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Considering
enrollment in the construction equation
Tidal
Wave II may not be driving campus construction but will
impact the approach to these efforts
By
D. Lyn Hunter, Public Affairs
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As if a major
effort to renew and seismically improve buildings on more than
25 percent of the campus weren't enough, campus planners now
must factor potential enrollment growth into the equation of
how the campus plans for the future.
Like all
colleges and universities in California, the Berkeley campus
is facing growing student enrollment demand. Former UC President
Clark Kerr dubbed the pending growth "Tidal Wave II," a reference
to the flood of potential students that are entering college
in the next 10 years. The increase is caused by the children
of the Baby Boomer generation reaching college age, a growing
population base in California, and an increased interest in
college attendance.
Berkeley's
share of Tidal Wave II students is expected to be a 4,000-student
increase over 10 years. Systemwide, the University of California
is facing enrollment growth of 63,000 students.
According
to Dennis Hengstler, executive director for the Office of Planning
and Analysis, 1,000 of the proposed 4,000 additional students
will be accommodated within existing enrollment caps and existing
programs, leaving the remainder to plan for over the next nine
years. During its peak, UC Berkeley is expected to add 400 more
students each year, with a gradual tapering to approximately
200 students as the boom winds down in 2010.
"Finding
room for enrollment growth is a challenge, and it will have
a significant impact on the campus," said Tom Koster, assistant
vice chancellor for Capital Budget and Planning. "We need to
find ways to accommodate this increase while maintaining our
functionality and sense of community. We will be looking carefully
at all possible options in the coming months."
Accommodating
more students at the same time space on campus is temporarily
shrinking - due to seismic safety upgrades - is quite a logistical
challenge for campus space planners. It is also a sensitive
issue for the Berkeley community, concerned about the impact
on housing and traffic.
Fortunately,
several strategies for handling the extra students - and their
supporting faculty and staff - do not require more space on
campus.
Options under
consideration, says Hengstler, include: expanding the summer
session enrollment by providing a variety of financial and other
incentives; offering more courses and programs at off-campus
education centers, such as UC Extension Laguna campus in San
Francisco and the Richmond Field Station; increasing study abroad
and internship opportunities; and initiating some distance learning
programs.
Although
significant progress has been made in increasing the number
of students who graduate in just four years, said Hengstler,
the campus is exploring more ways to decrease the time-to-degree
to help accommodate additional students. Students were offered
a $500 rebate this summer to attend summer school, reducing
the classroom demand during the fall semester.
While these
measures should handle the bulk of the student boom, planners
may still need to find room on campus. One way to free up space,
said Koster, is moving some activities to university properties
away from the main campus, such as 6701 San Pablo Ave. or the
Richmond Field Station.
Tidal
Wave II news
Renewing
the Foundations of Excellence home
Source:
Berkeleyan
Special Issue, Fall 2000
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