In an interview to be televised Friday, VCU President
Eugene P. Trani praised the university’s growth and
diversity, warned that VCU should brace for painful
budget cuts and stated the Rams won’t field a football
team while he’s in charge.
“Not on my watch,” he said.
Trani, who arrived in 1990, is VCU’s fourth
president and has become widely known for expanding
the university on a grand scale. With expansion
accelerating during the past few years, Trani said
one of his most important duties as president is to
be optimistic and “to show people that things are
possible and that we can move ahead.”
He discussed his goals and other topics with student
journalists for VCU InSight, a newscast produced by
the School of Mass Communications. The interview
was taped last Thursday and will air at 7 p.m. Friday
on PBS (Channel 24).
Besides VCU’s growth, Trani discussed looming
budget cuts – a leading concern among faculty and
students.
Because of lagging tax revenues, state officials have
told the university to reduce spending by almost $10
million this year. This week, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine
released a plan that outlines the exact cuts, including
the elimination of two staff positions, according to a
Richmond Times-Dispatch report.
Trani said the cuts will no doubt be hard on the
university but “as golfers say, ‘you gotta play through
the rain.’ We’re going to play through the rain,” he
said.
Budget reductions aren’t the only problems facing
VCU. Many students and faculty members have
complained about overcrowding, as VCU has grown
to more than 31,300 students.
Trani acknowledged those concerns.
One way VCU is addressing the matter,
he said, is by building a new home for
the School of Business, located east of
Belvidere Street, between Main and
Cary streets. The new building will
be 135,000 square feet, will have more
than 100 faculty offices and will be able
to accommodate 4,500 students.
When the new School of Business
opens in January and other departments
move into the old business
building, Trani said, “We will have a
whole series of new facilities to deal
with this issue” of overcrowding.”
And what about football? With
VCU’s success in athletics, including
the men’s basketball team’s victory
over Duke last spring, why not go the
whole . 100 yards?
Trani praised VCU’s athletic program
and said many of VCU’s teams
have enjoyed successful seasons
recently. But as for football, the
president does not see a team in the
university’s future.
“Football is very expensive. There
are not many teams who have entered
the football fray in recent years who
have made it successful. So I will allow
the University of Virginia and Virginia
Tech to attain football excellence, and
I want to attain excellence in academic
areas,” Trani said.
Trani said in 20 to 30 years VCU
will continue to have great academics,
faculty and a terrific location. He said
that urban areas, with first-rate art
galleries and music, are a great place
for universities.
“Our location is a major advantage,”
he said. “A lot of what VCU will be in
20 years, you already see.”
Dr. Trani,
unplugged
On his favorite thing
about VCU: “I think it’s a
remarkable institution . the
student body is remarkable,
the faculty is remarkable.
. It’s just a very special
place.”
On his most important
duty as president: “Making
this university increasingly a
student-centered university
is very, very important.”
On campus security:
The president expressed
disappointment in the
number of students who
signed up for VCU’s new
text-messaging alerts. “The
last figure I heard was in the
11,000 category . There’s
not a lot we can do if people
do not sign up for it, but I
hope they will.”
On when he’s not busy
being president: You can
often find him with his
grandchildren at one of his
favorite local restaurants,
the Dairy Bar. “There are a
lot of excellent restaurants
in Richmond. I do not shy
away from restaurants,” he
said with a grin.