting — signed only 29 Virginia natives out of a total 62 recruits from 2008-10. London’s local efforts have been boosted by the fact that Virginia Tech — which has only 10 scholarship seniors graduating this year — has a limited number of recruits it can bring in for next season. Tech coach Frank Beamer has lured 15 players, eight of which are from Virginia, thus far.

London’s only quarterback commitment currently, David Watford, embodies this change in the dynamic of the two rival schools’ recruiting efforts. Watford — a three-star signal-caller from Hampton, Va. — attended the same high school as 2010 ACC Player of the Year Tyrod Taylor and was expected by many to sign with Virginia Tech. Yet the speedy dual-threat quarterback sided with London, another Hampton, Va. native. Watford will become the first player from Hampton High School to attend Virginia since his cousin and former Cavalier great, Marques Hagans. Watford decided to enroll at Virginia in January to participate in spring practice.

Running back Clifton Richardson — one of London’s three four-star recruits — represents another of Virginia’s six commitments from the Tidewater area, a recruiting pipeline practically owned by the Hokies recently. The 6-foot, 195-pound tailback is the nation’s 20th-ranked prospect at his position and the state’s sixth-highest rated high-school player, according to Rivals.com. Meanwhile, wideout/cornerback Brandon Phelps rejected offers from Virginia Tech, Alabama, Ohio State, Penn State and Notre Dame to come to Charlottesville.

“Winning breeds winning,” London said. “Success breeds success. That’s part of the profile of the student-athlete I’m looking for. The athletic part, they come from programs that have won numerous district, conference or state championships. They’re individuals who have won and been recognized for their play. The more you can attract those type of young men and infuse them with the message that you have, then the better your team becomes.”

Although his team’s paltry 1-7 conference record suggests failure, London’s first year at the helm without recruits of his own produced several significant statistical improvements. Ranked last in the ACC in scoring offense, total offense, pass efficiency, kickoff returns and sacks-against in 2009, the Cavaliers finished seventh or better in each of those categories in 2010.

Even with a number of seniors moving on next year, though, these numbers might continue to improve, as about 18 of the team’s 22 starters are expected to return, London said.“I think with that many guys coming back and the influx of some young new talent will provide an opportunity for improvement and better play.”

Players’ ages will be tossed out the window, however, when spring practice rolls around, as each position will be subject to open competition. This includes the quarterback position, where Marc Verica’s departure will leave a vacancy ripe for the taking. Redshirt freshman Ross Metheny, freshman Michael Rocco, freshman Michael Strauss, freshman Miles Gooch and Watford will compete for the starting job.

Some Virginia fans still may be fuming over a third consecutive losing season, but history indicates that London’s first year in charge was nothing out of the ordinary. Groh ended his first season at Virginia with a 5-7 record in 2001, and Beamer finished with a 2-9 mark after inheriting a floundering Virginia Tech program in 1987.

Still, London keeps his team looking forward rather than dwelling on the past. Watford and the rest of the recruits will officially sign with the team on National Signing Day Feb. 2.

“When I look back and I look at the season as far as what guys have done, the effort, the energy that was given out there, I’m pleased with the progress of it,” he said. “But now it’s time to raise it up another level. I’m excited about recruiting, I’m excited about the guys that are coming back and bringing this program forward.”

“That was probably as pathetic an effort defensively as we’ve had in a long time,” Minnesota coach Tubby Smith said after his team lost to the Cavaliers Monday.

Tubby almost had me there. I almost believed he was going to break a golden media relations rule — I almost believed he was going to forget to praise the winner.

“But a lot of credit has to go to Virginia,” he added. Phew, good save.

Virginia did deserve credit. When the Cavaliers took down No. 15 Minnesota, they shot 10-for-13 from behind the arc — an astounding 76.9 percent. That is difficult for any defense — pathetic or not — to stop.

Virginia deserved credit, but I guarantee that is not what Tubby thought as he made his way off the court. He probably thought, “How the hell did a team that scored 58 total points against Wichita State score 58 points in 20 minutes against us?” And he almost did something that very few coaches do: He almost said what he was thinking.

In “Bull Durham,” veteran minor leaguer Crash Davis tells rising prospect Ebby “Nuke” LaLoosh, “You’re gonna have to learn your clichés. You’re gonna have to study them, you’re gonna have to know them. They’re your friends. Write this down — ‘We gotta play it one day at a time.’

Nuke notes: “Got to play … It’s pretty boring.”

Crash responds — “Course it’s boring, that’s the point. Write it down.”

The scene touches on something anyone who’s ever opened a newspaper knows — athletes like clichés. They have certain standby lines, a certain script that they break out anytime a recorder comes near them.

By the time Nuke gets to the big leagues, he knows the drill. During his first interview, he rattles off the standard clichés like a pro: “You know, I’m just happy to be here and hope I can help the ball club. I just want to give it my best shot and good Lord willing, things will work out … Gotta play ‘em one day at a time.”

“Bull Durham” dramatizes the clubhouse exchange but only slightly. It seems like every athlete and coach out there is taking his season one game at a time. Just ask Rutgers football coach Greg Schiano. He sees college football as “12 one-game seasons.” Well, sure, but by that logic, Schiano should be fired because his Scarlet Knights have suffered through five straight winless “seasons.”

