ACADEMIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL
UC - Multipurpose
February 10, 2016
SPACE UTILIZATION & STRATEGIC PLANNING RECAP

Dr. Tim Metz, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Institutional Planning and Effectiveness
o “Space Utilization & Strategic Planning” Power Point (attached to email)
 Discussed the following:
 The role of the Office for Institutional Planning & Effectiveness (OIPE)
o Institutional Assessment
o SACSCOC Accreditation
o Federal and State reporting
o Internal and external data requests
o Standardized surveys and evaluations
o Space utilization
o Strategic Planning
o Tim posed two questions to the group for further discussion:
 What opportunities exist at WCU to improve space utilization?
 What concerns regarding space management at WCU need attention?

GROUP 1:
 Seek global solutions to help strengthen the effort
 People migrate to the best spaces, work on the poorer spaces to make them more desirable
 Flexibility of spaces
 Conversion of underutilized spaces to a “special project” space
 Master Plan as a living document so it can be updated as units move around
 Funding of renovations
 Repurposing of Moore/Graham
 Is the committee big enough to conquer the needs?

GROUP 2:
 “Dead” spaces on campus that should be some of most vibrant campus areas (Moore, Graham)
 Lack of designated faculty/staff housing makes it difficult to recruit new employees.
 Lack of temporary housing for guests (international faculty) makes it difficult for us to fulfill our
commitment to external partnerships and to increasing diversity.
 Offices on campus that regularly engage external partners (e.g., Center for Career and
Professional Development) often have to pay for or charge those external partners for space
fees and parking.
 Renovate/repurpose underutilized space to better meet our needs
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
Look for ways to bring eternal partners on campus without incurring fees that must be paid by
on-campus units or passed on to the partners we’re trying to engage.

GROUP 3:
 How big/bad is the space problem?
 Space reevaluated for change (future changes)
 Faculty office sharing to free up space
 Online courses – do their faculty need an office if they are not using it?
 Possibly offering more classes on M/W for 1:15 mins in an effort to free up more spaces on T/R.
 Keep a conversation going about the peak times

GROUP 4:
 Too many classrooms –create a lab classrooms
 Improve accuracy of data in an effort to better manage
 Teaching in auditoriums or teaching in a meeting room.
 Changing space changes the pedagogy.
 Can a theater be taken offline as a theater and add it as a large classroom (space for an acting
lab)
 Sustainability changes – better windows/more insulation

GROUP 5:
 Space reservation process – fees of spaces (pricing internally vs. externally)
 Courses scheduled for emergency planning (e.g., faculty housed in ST but teaching in Belk)
 T/R scheduling has filed a little more than they should.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact Tim Metz tdmetz@email.wcu.edu or
x.3046.
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