FACING the reality of a slowing national economy and shrinking state budget, the number crunchers at the University have come to realize they must make provisions for future cuts and shortages. With the College, Architecture and Education schools already freezing current searches for faculty, departments and programs only can wonder which project near and dear to their hearts will next fall victim to the financial axe. At this critical juncture, the University must carefully reexamine its priorities in divvying out a rapidly depleting supply of funds.
As one of the premiere institutions of higher learning in the nation, this school has continued to pride itself on the illustrious members of its faculty. Halting the College's current pursuit to hire 25 additional faculty among various departments reduces its future potential community by a significant amount. Officials cite not the lack of qualified candidates but the current insufficient state revenue as the sole roadblock to hiring more professors.
Without a doubt, nearly everyone at the University has some addendum to the seemingly infinite list of desired projects and programs. The doubts, however, arise in considering the sources of the necessary money. The state will not be that source. After Governor Gilmore announced that the Commonwealth does not have the money to complete the full elimination of the car tax, institutions of higher learning such as the University cannot expect or depend on any increase in financial contributions from the state.
Because it's improbable that the University can squeeze any more funds from the state, it will have to rely on its own private efforts. The hugely successful Capital Campaign wrapped up last year with a final tally of over one billion dollars. Part of this amount was slated to endow some professorships. Today, however, those funds are not sufficient, as several schools at the University still cannot attain the necessary finances to hire new professors.
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Much attention is being paid to the construction of a variety of new buildings around Grounds, from a new Arts & Sciences building to the addition of an indoor track and basketball courts at the Aquatic and Fitness Center and a replacement for the Observatory Hill dining facility. The most ambitious project on the table, though, is the new basketball arena. Granted, University Hall may not be the largest arena in the ACC, but its replacement hardly merits the massive effort currently under way to raise money for its construction. Because none of the funds for the new sports complex can come from state or academic sources, fundraising for the project has become a new priority for the University.
Although the efforts for the U-Hall replacement are well-intentioned - basketball brings out the crowd - at this time of financial crisis at the University such misguided energy must be refocused on the collection of funds needed for the recruitment of professors. Many donors may be more inclined to contribute to a new basketball arena. It's something tangible, a magnificent edifice where thousands flock to enjoy a hugely popular sport at this school. The immediate feedback of a donation to academics is less obvious and to some, less appealing in the long run. A couple million dollars, though, saves numerous faculty positions and creates new ones along the way. The extent of that contribution reaches much farther than the addition of a few more courses. It would help a stellar academic reputation to remain intact at the University, attracting both teachers and students - students who could save your life in triple bypass surgery or end up teaching your own kids some day.
The next course of action for the University is obvious: start a new academic campaign solely dedicated to the hiring of faculty. Put other less critical campaigns, such as the basketball arena project, on hold for the time being. No basketball fans will leave. Professors, however, may. School officials must appeal to alumni and other benefactors with an urgent plea. Without the University itself, though, setting the example of making hiring faculty the highest priority, why would anyone else with deep pockets do the same? Some may not even consider how a substantial donation to academic departments could enhance the education and careers of thousands of people - such a contribution lacks the fanfare of a groundbreaking and a new shiny building.
More than any indoor track or arena, though, a school's faculty creates the foundation for an institution's greatness in a forum of learning. Before anyone puts up a structure that could even be momentarily considered unessential, the focus must turn to the recruitment of professors. Only then can the collective conscience of the University rest and move on to other plans.
(Becky Krystal's column appears Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at bkrystal@cavalierdaily.com.)
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