Summary of the Space Utilization Public Comments

Transcription

1 Summary of the Space Utilization Public Comments There were 13 comments submitted regarding the Space Utilization project report. Many comments focused on issues related to a space database, support for the report s recommendations, and critiques of data found in the report. The following summarizes the main issues presented in those comments: Space Database A space database already exists and is called Archibus Biennial space surveys are conducted on campus units through s and site visits A web based interface for the existing space database is being tested and will be rolled out soon Support for the Report s Recommendations Scheduling classes to meet in the early morning or after 3:00 in the afternoon is a good idea Moving towards a more paperless university would be helpful The report identifies ways that will lead to more efficient use of space that will cut our energy costs. The campus needs to commit to a renewal of instructional technologies in every classroom. High quality classrooms and laboratories, which include instructional technologies that allow for dynamic and innovative instruction, are important to attracting the best students and faculty. Critiques of Data found in the Report The report does not address the growing space needs of Student Affairs The space used for athletics is not adequately addressed in the report The report does not adequately explain the increase in administrative space The report lacks a full recognition of the campus commitment to not increasing net space usage by 2012 Other Comments The full list of constituencies consulted by the team should be published The Sasaki Plans should have been referenced in the report Illinois Fire Service Institute classrooms are funded exclusively with dedicated Fire Prevention funds Central administration of Illinois Fire Service Institute space would be impractical The campus/colleges work to remodel space in order to obtain large grants, but space allocations for research centers often persist long after center activity has ended. The university should utilize its alumni in the in the commercial real estate industry to help tackle space issues Consistent, campus wide polices on the use of space should be implemented Space management should not be moved to the Provost s Office There are typos in the report

2 LISTING OF PUBLIC COMMENTS "The Space Management office has identified a number of buildings that could be removed, given the right circumstances. While such decisions need to be made carefully in full consultation with a variety of constituencies across the campus, the committee acknowledged that a campus wide master plan should not rule out this option in some cases. Their list..." If decisions are to be made with "full consultation", why isn't "their list" included as an addendum? Why are the Sasaki Plans not referenced in this report? Hank Kaczmarski I can't help but notice most of the recommendations and evaluation done here revolved around academics and research. As the size of our student body grows student affairs grows with it. Many of our on campus buildings are not only old but are locked in at their current size prohibiting staff growth (office space) for growth with the student body. This is especially imperative for areas that require a degree of confidentiality (career counseling, health, mental health, financial services, etc.) I do wish a paragraph or two would be dedicated to recommendation to deal with that aspect of the space issue. Although I think all the other recommendations (particularly off campus renting) are spot on. Three points: 1. The Campus Master plan cited in the report has been updated for the Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI) to remain in its existing location as part of the Master Plan, as opposed to "moving" to the location shown in South Farms. 2. IFSI training facilities are uniquely designed for firefighter training much of which involves hands on, live fire/rescue emergency simulation labs (which only IFSI can operate. These facilities and all IFSI classrooms are funded exclusively with dedicated Fire Prevention Funds that are statutorily allocated to the University exclusively for IFSI operations, maintenance and construction of fire training facilities. While IFSI has been willing to share traditional classroom space with other campus units on a space

3 available basis, new very high tech classroom and conference spaces coming online this year will require that IFSI have a staff member oversee use of classroom spaces to ensure security and operational integrity of the AV systems in the building. This will require a usage fee be charged, whenever high tech classrooms are used by non IFSI units to cover the cost of staffing support. The shift to high tech classrooms across campus may create hard staffing costs that must be recovered by the unit providing space. 3. IFSI as a unit has a very dynamic calendar with widely varying daily, weekly, and monthly space utilization. Central administration of IFSI space, outside of the Institute would be impractical and severely limit IFSI's ability to rapidly respond to short notice program changes. Richard Jaehne I quote: Space allocated to athletic programs: We briefly discussed the expansion of athletic facilities and their impact on affecting academic space on campus, especially programs in ACES. We concluded that this issue, although critical for developing an overall campus space utilization plan, did not fall under the scope of our study. I note the fear we all have of athletics. This unit seems to have the power of a religion over our lives. Who are we kidding. Campus resources go to supporting our faith in sports. The facilities are spectacular and largely fenced off form the students and community. The debt load is carried by the University and costs us percentage points on money that would be borrowed to pay down cost of renovating class rooms. I am a fan of our athletic programs but I believe their cost and their benefit to the University must be faced head on and not be set aside in a sanctified manner where we don t feel we can act in oversight of sporting activities. The report alludes to Research Center space. What seems to happen is that the campus/colleges are incented to remodel and improve space to win a particular large project. Historically, academic units receive relatively very small allocations for space improvements. Once a center is established, they seem to live on in perpetuity or at least long after the center activity has ended. The statistics show a very large increase in space allocated to administration, however, the reasons for the 40+% increase are not discussed.

