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Faculty are informed about plan
To the Editor:
An article in last week’s issue of the online Reporter on the presentation of the Faculty Senate Facilities Planning Committee at the April 16 meeting of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee (FSEC) conveyed the impression that faculty felt they were not well informed about the physical master planning process and needed to know what the “plan” is.
The discussion at the FSEC was, in fact, more positive and well-rounded. First, Professor Robert Wetherhold (chair of the Facilities Planning Committee) stated explicitly that the faculty “feel that nothing is being hidden” and it is well known that Professor Robert Shibley (who is leading the comprehensive physical planning process) is constantly soliciting—in what is a very transparent planning process—input from all constituent groups.
Second, it was pointed out, again, that there is no plan yet—the plan and its specifics are evolving on the basis of that input.
Third, the planners are keenly aware of and are addressing our more immediate concern of having adequate facilities in place to accommodate the increasing student population.
Fourth, I informed the FSEC that Vice Provost Sean Sullivan has developed several tools and spreadsheets on growth projections for every individual unit at UB.
The faculty acknowledge that such thorough analysis and deliberation is absolutely essential for a successful growth plan and appreciate the vast amount of time and energy the planners devote to this extremely complex process.
Sincerely,
Robert Hoeing
Associate Professor, Department of Linguistics
Chair, UB Faculty Senate