On behalf of Oregon Hill residents, I wish to express my appreciation for Michael Paul Williams’ Times Dispatch column this morning.
The school has increased its enrollment by 9,000 students during the past decade. But it has struggled to keep pace — from a standpoint of resources and faculty — to fulfill its academic mission.
Critics of school President Eugene P. Trani, who is stepping down in July, have long complained that he has placed development and enrollment growth above academics. They might call the U.S. News & World Report ranking the chickens coming home to roost.
As the Trani era ends, his successor’s main task will be to restore confidence in academic integrity and to enhance — or repair — VCU’s national stature.
VCU’s promise must not be compromised by its unbridled growth. The school must scale down its ambitions to meet its academic mission. If it is to become a true up-and-comer, quality — not quantity — must be job one.
Despite the hard feelings, Oregon Hill residents are sorry that VCU did not get nationally ranked, we do want what is best for our neighbors (including students getting a quality recreational center), but we are also happy to see that common sense is coming to bear.
