Volume CIV, Number 43	University	of	Southern	California	Monday,	March	14,	1988
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trojan
UC president’s view
Isolationism in universities threatens higher education
Bv Jordana Bieze
Staff Writer
Unless American universities are able to rise above established isolationist practices, the future of higher education in this country will be determined largely by the number of foreign students who choose to stay here, the president of the University of California said Saturday.
David Gardner, president of the nine-campus system since 1983, was the guest lecturer at the 10th annual Earl V. Pullias Lecture in Higher Education at Town and Gown. The lecture was held in conjunction with the 81st birthday of Pullias, a professor emeritus at the university, and attracted over 250 professors, administrators and graduate students in the field of higher education.
"Our universities have a vital role to play in rekindling the spirit of internationalism, and they have in my view good chances for success because of the decentralized nature of American higher education. . . In which change and innovation are possible because of the absence of central control," Gardner said.
"At the same time, however, the United States has a long history of isolationism and suspicion of
foreign influences, matched only by our comparative ignorance of the world in general."
American universities appear to be mired in an isolationist rut, Gardner said, and they have not recognized the implications of the interdependency of world powers. As a result, universities in other nations, particularly in South and East Asia, have emerged as serious competition for American universities.
An important factor in the relative decline of higher education in this country is the fraction of American students studying abroad compared with the number of foreign students in the United States, Gardner said.
"It is clear that a significant portion of the world is making an effort to leam about us," he said. "What effort are we making to leam about them?
"Nearly a decade ago. . . Only eight percent of American colleges and universities required a foreign language for admission — that's excluding English — a figure that has probably not changed dramatically in the past decade."
A related problem is that a large percentage of doctoral candidates at American universities are foreign students, Gardner said.
(Continued on page 18)
GILMORE MARA / DAILY TROJAN
UC President David Gardner
Community redevelopment
Future off-campus expansion inevitable
By Bryon Okada
Staff Writer
Increased development and construction on campus have prompted members of the community to question whether the university needs to expand beyond its current boundaries.
But while community expansion is an almost assured move, the concern is not quite as immediate as overcrowded parking lots and the huge crane on Childs W'ay might indicate.
Thomas Coffin, university architect, said one-third of the land within the campus boundaries remains as sites for potential development. This includes undeveloped land and old buildings that can be tom down and replaced.
Construction of the new University Bookstore, the Lyon University Center and the addition of the new
wing to the Law Center all "contribute to the perception that we're out of land," Coffin said. "But we're really not, as yet."
But expansion is still in the works, especially toward the north of campus, where Coffin said the growth of downtown Los Angeles has led to the recognition that "there is life below the Santa Monica Freeway."
Future development
"Expansion sounds to the community like we're going to grab up blocks and build this, that and the other thing," said Alvin Rudisill, university chaplain and director of community relations. "I don't think that's our intention for a whole series of reasons, primary of which is it would be too disruptive to the fabric of the community."
But Rudisill acknowledged that development in the area is inevitable because Los Angeles is fast becoming
the most important city in the United States in terms of its communications technology.
"The whole Figueroa (Street) corridor is ripe for development by someone, and if it is not USC in partnership with others, then who is it going to be?" asked Rudisill, who noted that the university already has four or five buildings east of the Harbor Freeway.
"You can just close your eyes, and you don't have to be a very good Monopoly player to say people are going to start buying land and developing," he said.
Community impact
But Rudisill emphasized that any future development by the university would not push out area residents. In fact, he said the residential area is important for maintaining the strength and character of the neighborhood.
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V ** T O-i- 5-	i ‘The poverty level in the neighborhoods around this campus is lower than anywhere else in this city. We don't want 20 people living in one room.' — Alvin Rudisill, university chaplain and director of community relations
New ordinance limits faculty, staff parking
By Bryon Okada
Staff Writer
A city ordinance passed last fall is requiring the university and other large institutions in the area to minimize the number of cars on their property.
Although it does not affect students, the ordinance requires that faculty and staff members must meet the minimum standard of having a ratio of 1.5 riders per car, said Dennis Archambault, special projects administrator of University Security.
For example, three people must arrive for every two cars that drive onto campus.
The ridership standard should prevent the university parking
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