UDC battling back after major surgery - University of the District of Columbia

Black Issues in Higher Education, April 17, 1997 by Cheryl D. Fields

WASHINGTON--It was with

poetic irony that Mother Nature

dealt the northeastern states one final

blow of frosty weather on April Fool's Day.

That afternoon, at the main auditorium of the

University of the District of Columbia

(UDC), despite the frigid winds that blew

outside, senior administrators delivered a

message inside that they hoped would

warm the hearts of the faculty, staff and

students gathered and herald the beginning of a

new season in the life of this battered

historically Black university.

"We choose to live, and we choose to act,"

said interim president Julius F. Nimmons Jr.

before an attentive audience of a few hundred

members of the campus community.

Nimmons had called the meeting to update

UDC's various constituencies on the status of

the university and to share his vision for the

future. He also took advantage of the

opportunity to commend them for enduring

what he called "the most devastating of

events in the history of this university," and

asked them to band together as they adjust to the

challenges of their newly streamlined

configuration.

Only a few months ago, some worried that

UDC was on the brink of extinction. In

February, it was forced to release nearly one

third of its faculty and administrative staff due

to an 518.2 million budget shortfall. UDC's

current appropriation is $37 million. At one

time, it was as high as $77 million.

The budget controversy also affected

student enrollment, reducing the student

population to 5,917 this spring from its fall size

of 7,684.

"I realize that your workloads have

increased," Nimmons said, adding that he is

aware of how the recent sequence of events

have affected morale. "But we've got to move

on. We have an institution to preserve."

Despite the deep faculty cuts, the

university has been able to retain the core of its

academic program and its accreditation status

with the Middle States Association of Colleges

and Schools, Nimmons said. He also assured the

audience that he

and the board of trustees have no intentions of

turning UDC into a two-year college, an

alternative that some officials have publicly

considered.

Nimmons said he anticipates no further

reductions to the university budget

appropriation, and announced that the

university plans to begin the fall semester on

time in August. Last fall, budget woes forced

the school to delay opening until October.

As part of UDC's new budget strategy,

preliminary steps are also being taken to

initiate a fundraising campaign. An alumni

group has already launched a campaign to raise

$3.5 million and the institution hopes to

pursue donations and grants from corporate,

foundation and other private and public

sources. Previously, there was no need for

UDC to engage in fundraising because its level

of support from the city met its needs.

In-kind services, corporate; partnerships and

volunteer expertise will be sought by UDC. A

group of students has already volunteered to

assist with public relations and student

recruitment efforts.

"Whatever it takes to bring this university

back to life.... I encourage you to do that.

Whatever you need to do to purge yourself of

the stress and negativity we all have suffered.

please do it now." Nimmons said "Our need

for community has never been greater."

Student body president Keith Johnson

echoed Nimmons's call for solidarity, urging

those gathered to adopt "a new attitude....

Faculty members, you must teach your

students with pride and excellence. You must

demand excellence from your students....

Pride and excellence--I think we should take

that on as a motto for this

university."

Faculty president Sam Carcione said

Nimmons's pronouncements at the meeting

were a good step toward boosting faculty

morale. He agreed that solidarity is in order,

but anticipates it will be some time before all

of the wounds heal.

"I think we may have had a different

outcome if we had been able to come, together

sooner," Carcione said. "This isn't the first

institution that went through money problems.

We should have learned from those who did, but

we didn't."

Contrary to Nimmons's statements,

Carcione says there is still no firm agreement

between the university and faculty about

beginning the fall semester in August.

Nevertheless, he is optimistic that something

will be worked out in the: coming weeks.

Students who attend UDC in the fall will

face new challenges as well as advantages not

experienced by their predecessors. Perhaps

the biggest challenge is the coming tuition

increase. Tuition for District of Columbia

residents will jump from its current level of

$58 per credit hour to $75. For non-residents,

tuition will rise from the current level of $176

per credit hour to $185.

One of the benefits UDC students will

enjoy is the newly consolidated and

refurbished university library, which will

feature: several Internet computer stations;

seven private study rooms; 250 additional

seats; an additional 12,000 square feet of floor

space a classroom to orient students in the use

of the library's resources; expanded resources

for students with visual impairments; and

book shelf space for roughly 340,000