Vice-Chancellor's Report 1978-82

addition to this " no rma l" growth, UPGC has also requested the University to train more doctors, social workers and teachers out of an additional student target number. Wi th these additional students, the University will have a combined enrolment of 6,960 students by 1987/88. This represents a projected compound annual growth rate in student number of 6.1%. It is obvious that a period of rapid and sizeable expansion lies ahead. The University is ready to rise to the challenge, and is prepared to cope with the many new problems expected to arise from this "blister growth". Considerable physical redevelopments will be required to provide facilities needed for such an expansion. The School of Education will need a new building to accommodate the vast increase in its student number, and the Department of Social Work may even have to develop into a full-fledged School. The Departments of Music and Fine Arts had managed to cope rather well by using converted space in the past, but now their need for new space properly designed for their rather special requirements should no longer be delayed. And clearly more student hostels will be required to bring the proportion of residential places to about 50% as agreed to by Government. The needs of the University are almost endless and the resources at its disposal never quite seem to match. This is especially true in the province of research where many teaching staff have devoted generously their time and energy, but often hampered by grossly inadequate financial provisions. The stimulation which research activities can provide staff and students as part of the teaching and learning process is generally accepted as desirable in any tertiary institution. The time has come for the Government to support more fully the University's aspirations in this direction and for this reason the University welcomes the formation of the Research Working Party by the UPGC to study the University's research priorities and research requirements with particular reference to long-term funding. In the first chapter of this Report, I put down four objectives for the University when I took over as Vice-Chancellor. These are to consolidate the University's institutional framework, to expand into professional disciplines, to build up the facilities needed for such activities and to develop a living tradition which is consistent with the University's espoused goals and ideals. The first three objectives have by and large been accomplished and the fourth is, necessarily, an on-going process. Looking ahead into the mid- 53