More efficient use of classroom space urged

Sullivan is head of a working group that was organized to investigate complaints about the scheduling process that surfaced during the fall semester from a variety of units from across the institution.

The group identified three "sub-problems" to the general problem of dissatisfaction with the scheduling process, Sullivan reported. It found that there is insufficient response to the demand for educational technology in the classroom, inefficient use of classroom space-more than 60 percent of classroom slots are not in use on Fridays and more than 50 percent of slots are not used after 2 p.m.-and inefficient conflict-and-problem-resolution mechanisms.

"We don't have any real good way of resolving conflicts or enforcing policies that are already in place," Sullivan said, noting that currently there is interaction between the scheduling units-the individual departments-and the Scheduling Office, but none involving the deans or the Provost's Office. "There's no real mechanism to enforce policies that are already in place so that we can utilize our classrooms more efficiently and more effectively," he said.

The group has developed several recommendations that, it hopes, will enable the university to "gain a much better utilization of a precious resource, our classrooms," Sullivan said. "We believe we're wasting classroom space, significant amounts of classroom space."

The recommendations:

· Install a standard level of fixed instructional technology by the fall semester in as many classrooms as possible. This would include video capability in a locked cabinet, computer projection capability appropriate to the size of the classroom and access to the UB computer network and the Internet. The group estimated that investment would cost between $750,000 and $1 million.

"If we do that, we can take and distribute our course sections, we don't have to worry about technology in assigning rooms for our courses," Sullivan said, noting that there now are classes with 30 students assigned to 450-seat rooms because of the technology required of the class. "We could actually put 30-seat classes in 30-seat rooms with technology in them," he said.

· Invest strategically in higher levels of classroom technology to stay ahead of the high-end-demand curve.

· Reaffirm and enforce existing scheduling policies. "We have good policies on the books now, we just don't enforce them," Sullivan said. The group will ask the deans to become "compliance officers" who work with departments to schedule classrooms more efficiently.

Implementing these recommendations will eliminate the technology bottleneck, Sullivan said. "I think we'll use classrooms much more effectively, and therefore allow more of our course sections to be scheduled closer to where our faculty, staff and students would like.

"One of the things that we'd like to try to do is develop enough of an inventory so we can consider moving freshman and sophomore math (classes) from South Campus to North Campus for Fall 1997," he added. "We feel these changes will allow us to do that. And that's going to be a significant improvement to the student experience."

In other business, Ronald Nayler, associate vice president for university facilities, updated senators on the master plans for the North and South campuses.

The general approach for the North Campus, Nayler said, is to invest $100 million over a 10-year span to try to improve the quality, accessibility and diversity of the undergraduate and graduate programs. The money will be spent to bring the Department of Mathematics and the School of Architecture and Planning to the North Campus, and to "provide integrated student services," which are now on South Campus, on the North Campus, he said.

The major projects to be undertaken in the next 10 years include construction of the mathematics building, which is now under design at an estimated cost of $6 million; construction of a new natural sciences and engineering building, which is now in the program-study phase to determine the size of the building and estimated cost, and to move student services to the North Campus.

Nayler added that the university hopes to generate an additional $25 million in research funding by providing the new facility for the natural sciences and engineering, by bringing the Department of Mathematics to North Campus, and by "targeting our investments in many of the interdisciplinary programs."

UB is leasing space in The Commons for the Center of Excellence for Document Analysis and Recognition (CEDAR) because it does not have enough research space of its own on campus, he added.

Renovation of Hayes and Crosby halls is anticipated within the next five years, Nayler said, since construction of a new building for the School of Architecture and Planning on the North Campus is a longer-term project that likely will fall outside the 10-year plan.

The plan to build apartment-style housing for students at Sweet Home and Chestnut Ridge roads on property owned by the UB Foundation, Inc. is "a major factor in enhancing the quality of student life," Nayler said. The project, which would be financed entirely by the foundation and would be self-sustaining, is under review by the foundation. If approved by the foundation and the Town of Amherst, construction could begin in June, Nayler said.

On South Campus, the master plan calls for a "full integration, both programmatically and physically, of all the health sciences."

Eventually the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, the School of Health Related Professions and the School of Nursing all will be located in the Biomedical Education Building, formerly known as the Cary-Farber-Sherman complex, Nayler said. The Department of Occupational Therapy will remain in Kimball Tower, given current space restrictions, while the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine will relocate from Parker Hall to Kimball because its students work closely with those in Occupational Therapy.

An architect has been hired and schematic design finished for the Comprehensive Health Science Education Center, which would be located in Farber Hall, Nayler said. This project would consolidate the educational functions of the health sciences in one building and add a primary-care clinic for use as a training ground for students.

Other projects in the works on the South Campus include renovation of Harriman Hall, which would provide relocated office space for the dean of medicine, as well as space for student activities and a restaurant; renovation of the Black Box Theatre into conference space, and construction of a cogeneration facility to replace the McKay Plant.

Longer-range projects include renovation of Diefendorf Hall into the central instructional-technology facility on South Campus and renovations to Wende Hall and to Clark Hall, making Clark the student activity center for South Campus.

Acheson Hall will remain vacant, but could provide space on campus for clinical chairs who might lose office space in local hospitals, Nayler said.