One of the major issues the council has emphasized over the past several years has been improving the condition of our classrooms, an effort begun in 1998 with the passage of a Faculty Senate resolution requesting that the administration seek funding for classroom improvements.

In September 1999, the University allocated $9 million to the Office of Undergraduate Education to begin to address the problem. Then-Dean Fred Campbell appointed a Policy Committee to develop policies for the renovation, including faculty representatives from the FCUFS and the Provost’s Academic Advisory Committee on Facilities. Renovation guidelines were developed and presented to both the Policy Committee and the FCUFS for review and comment.

Of the available funding, $1.25 million was allocated to Health Sciences for improvements to their classrooms, and the remaining $7.75 million was allocated for Upper Campus classrooms. An additional $400,000 was provided to implement acoustical upgrades as prioritized by the University Committee on Accessibility.

Renovation projects began in the spring of 2000 and were completed this past winter quarter. Seventy-eight Upper Campus classrooms and 21 Health Science classrooms were renovated, significantly enhancing the educational environment for faculty and students.

Upper Campus buildings whose classrooms were renovated include Denny, Thomson, Smith and Art, all of which got dropped ceilings and new floor covering, lighting fixtures, window treatments, furniture, décor, and acoustical properties. Mechanical Engineering got all those things plus new chalkboards.

Four large classrooms were also included: 110 and 130 Kane (new ceilings, lighting, wall treatments, floor covering, furniture, and audiovisual features), 120 Smith (dropped acoustical ceilings and new lighting, window treatment, furniture, and acoustical properties), and 108 Parrington (new flooring, furniture, wall treatments, and window treatments). The entire classroom renovation program won a West Coast regional award for lighting design and energy efficiency, and the renovation of Room 130 in Kane Hall won a local award for acoustical design.

Because of the success of this renovation initiative, the University was invited to make a presentation regarding the planning, scheduling, and execution of these classroom upgrades at a West Coast meeting of the Society for College and University Planners that was held at the end of April.

There are many other classrooms in serious need of renovation, and many classrooms need to have modern instructional technology installed in them. FCUFS will continue to ask the administration to identify funding for this important initiative.

Another major issue for the council this year was working with the executive vice president to craft a University policy for coordination of placement of temporary facilities on campus. There are established policies for coordination of permanent construction activities, but none existed for temporary facilities. The result of this effort was a policy requiring the coordination of the placement of any temporary facility with the Capital and Space Planning Office, the Capital Projects Office, the Facilities Services Office, units occupying space near the proposed facility site, and the FCUFS prior to approval being granted for its placement. This policy has been added to the University Handbook as chapter 12 of book 4, section VII.

The final major policy issue for the council this year relates to the site approval process for new construction on campus. The FCUFS met with the Capital and Space Planning Office to review a modified site approval process and made suggestions for improved coordination. The objective of the revised process is to include the FCUFS and other campus interests early in the process to ensure the administration has campus and community input with respect to issues related to alternative sites being considered before a tentative site decision is made. This may avoid some of the controversy that occurred previously relating to construction site decisions.

Shared governance works only when faculty members are willing to become involved in faculty councils and the Faculty Senate. Councils have wide latitude to shape their individual agendas and interact directly with appropriate members of the administration. Service on a council is an educational experience, both in terms of learning how the University operates and meeting faculty colleagues from across campus. If you are interested in shaping policies relating to University facilities and services, I encourage you to volunteer for membership in the FCUFS when the secretary of the faculty asks for volunteers.