Minutes of the University Committee
for October 5, 2001

The Committee met at 8:40 in D135 MOLN. Members present were Walter Feldt, Peggy James, James Kinchen, and Don Kummings. Greg Mayer was excused. Also present were Larry Duetsch and Bill Streeter.

Vice Chancellor Streeter said that our space utilization plan must be completed before February 2002 so that we can advance a sequenced set of building projects for funding during the next three biennia. It is especially important that we complete our planning quickly if we are to have any project(s) undertaken in the 2003-05 biennium. Our local planning effort is being carried out under the guidance of UW System facilities planners.

Along with the planning for our academic complex, planning is underway for expansion/renovation of the Union. If student organizations, the Ranger and the Bookstore can be moved to an expanded Union, this will free up a good deal of space in the academic complex and thereby affect our proposals for the academic complex.

Professor James said that talk of sharing space among departments has raised concerns about sharing costs. For example, it may be necessary to determine which unit(s) will bear the cost of updates of computer labs. For questions such as this, she said it would be very good to have the Committee on Academic Planning represented on the Facilities Planning Committee. Vice Chancellor Streeter agreed and said he will discuss this with the FPC and the Chancellor in the next few days.

Professor James asked whether preliminary plans will be available before February so that a dialog can be started before the deadlines are upon us. The Vice Chancellor said that planning for the Union expansion/renovation is expected to be done by the end of October and that discussion of the implications for the academic complex could begin right after that. Aspects of our plan for the academic complex will need to be discussed as planning proceeds during December and January. There was general agreement that discussion should be as broad-based as possible.

With that, members of the Committee thanked Vice Chancellor Streeter for his lucidity in regard to these matters and he left the meeting.

The Committee briefly discussed a variety of matters that may need to be considered at upcoming meetings of the Faculty Senate before adjourning at 10:30.