4 What happened to the 25% reduction to the administration expenses a few years back? There are several references to building new space, including an explicit reference to new growth in item 5(a) on page 19. There is also a section (item 4 on page 23) on demolishing or decommissioning existing buildings to make way for new buildings. In its current state, the report lacks full recognition of the commitment the campus has made in the campus climate action plan to adopt a no net increase in space policy by If this report made an explicit one to one connection between construction of new space and demolition of old space, the report and the climate action plan would mutually support each other. Marya Ryan I would like to clarify and provide additional information on 1 & 2 under VII Recommendations, A. Space Management Policies and Procedures as seen in the Stewarding Excellence, Review of Space Utilization Report. My name is Richard G. Gallivan. I have been employed since May, My position falls under the (Facilities and Services) Planning organizational chart. My primary responsibility is to maintain the UIUC space inventory database (Archibus). This database tracks the square footages, uses, ownership and other pertinent information (including leases) for over 1,200 buildings with 22 million square feet. This information is accessed by university administrators, units and other campus entities. The electronic Archibus database has been in existence since the 1990s and manual forms since the 1960s. Carrie Denton West managed it for 7 years prior to me. From the 1950s to the year 2000, the unit was housed under the Office of the Provost in various arrangements. Due to the disciplines involved with space (construction/maintenance), the unit was moved to Facilities and Services to better align and streamline its functionality. It has been and continues to be a shared resource for the whole campus. Besides being an on campus resource, it fulfills a requirement of the University to report space statistics through Circular A 21, Cost Principles for Educational Institutions Appendix C Documentation Requirements for Facilities and Administrative (F&A) Rate Proposals. This information is required to negotiate a favorable indirect cost rate for campus research. In addition, we report space statistics to other required organizations: Higher Education Facilities Management Association (HEFMA), Illinois Board of

5 Higher Education (IBHE) via the Statewide Space Survey, Resource Allocation and Management Program (RAMP), and Real Property Utilization Report (Form A) to name a few. The exact HEFMA statistics included in the Overview were from the Archibus database. The Archibus database is also tied to other systems within the university: Banner, Facilities & Services Building Information Database, the campus Energy billing System (EBS) and the new Facilities & Services AiM program (which will replace the Building Information Database, billing, and work order management systems). The database is maintained with information coming from current campus projects and by biennial space surveys and audits. These surveys and audits are conducted on all campus units, via electronic means and site visits. Guidelines we follow are the Postsecondary Education Facilities Inventory and Classification Manual (FICM), and the Facility Project Programming & Space Utilization Evaluations published by F&S. Looking to the future the Archibus database will be accessible through the internet (Web Central). This will allow university administrators, units and other campus entities direct access to this space information. If you have any questions or need additional information please contact me at rgalliva@illinois.edu or Thank you for your time Rick Gallivan Dear Space Utilization Team: I would like to address the Report s Recommendation A2, specifically to providing more facts regarding this point. First, a space database (or campus master space inventory as referenced in the diagram on page 13 of the report) already exists, and has been in place since the mid 1980s when the inventory was converted from magnetic tape to a Information Management System. The current database tracks approximately 22 million square feet of campus space, and contains the following data: Gross Square Footages Net Assignable Square Footages Room Uses Room Allocations However, before the space database, space use data has been tracked for many decades, even prior to 1965 when our campus established the standard for our peer institutions by publishing the Procedure for Inventory of Physical Facilities at University of Illinois. Data tracking was used for a variety of purposes, including campus planning, but currently data tracking meets federal reporting requirements as set by the United States Office of Management & Budget (OMB) Circular A 21, Cost

