<p>super.nova</p>
<p>Thanks for the information. While a bill’s proposal does not mean that it will pass the legislature, it does create a higher profile for this issue in an environment where the arguments in favor of more OOS students will be advanced by….no one. What is to be gained politically by defending the interests of OOS students? Still, you would think that the much reduced and still declining role of the state in funding Virginia’s colleges, including UVA, would morally push the lawmakers into ceding more control and say to those who are paying the bills. But politicians will do what politicians will do and that does not augur well for the long-term health and reputation of our beloved University of Virginia. Public vs private is a key question and while I can’t envision the University as a private institution, political actions such as this can only increase the desire of UVA’s true constituencies (students, alumni, faculty) to argue more for a private solution. Let’s hope that the politicians’ push for their parochial interests are little more than political grandstanding and will go nowhere. </p>
<p>Re this whole transfer issue, I don’t know much about transfers and probably even less about community colleges. While only a spectator to this transfer/CC discussion, IMO any move by the University to dilute the quality of the student body, eg, guaranteeing admission to CC students with a certain GPA, in order to respond to some political constituency is the wrong policy. Granted, my wishful, idealistic thinking will likely be ignored as the pressures from local voters are stronger than those from people like me who want the University to improve its academic profile and status through the admission of more, higher achieving OOS students. However, I just can’t imagine this discussion at schools that UVA would like to consider as its peers. Yes at UC-Berkeley, Michigan or UNC-CH, but near unimaginable at schools like Duke, Northwestern, Cornell, Brown, Hopkins, Vanderbilt, Emory, Georgetown, etc where UVA does have a legitimate shot at winning the cross-admit battle. </p>
<p>Moves to further limit OOS enrollment or to promote back doors for weaker students will negatively impact the University’s selectivity and its prestige. A good reputation is a difficult thing to achieve, but it’s an even harder thing to reclaim once it has been damaged or lost.</p>