<p>Opinions?</p>
<p>My initial reaction is that we are overreaching. 30,000 students seems to be working, but a challenge.</p>
<p>Sorry for the double post. It did not appear to go through the first time.</p>
<p>Personally, I would prefer to maintain the current 30k campus.</p>
<p>I would prefer to remain at 30K too. You go too big and the school loses it’s charm.</p>
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<p>What is the source for this statement? When my son and I met with Dr. Witt last February, he told us he wanted to cap enrollment at 31,000.</p>
<p>Article in today’s Tuscaloosa News.</p>
<p>[TuscaloosaNews.com</a> | The Tuscaloosa News | Tuscaloosa, AL](<a href=“http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/]TuscaloosaNews.com”>http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/)</p>
<p>Thank you, crimsondude. Here’s an excerpt from the article: </p>
<p>Witt said that while constructing the new enrollment goal, he and his staff also considered the potentially negative effect a larger student population could have on the culture and friendliness of campus.</p>
<p>“We believe adding 5,000 students is not going to affect that culture, but we will be monitoring it along the way,” he said.</p>
<p>It’s not the matter of how many students are here, but how logistically able the campus is to handle them. It’s a lot better now then it was 2-3 years ago when the campus was a nightmare, but the campus still needs to catch it’s breath before more stress is placed upon it.</p>
<p>Also reported in the T-News, the BoT approved construction of 4 sorority houses behind the President’s Mansion, a 400-seat lecture hall addition to Russell Hall, and new digital media center to be built next to Reese Phifer Hall.</p>
<p>All good, but when and where are they going to add more parking?!</p>
<p>I agree feenotype. We first need to build up the infrastructure to handle the current enrollment as well as any planned growth. And not only on campus but around the city of Tuscaloosa as well.</p>
<p>I think we need to sit back for a bit and admire what we’ve done and then go from there.</p>
<p>timeflew, I don’t think parking will be added until the Bryce property is fully taken over and cleared. Once that’s done I imagine some parking decks will be added to the north side of campus.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>Bama has been adding more parking, so even more parking is very likely planned. Bama has the Bryce hospital area now, and could use that for parking while new parking structures are added. </p>
<p>Bama added “game day” parking north of rec center. Bama should sell “cheap permits” to resident students who don’t use their cars very often to park there during non-game day times. </p>
<p>The former nursing building is being remodeled for future use as well as areas in Lloyd Hall. </p>
<p>And, of course, when Phase III of the SEC opens soon, the classes that move there might open up some opportunities in their former locations. (I’m not sure what all is going to moved into Phase III). Phase III of the SEC is like adding 3 new buildings.</p>
<p>By 2020, UA President Robert Witt wants to enroll 35,000 students.</p>
<p>So, he’s talking about a TEN YEAR goal. Those added students won’t be on campus all at once. LOL</p>
<p>Keep in mind that Bama is including GRAD students in that number. Bama had a huge surprisingly big growth in grad school enrollment this fall (maybe people wanting easier access to football tix…LOL). </p>
<p>*At the University of Alabama, strong recruiting contributed to the 14.3 percent increase in graduate school applications from the fall of 2008 to 2009, said Dave Francko, associate provost and dean of the graduate school.</p>
<p>The Crimson Tide’s football national championship also generated interest in this state and others, Francko said. “We are importing talent and that translates into a higher tax base down the road,” he said.</p>
<p>He noted, too, the university’s push to attract “students from underrepresented backgrounds.” The African-American enrollment in Alabama’s graduate programs rose by 13 percent from fall 2009 to 2010. * ~snipped~ [Alabama</a>, Auburn, USA see grad school enrollments rise | al.com](<a href=“http://blog.al.com/live/2010/10/alabama_auburn_usa_see_grad_sc.html]Alabama”>Alabama, Auburn, USA see grad school enrollments rise - al.com)</p>
<p>The above doesn’t give the grad school growth numbers for 2009-10 or the current 2010-11 years, but I read somewhere that the increases were high.</p>
<p>Since many grad students are on campus during the “odd hours,” they may not add much crowding to the school. They’re often late afternoon/night class kind of people.</p>
<p>*Witt said the university has also succeeded in attracting “the best and brightest” students and faculty.</p>
<p>Of this fall’s **5,563 freshmen, 44 percent graduated in the top 10 percent **of their high school class. </p>
<p>To continue that success, Witt said it was necessary that the university fund more scholarships, continue to upgrade its on-campus housing and increase the number of jobs for students on campus.</p>
<p>Witt added that the construction of UA’s many new buildings has added to its success in recruiting quality faculty members.</p>
<p>“Those have made it possible to recruit research-active faculty that we would otherwise have not been able to recruit,” he said…</p>
<p>The university currently ranks in the top 27th percentile of public research institutions. To achieve Witt’s goal of becoming a Tier 1 research institution, Witt said the university will need to move into the top 20 percent.</p>
<p>“That will probably require a literal doubling of our current federal support,” he said.*</p>
<p>I can see where getting more and more research-active profs and getting more federal dollars/grants will go hand in hand.</p>
<p>I wonder what his ranking goal is? To be in the top 20% of public research U’s…hmmm…maybe ranked within the top 60?</p>
<p>in fall 201, there were ______ grad/law students.</p>
<p>in 2009, there were 5,100 grad/law students</p>
<p>in 2008, there were 4,700 grad/law students</p>
<p>in 2007, there were 4,500 grad/law students</p>
<p>I wonder what the goal is for numbers for grad students?</p>
<p>I think Mom is right. Most school’s Bama’s size or larger, have roughly the same number of freshman that we do. However, they have signficantly larger graduate classes. Dr. Witt probably had to get undergrad enrollment up over the last eight years, to finance the dramatic increase in graduate students that he really desires. THAT will help to turn UA into a true Tier 1 research university. And everyone will benefit, unless they need someone to hold their hand at all times. lol. But I agree that we really don’t need larger freshman classes. If Bama wasn’t as popular as it is, it would probably have much higher avg. test scores. But I foresee acceptance rates below 50 per cent. Yall better get on the train now, cause its about full!</p>
<p>IIRC, the plan is to convert the Ferguson Center parking lot into a northern quad, which will eliminate even more parking in the core of campus. I think the long-term goal is to completely remove road and car parking from the core of campus.</p>
<p>*I think the long-term goal is to completely remove road and car parking from the core of campus. *</p>
<p>Yes…</p>
<p>Bama will likely do what many large campuses do…go to mostly multi-level parking structures…they take less room</p>
<p>Well, based on campus planners’ preference for surface lots on the periphery of campus, I can’t really see that as likely.</p>
<p>Surface lots are much cheaper to create, but if and when space becomes an issue, then parking structures become more necessary.</p>
<p>With the Bryce property, it’s would be quicker and easier just to put lots there and have a Crimson Ride stop there. Again, the school could provide an incentive by charging less for those parking permits to get more kids to choose to park there.</p>
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<p>A little late for that, don’t ya think?</p>
<p>ABR…how are you? I hear that you’re not happy at Chatt either.</p>
<p>Bama is a friendly campus, but for those who have trouble socializing on any campus, well…then that’s going to be a problem anywhere. </p>
<p>Good luck at your next (3rd) school within - what - 4 semesters?</p>