leges capital outlay of $13.15 million which suggests that the figure of $4,050 per student may be useful.

Assuming a total enrollment of 2,500 full time equivalent students the cost at $4,050 per student would come to $10.1 million. $10.1 million represents about 85% of the previously estimated cost of $11.8 million for the proposed college. In other words, the estimate of $11.8 million would appear to allow $1.7 million, or roughly 15% of the estimate, for increases in construction costs since 1964-65. An allowance of $1.7 million for such increases may well be insufficient for this purpose, however, and should be examined closely in the light of local construction costs. We are advised informally that one architectural firm concerned with the planning of a private campus in this part of the country is proceeding on the assumption that construction costs alone currently amount to $27 per square foot while project costs as a whole-including costs of construction, equipment, fees, planning and administrative services-amount to as much as $45 per square foot. At this rate the college would cost almost $17 million.

This estimate, which is based on an assumption that construction costs are properly no more than 60% of project costs for such facilities, appears to us to be conservative. The table below shows the ratio of equipment to investment costs for public liberal arts colleges in the years 1950-57 to be no higher than 16.6%.

TABLE 1.-Ratio of investment 1 in equipment to that in buildings occupied initially during 1950-57 at public colleges and universities, by region and type of institution: United States ?

[Dollars are in thousands. Each "percent" represents the equipment investment divided by the building investment]

2 Includes matched figures only; that is, an investment figure for a building was used only when the figure for its equipment was also reported, and vice versa.

B. THE COMMUNITY AND VOCATIONAL COLLEGE

Assuming 4,000 full time equivalent students we estimate that the cost of constructing and equipping the proposed college could range from $12 million to $22 million.

An allowance of 130 square feet per student used by Mr. McKee appears to be a reasonable figure. The figure varies a great deal in vocational schools according to the nature of the curriculum, extending from 100 square feet per student in certain laboratories to a figure as high as 200 square feet per student in certain advanced machine shops. Experience in administering the Higher Education Facilities Act suggests that a figure of 130 square feet per student is reasonable for community colleges, as compared to the figure of 150 square feet cited above for the college of arts and sciences.

Project costs in this vicinity at current prices, inclusive of equipment fees and planning range from $22 to $25 a square foot. This figure assumes that equipment

costs generally amount to about 33% percent of construction costs and 40 percent at the very most. (This percentage is based upon observations of 597 area vocational centers over the last two years.) It is possible, of course, that the cost of construction and fees could increase over the next few years to a level of $27 per square foot.

In the light of the foregoing considerations, an optimistic calculation of costs might be

4,000 (FTE) X130 (square feet)

A conservative estimate of costs would be

4,000X130X $27 equals ___

Add 40 percent of construction cost 1.

Total...

$22= $11.4 million.

Add 20 percent to achieve exceptional quality...

Total...

: Equipment.

$13. 0

5. 2

18. 2

3. 6

21..8

[Enclosure 2]

Operating costs of State University of New York community colleges, 1965–66

ASSOCIATION OF STATE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, WASHINGTON, D.C.

Tuition and required fees, room rates, and board rates: 1965-66 at member institutions of the Association of State Colleges and Universities, by State

[Figures shown are rates for the typical full-time undergraduate students, for 2 semesters, 2 trimesters, or 3 quarters. Where this year's figures represent an increase over last year's rate is shown in parentheses.]