6 Principles for Educational Institutions, Appendix C Documentation Requirements for Facilities and Administrative (F&A) Rate Proposals. Regular reporting is done based on this data, including: Higher Education Facilities Management Association report (HEFMA) Assignable Square Feet (ASF) Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) Statewide Space Survey Assignable Square Feet (ASF), Average Replacement Cost Per GSF, Condition of Space, Estimated Replacement Cost, Leased or Rented space Resource Allocation and Management Program (RAMP) Long range master plan Real Property Utilization Report (Form A) Master Record of all items of real property On the fly informal reports done for Planners with Facilities & Resources who are working on current space and facility projects Copies of the formal reports are available from University Office of Planning & Budgeting. Copies of the space data provided for these reports is available from Facilities & Services, Facilities Information Resources Department. To gain the data needed for these requirements, biennial space surveys are conducted on campus units, via e mail and site visits. And finally, in an effort to improve dissemination of space information and ease of departmental audit compliance, a web based interface for the database (called Web Central) has been purchased, tested, and is currently in the process of being rolled out. Web Central will provide/allow units to directly access their floor plans and space information, and will allow university administrators and other campus space managers direct access to this information. This database (based on Archibus software, and generally referred to as Archibus) is maintained in Facilities & Services, Planning Division, Facilities Information Resources Department, by Rick Gallivan ( , rgalliva@fs.illinois.edu). Why this resource was ignored and considered non existent is unknown and needs to be addressed. Whether use of this database beyond the data contained in the HEFMA reports used by the Team could have better informed Team members is also unknown, but at a minimum, this recommendation needs to be reassessed. The University has a wealth of Alumni talent in The Commercial Real Estate Industry, as it evidenced by the strength of this group: As a past Chairman of The Board of Directors, I encourage your engagement of an Alumni Advisory Panel to offer insight as well, and am willing to offer my support in this effort if you chose to pursue it.

7 Interesting report and recommendations. I like the idea of keeping better track of space utilization so that better, data driven decision making can occur in the future. On p. 14, paragraph 2, line 2, "Of the remaining classroom, 256 have..." the word "classroom" should be "classrooms". Lesley Purnell Regarding the final report on space utilization The review of space utilization on the Urbana Champaign campus is a timely effort that I strongly welcome. Efficient utilization of space is necessary if the university is to become more energy efficient and reduce its emissions of greenhouse gas emissions associated with unused space. In addition to cutting cooling, heating and lighting cost, a more efficient utilization of space should also lead to a more compact campus that is more accessible for students with disabilities as well as students without an automobile. Utilizing space by distributing classes to the early morning and the afternoon after 3 is a good idea. In addition to utilizing space better it also increases the course offerings without actually offering more courses. Too often it happens that students are unable to take as many classes as they intend simply because of time conflicts during the popular hours. Also, I strongly support the move toward a paperless university. Best regards, Adam Bank Lentz Student Senator Chair ISS Committee on Environmental Sustainability Adam Bank Lentz Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback. My department maintains the campus space inventory database and supports space management activities.

