Faculty members and some administration officials gathered yesterday in chamber rooms located on the second floor of D.H. Hill Library’s west wing for the 10th regular meeting of the Faculty Senate.
The meeting encompassed a variety of subjects ranging from progress on the University Master Plan to debate over student General Education Requirements.
The University Master Plan was first established in 2000 and is intended to address issues of housing, transportation, enrollment, space standards and quality measurements. Its vision is to unite the University as “a campus of neighborhoods and paths.”
University Architect Michael Harwood, who plays a leading role in coordinating the University Master Plan, gave Senate members an overview of current goals and projections for the coming years.
Plans include renovations of old facilities and a possible partnership with the horticulture department to assist in vast landscaping efforts throughout the main and Centennial Campus.
“We want to help folks relate to the University on a more individual level,” Harwood said.
Harwood is working with other members of the Office of Finance and Business to gather input from faculty and students in a series of workshops and task forces.
“I feel that my role is to facilitate the campus creating the master plan,” Harwood said.
With a projected need of $1.6 billion for renovations and only about $10 million allocated for repairs each year, progress has been slow and members of the University community may not see results for several years.
“A student coming here may not see a transition over his or her four or five years here, but over a long haul when they come back 10 years later for an alumni event they will see that they were a part of an important movement,” Vice Chancellor for Finance and Business Charles Leffler said.
As part of the University Master Plan, Harwood’s office has intentions to expand upon the available parking on campus. Three locations have been sighted for the prospective building of new parking deck facilities.
These spots include: the former location of Riddick Stadium, a west lot, which would work with the extension of Varsity Drive, and a surface parking lot next to North Hall.
Another topic raised at the meeting concerned the necessity of certain General Education Requirements demanded of all majors.
In an age where many careers are outsourced to other countries, Faculty Senate members said they feel it is important to examine the necessity of requiring courses that will not aid students in their prospective careers.
Student Senate President Pro Tempore Zach Adams attended the meeting and said he thinks that many students do prefer more general education training instead of specific job or career training.
“Although CHASS classes shouldn’t be the focus of an engineering degree, to many of our students, classes such as psychology, history and many other social sciences are important and they help to create a more well-rounded student,” Adams said.
