-Staff photo by Bill Stephens
And KU into the future...
By Emery Good
Looking into the crystal ball what is in store for the University of Kansas in the next 40 years? a hellipon on top of Strong Hall, moving sidewalks, dormitories by the dozens and endless others say University officials.
According to Kenneth Anderson, official enrollment predictor for the University, there will be 45,000 students at KU by the year 2005.
How will Mount Oread transform to contain a student body of such great numbers?
"Unlike the University of Minnesota, which has 45,000 students now, we will try to keep a single campus," said James R. Surface, provost.
"Of course the University owns ground west of Iowa Street and perhaps someday it will grow on that ground but in the future we will certainly try to keep the entire student body as near the main campus as is possible.
According to Surface one-half of the student body could conceivably be composed of students from foreign countries studying at KU.
"These students will replace the half of our
own students who are studying outside of the United States in exchange programs."
And what about the student body studying on the campus in Lawrence?" It will be composed of many adults who will be continuing their education."
Surface sees a shorter work week for the average American and this will give him more free time for recreation and also time to attend schools of higher education like KU.
"I think that these people will turn to more intellectual interests such as literature and the arts," Surface said.
"God willing, I will still be here in the year 2000 myself," Surface said. "I will probably retire in 1986, two years after George Orwell's book 1984 is to come about. And speaking of 1984, I suppose that it will be dropped from the Western Civilization reading program by that time."
Since the KU campus must retain its present location and still hold 45,000 students and a needed faculty of 2,400, buildings must go up instead of out.
Another factor which will drawtogether elements such as the Medical Center in Kansas City, is a predicted megalopolis, or long chain of cities, between Topeka and Kansas City. Since Lawrence will be in the middle of this chain of cities, it will in a sense bring the Medical Center closer because it will be in the same town.
Gazing still farther in his crystal ball, Dean Surface sees an office in the still standing Strong Hall being remodeled. "And undoubtably there will still be letters in the UDK criticising the administration."
"I imagine there will be quite a few residence halls by the year 2,000," said Ernest Pulliam, housing director.
He explained there is room for two more planned residence halls in the same area as Oliver Hall, to be opened this fall.
"When these are built we have the entire area west of Iowa Street on which to build," Pulliam said.
"Personally, I would like to see a series of residence halls where Oread Hall now stands and along the ridge below where Joseph R. Pearson now stands."