The freshman class has declined from a peak of 3,000 in 1997 to about 2,500 this past fall. Increasing the enrollment can be accomplished without endangering the University's goal of increasing the SAT average of its freshman class to 1175 by 2005, he said.

"We can do this without sacrificing quality and without increasing the overall enrollment of the University because we are decreasing graduate student enrollment," Palms said.

The larger freshman class would contribute about $3 million in revenue and add another $1 million in state funding. University administrators believe that enrollment numbers at state colleges and universities will become more important in future deliberations about state higher education funding.

The state House of Representatives passed a budget plan that would cut higher education funding by about 12 percent. Gov. Hodges has presented a plan that would use one-time funds to prevent cuts for higher education--at least for 2001–2002. The state Senate will begin considering both plans next week.

Referring to continuing uncertainty over USC's budget in 2001–2002, President Palms said USC Columbia would create a Strategic Directions Committee with members to be named this summer. The committee will evaluate all aspects of campus--much like the Future Committee did in 1994--for future budget considerations.

In other business, Caroline Strobel, Columbia campus Faculty Senate chair, and Jerald Wallulis, chair of the Faculty Welfare Committee, presented six faculty objectives approved by the Columbia campus Faculty Senate. The objectives include increasing graduate stipends; improving campus buildings; and making faculty salaries and benefits more competitive with peer institutions.