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Working Group, April 15, 2011

Friday, April 15, 2011

Working Group:

Rob Nelson, consultant and Working Group chair; Renee Bindewald, student; Eric Boyce, Director of Public Safety/ Chief of Police; Dr. Dee Eggers, faculty; Dr. Gregg Kormanik, faculty; Don Gordon, Dir., Design & Construction; Dr. Kimberly Newsome, AVC, Student Affairs; Max Queen, VP, Administrative Services, AB Tech; Christine Riley, Chief of Staff

Absent:

Ben Judge, student and Melissa Acker, Landscape Director.

Guests:

Jane Fernandes, Provost; Keith Krumpe, Dean of Natural Sciences; and Regina Pente, Interpreter.

Mr. Nelson welcomed the guests and Working Group members to the meeting at 1:35 pm. He thanked Provost Fernandes and Dean Krumpe for visiting the group.

Dean Krumpe presented some of the preliminary findings of his Academic Space Planning Study. They include some general information about the existing academic space on campus. These are subject to change once the Curriculum Task Force has completed their work:

  • Need for swing space.
  • We are currently short on office space. When the Rhoades/Robinson Hall renovation is complete, we will still be tight on space.
  • ITS in Rhoades Hall is short on space.
  • Lab space is currently okay, but there is no room for expansion.

Classroom space:

  • In terms of square-footage, we are fine, but not in terms of the classroom configuration
  • Need for more 40-50 sized classroom spaces
  • Need for 1-2 of the 60-75 sized classrooms
  • Lack of diversity and flexibility in classroom sizes and configurations
  • In the 40-50 sized classrooms, need to move away from tiered spaces – needs to be flexible to accommodate different teaching & learning approaches.
  • Tables with chairs are preferred over traditional desks. Brings more flexibility for differing pedagogical styles. Also accommodates better to different sizes of people and people with laptops or other media devices.
  • Lipinsky and Robinson 125 are in need of renovation
  • Need for student gathering/study and student-faculty space (e.g., the makeshift study lounge in Zeis Lobby that occurred when tables and chairs were placed there).
  • The State Standards for office size does not work well for UNC Asheville professors. It does not allow for more than 3 people to comfortably sit in an office.
  • Accessibility and control of space needs to be addressed. If students, faculty and staff could access building by swiping their OneCard, then students could work and study late at night. If something should happen in a building, there would be a record of who was in the building.

Dean Krumpe gave the Working Group an overview of the building conditions:

  • Belk Theater is in need of a renovation. The shop areas have several safety concerns. The Theater department would like to see the space fully developed into a black box theater.
  • Carmichael Hall, including Humanities Lecture Hall, is at the top of the list for a renovation for reasons of safety, accessibility, asbestos, roof leaks, and generally poor condition.
  • Karpen Hall is in okay shape; there are some capacity issues and a cosmetic renovation would be helpful.
  • Lipinsky Hall is in need of a renovation. The music department needs an appropriately sized venue for small ensembles and choral performances, ideally in the 100 person range. There are noise issues for rehearsals, as rooms are not soundproofed.
  • New Hall is in okay shape; there are capacity issues.
  • Owen Hall is in need of a renovation and expansion. The space does not meet current code. The Management department and Art department are two of the largest departments on campus. Both require a certain kind of space that is not available in Owen.
  • Phillips Hall is at full capacity and has accessibility and HVAC issues.
  • Ramsey Library could use some cosmetic renovations. The ground floor of the library could potentially be reconfigured.
  • Rhoades Hall and Rhoades Tower are currently undergoing a major renovation. It is in good shape with two exceptions: 1). Robinson Hall (which is attached to Rhoades) was not included in the renovation and could use some cosmetic work and some small structural improvements, and 2). Two departments are at capacity with no room for expansion (ITS and the Environmental Studies Department).
  • Sherrill Center is obviously in good shape. Health & Wellness moving in there will help the campus with capacity issues
  • Zageir Hall is in good shape, as it was recently renovated.
  • Zeis Hall is in good shape but there are a few features that were not completed or outfitted (greenhouse, a few teaching and research labs). Also, there was no room for growth built into the design and Zeis is already at capacity. Potentially, with the addition of the pharmacy students there will be more pressure on the building.
  • University Hall is a relatively new building, the issue is OneStop and Admissions are in the basement. Those key functions need to be more centrally located.

The group discussed a few items brought up by Dean Krumpe’s presentation:

  • A combined drama and music venue, which has often been suggested, would not be the best use of space. Each needs to be designed with a specific acoustic effect in mind.
  • Is the ITS space designed appropriately for their needs? No, but it has been retrofitted to work. The space is working fine. It’s primarily a personnel capacity issue.
  • Has the question of an outdoor amphitheater been raised in these consultations? No, it has not, until now.
  • How is the classroom space managed on campus? Department chair and class size driven. Pat McClellan manages the requests. There is a real crunch for space between 10 am and 2 pm. Classroom space is underutilized during 8-10 am and 2-6 pm.

Provost Fernandes provided an update on the status of the Craft Studies Initiative:

  • The Craft Studies program has been in the works for over 10 years. The original site for a UNC Asheville Craft Campus was on the Buncombe County landfill, but it turned out to not be a viable option.
  • Due to current budget issues, the Craft Studies program has become a lower priority, so planning for a Craft Studies facility has been put on hold.
  • Craft Studies (with a focus on sculpture and ceramics) will be offered as a minor under the Art History major, and that is currently being developed. This will accomplished by using existing faculty and building space in Owen Hall.
  • Eventually, the ideal would be to bring the Center for Craft Creativity and Design to the central campus. The facility is currently located in Hendersonville, on the Kellogg Center property.

Mr. Nelson thanked Provost Fernandes and Dean Krumpe for their presentations. Provost Fernandes, Dean Krumpe and Regina Pente left the meeting at 2:30 pm.

Mr. Nelson updated the group on the consultations that occurred during his past visits. He asked the group to view the minutes of those meetings online (http://www.unca.edu/about/strategic-plan/campus-master-plan/consultation...).

The group reviewed and discussed the next draft of the Guiding Principles document and made additions and edits. Mr. Nelson concluded the meeting at 3:25 pm.