8 I wanted to share my thoughts related recommendations #1 and #2 in the report. Regarding recommendation #1, it was not clear why it was recommended that space management be moved to the Provosts office. Relocating staff to a new location changes who is responsible for managing space, but it won t change how space is being managed. It may even hinder some aspects related to maintaining an accurate space inventory database. (Maintaining an accurate inventory requires up to date floor plans and awareness of projects in planning or construction.) As the charge letter points out, we need improve how we do things. Just walk around campus. Space inefficiencies abound. But when someone asks, how much space is available on campus? the answer is always "none" because every room has been allocated to at least one department (inefficient space utilization results in more leased space.) To improve how space is managed, we don t need to change who is responsible. Instead, consistent campus wide policies need to be put in place. If we want to reduce the number of offices faculty have, then there should be a policy outlining when having more than one office is permissible and when it is not. If we want to be fair and consistent about allocating space to emeriti on campus, then there should be a campus policy related to that. (Many of our peer institutions do have policies related to space and scheduling.) Recommendation #2 is puzzling because a space inventory exists. It s called ARCHIBUS. There is however a lack of tools colleges have at their disposal to help them manage their space more effectively. Making the space inventory accessible to colleges is currently in progress (as some of the feedback you received from my colleagues has pointed out.) Web Central, ARCHIBUS web interface, will allow colleges to be able to view floor plans for their buildings and highlight rooms by department or by room use to better understand how they are currently utilizing their allocated space. But for this initiative to move forward in a timely manner, additional resources should be invested by campus to support the space inventory and the application's development, testing and deployment. Colleges also need to be able to report on their space historically (which departments are growing, what percentage of their space is used for offices, what percentage is for laboratories, how the use of their space has changed over time.) They need to be able to compare this data to other data such as student enrollment, number of employees, or their operational expenditures. Several years ago, I had contacted AITS about adding space information to the Enterprise Data Warehouse (the University s business reporting tool that includes financial information, employee information, scheduling information, etc., etc.) but again there was a lack of funding to fully support this initiative. In conclusion, I think more information/feedback should be solicited. Especially from staff who are knowledgeable as to what is working or not working and why. And any changes that the campus decides to implement should clearly improve where we are today and move us towards where we want to go (i.e. increasing operational efficiency, reducing the cost of educating students, improving the quality of space, etc., etc.) Renee Nagy

9 =========================================================================== Dear Chancellor Easter and Vice Chancellor Wheeler: Recently a UIUC instructor was asked to speak at a community college. He prepared as he normally does for a course at Illinois, taking all his technology with him. His host looked at him like he came packing in from the Oregon trail and asked him simply if he had a memory stick! Every room at the site had built in technology. This individual went equipped with laptop, projector, and screen because he is accustomed to the campus environment where there may be nothing at all. How does our undergraduate experience compare to that of a typical student at other institutions? What is the typical experience of our students and faculty? What can we do now to raise the bar of expectations? The Stewarding Excellence Committee on Space Utilization recognized the impracticality of assessing all of the space issues facing the campus and identified as their highest priority that of addressing the need for high quality classroom and teaching laboratory space. Page 22 of the report recommends a campus commitment for the renewal of instructional technologies in every classroom on campus, including those managed by the Provost Office as well as those maintained by colleges and departments. The Council of Academic Chief Information Officers believes that, if adopted, this initiative will have a long term positive impact on the quality of the academic experience of our students. At a time when we are witnessing a decline in the attractiveness of the University of Illinois by the very best of our in state high school students, a major commitment to substantially enhance our classrooms will help address the belief held by many that Illinois has lost its wow factor. We are rightfully concerned about the experience our students have in the classroom. Although there is an increase in online education, face to face instruction will continue to be the norm for our on campus students. Instructors are increasingly using technology as a major component of their teaching. Not only are our students desiring more courses that use technology to engage the learner, but our faculty are as well. The current situation is stifling to innovation. If we believe in creating rich, high quality learning experiences, we need to provide the basic infrastructure needed to support these courses and we need faculty input to create learning spaces that work. As a new prospective faculty member visits Illinois, what is his/her reaction to the instructional technology environment? Will our classrooms equipped with 1999 technology be attractive to a new Ph.D. looking to begin their career at Illinois?

10 Many areas of campus have addressed this problem with a significant commitment of resources. However, we know there are areas of campus that lack the necessary resources to address the problem of antiquated technology. Should the undergraduate students experience be restricted because of the curriculum they chose to follow? This is why the SESU committee recommendation for establishing a standard for ALL classrooms is so important and why this problem needs long term, sustainable funding. The Council of Academic Chief Information Officers