Auburn coach Gene Chizik knows what to say about his undefeated team’s upcoming SEC Championship matchup with South Carolina: “Obviously, it’s a very exciting time for our players and our fans, for the Auburn family, just being able to be blessed enough to play in this game.” No mention of the turmoil surrounding junior quarterback Cam Newton’s recruitment. No mention of a possible national championship. Nope, he is just enjoying this exciting time.

You can know what a game recap will say before you read it. If the Scarlet Knights lost, it is because the other team outplayed them. If a player did well, he will defer the credits to teammates, or better yet, to God. Zach Johnson wins the Masters? “I cannot help but believe my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ was walking with me. I owe this to Him.” Both former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and Alabama junior running back Mark Ingram thanked God for giving them the Heisman. Every athlete deserves to express his faith, but it does seem like Jesus is incredibly busy these days influencing the outcome of sports games …

I poke fun at these players but I also understand them. As Crash Davis said, “Of course [they’re boring]. That’s the point.” Because when athletes are not boring, they become fodder for columnists like myself.

Take Allen Iverson. Everyone knows the cliché “practice makes perfect.” That’s Media Relations 101. Somehow Iverson missed that class, though, and dropped this gem after he missed one practice while playing for the Philadelphia ‘76ers: “I mean, listen, we’re sitting here talking about practice, not a game, not a game, not a game, but we’re talking about practice.” Iverson totaled 24,368 career points during his NBA career, but the first thing that comes to mind when I think of him is “practice.”

But at least Iverson is not Dennis Green. The only thing that comes to my mind when I think of the former Arizona Cardinals coach is: “The Bears are what we thought they were … Now if you want to crown them, then crown their ass! But they are who we thought they were! And we let ‘em off the hook!” I guess Green forgot that he was just supposed to say, “But a lot of credit has to go the Bears.”

Neither of those, however, can compete with Buffalo wide receiver Steve Johnson. After dropping a game-winning touchdown pass on Sunday, Johnson tweeted, “I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!! AND THIS IS HOW YOU DO ME!!! … I’LL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!! THX THO.” At least he added the “THX THO.” In fairness to Johnson, if athletes get to thank God for everything that goes right, it is only logical that they should also get to tweet God when something goes wrong.

Honestly, I wish more athletes were like Iverson, Green and Johnson — my columns would be a whole lot more interesting. Until that happens, though, I will just have to take it one column at a time and give it 110 percent.

I’m going to make a pledge to all seven of my regular readers right now; during this upcoming holiday season, I will watch every single one of the 35 college football bowl games on TV.
Why on earth would someone put themselves through that kind of torture?

Well, I’ll tell you, pessimistic, alternate voice. It’s because I love college football. As I’ve said before, I think it’s even better than the NFL. I love the pageantry. I love the traditions. I love the history and most of all, I love the spirit.

Helluva lot of pageantry in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg bowl, is there?

Here’s the better question: How could you not want to watch a matchup between the two perennial powerhouse conferences, the Big East and C-USA?

I will admit this year a lot of the games have third-tier sponsors. The S.D. County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, the New Era Pinstripe Bowl to be played in Yankee Stadium, and of course, the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, which is played the day before the National Championship game for reasons beyond understanding.

That doesn’t turn you off from the bowl festival a little bit?

Not at all. Take a team like Southern Methodist, currently projected to play in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl — not to be confused with the Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman.
You don’t think that for those kids, that game is the pinnacle of their athletic careers?

Most likely, they won’t be playing Sundays. For those players, this game is a culmination of years and years of hard work. Now they get to play on national TV. That’s something special.

But the football is going to suck.

Not necessarily. And my principles for a football game are like my principles for beer — as long as it’s cold, I’ll drink it. As long as it’s football, I’ll watch it.

For everything but the National Championship game, it just really doesn’t matter.

It matters to the players. It can sometimes decide if a coach keeps his job. It matters to the recruits.

Does any event in sports really matter, anyway? Would life not go on if the Super Bowl didn’t exist? The only reason sports ever matter is because people care about them. And a lot of people care about bowl games. Fans will travel from all across the country to see their teams play. That makes it important.

Not all of these teams would make a playoff even if there was one. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t reap the rewards of a strong regular season and have the opportunity to compete in a postseason.
But it’s not a playoff. We shouldn’t watch until there’s a playoff.

See, it doesn’t matter this year. Assuming Oregon and Auburn win out, we’ll have the two best teams in the country playing for the national championship. I know TCU is good and all, but Oregon and Auburn beat better teams. There’s really no argument to be made that they aren’t the best.

But that’s what makes bowls so great — TCU does get a shot at postseason play, just like every other team that’s bowl-eligible.

That list also includes teams such as Tennessee, whose record was … wait for it … 6-6. The Volunteers just accepted a bid to a bowl game last week. Are they really worthy of postseason play?

Is a college basketball team that posts a losing record during the regular season but wins its conference championship worthy of postseason play?

Fine, fine fine. How on earth are you actually going to watch all those games? Aren’t a bunch of them on at the same time?

Hadn’t thought of that one.