Facilities are a critical resource for the faculty, staff and students of the Academic Health Center. The AHC's ability to carry out its education, research and service missions depends on having sufficient space to meet programmatic needs and having space that is functional, cost-effective, well-maintained, and well-managed.

We face major facilities issues in the AHC. Demand for space far exceeds current capacity, and AHC facilities have serious structural and functional deficiencies. User frustration is very high, there is intense competition within and between schools for space, and we have had to lease considerable space off-campus at a cost of several million dollars annually.

The complexity of the situation facing the AHC is the result of many factors:

• the increasing and changing programmatic needs of schools;
• the age of many AHC facilities;
• the large backlog of deferred maintenance and upkeep of University facilities;
• the inadequacy of current classrooms to meet current and future needs;
• the high cost of renovating old buildings;
• the non-feasibility of renovating many existing AHC facilities for research laboratories;
• the serious structural problems of the Jackson, Owre, Millard, and Lyons complex and consequent need to replace it;
• the University's plans under RCM to charge for space;
• the opening of the new Basic Sciences and Biomedical Engineering Building;
• and the sale of the University Hospital facility and continued leasing of space to Fairview for hospital and clinic operations.

Over the past two years, there has been a concerted, faculty-driven effort to solve these problems and matters on an individual school basis. While some progress has been made, it has become apparent that we cannot solve our facilities problems on an individual school basis. It is in everyone's best interest that we take an AHC-wide approach and put together a master plan that covers all AHC facilities. Following is a description of the process for developing the master plan that will involve faculty, staff, students, and administrators.

Charge: Develop a new paradigm for facilities management in the AHC, including recommendations for a new management process and a draft master plan for AHC facilities. The committee shall establish task forces as necessary to assist in its work. There will be three task forces initially: Phase II, New Building, and Classroom. The committee shall serve as a resource to and provide overall coordination of the task forces; consolidate recommendations; and forward recommendations, policy issues, and other concerns to the Provost Office and Deans Council.

Committee Members: The new AHC Facilities Director will chair. Members will include representatives from the Phase II, New Building, and Classroom task forces as well as other AHC-wide representatives.

Facilities Management Paradigm

Charge: Develop recommendations for a new management process for AHC facilities and space.

1) Conduct an inventory of current assignments and use. Ensure development of an automated database with the capacity for space planning, management, inventory, and reporting.

2) Define roles, responsibilities, authorities and accountability for managing space in the AHC.

3) Develop a process for defining space needs, evaluating space utilization, and developing guidelines for the assignment and reassignment of space.

Until the Coordinating Committee has completed its work, decisions on space assignments will be made by the dean of the appropriate school and the Provost, where necessary. The decisions will be coordinated by the committee and its Phase II task force.

Principles:

The operating principles for this task force are:

1) All space is an AHC resource.

2) Once space is assigned to a college/school by the AHC, the dean is responsible for assigning and managing the space.

3) The AHC will directly manage space used by interscholastic programs and classrooms with interscholastic use.

4) The AHC facilities staff will be responsible for managing the facilities aspects of space/buildings.

Timeline: The Coordinating Committee will serve as an interim structure until a new facilities management process and master plan for AHC facilities are developed and adopted. The timeline for the delivery of the proposed management process and master plan is September 1, 1997.

Charge: Complete work on the Basic Sciences and Biomedical Engineering Building (BSBE) project:

1. Complete feasibility studies of Mayo 5, 6, and 7; MoosT 2, 3, 4, and 5; PWB 7; and the northeast quadrant of Mayo for research, education, and faculty/staff offices. The feasibility studies will be conducted by Rafferty Rafferty Tellefson Architects.

2. Complete recommendations for space assignments for:

a. Research programs not accommodated in the new BSBE building. (Space currently assigned in BSBE will not be reassigned.)
b. The genetics development initiative.
c. Potential needs related to the reorganization of the biologic sciences.
d. Research Animal Resources Program needs in Diehl Hall

3. Finish development of the BSBE facilities management plan.

Constraints:

Any remodeling in Phase II for JOML must be considered temporary and of no more than five years use. Space on Mayo 5, 6, 7 may be considered either temporary or permanent but may not be used for research laboratories. Mayo 5, 6, and 7 will become available to the AHC over the next eighteen months or so, depending on the rapidity of its release by Fairview for AHC use.

Task Force Membership:

Expand the current Phase II task force to include representatives from all AHC schools (Veterinary Medicine and Duluth are optional). David Hamilton, Ph.D., will continue as chair.

Timeline: The Phase II task force should complete its work on recommendations for space assignments by June 30, 1997. Decisions on space assignments will be finalized by the dean of the appropriate school, or Provost where necessary. AHC Facilities Management staff will then review and manage implementation of the plan, a process that will take two to three years to complete and that will include a faculty/user advisory group to provide input on design, renovation and the move. The move into BSBE, expected in June 1997, will continue under the guidance of an advisory group and AHC Facilities staff.

Charge: To plan a new building to replace JOML including:

1. Develop the scope, programmatic needs and general design of the building.

2. Develop a plan for phased construction and move into the new building.

3. Help plan the build-out of the facility.

4. Help develop a financing plan for the facility.

Need:

The need for a new building to replace JOML, Mayo Auditorium, and possibly part of the Mayo emanates from several considerations: