University facilities factor into OSU's Academic Plan

University facilities factor into the Academic Plan, and this year's annual report on capital construction projects focuses on the major issues the University faces in the next five years and beyond, and the impact the Academic Plan will have on them.

Janet Ashe, vice president for business and finance, told the Board of Trustees Feb. 2 that the University must constantly strive to advance the six core strategies of the Academic Plan.

"Our facilities must enable the academic enterprise to achieve the goal of teaching and research excellence," Ashe said. "Therefore, a 'life-cycle' approach to our capital projects is required. This includes planning, design and construction, and operation and maintenance."

The report, "Life Cycle Facility Planning and the Academic Plan," also outlined an intense construction schedule and accompanying problems in the near future; a call for legislation that could make building more cost-efficient; and a deferred maintenance dilemma that will require renovation or replacement of 51 major buildings in the next 20 years.

University Architect Jill Morelli said the Academic Plan provides fundamental guidance for the physical planning process, particularly in the setting of priorities and the narrowing of options. Master and district planning, state capital requests and feasibility studies help weigh the critical needs of the academic units of the University with the little unencumbered space available, she said.

Morelli told trustees that significant campus construction congestion is just ahead, with 17 major projects in the central campus region alone (including roadway projects) anticipated for the years 2002 to 2004. Morelli said strategic plans for each project and for the campus should be developed to deal with the anticipated congestion.

Morelli also said that planning the most efficient and cost-effective way to build structures is not always possible. Legislative requirements imposed on public institutions -- some currently under review by the governor's office -- add significant time and cost to capital projects, she said.

"We must pass legislation that allows state agencies to react to the changing construction environment that is available," Morelli said.

She said design and construction is a balance between budget, quality and on-time delivery, and said planners must focus on the University's long-term investment strategy.

"We must build our buildings to last decades, but they also must be easy to maintain in the 20-year life of the systems that support the programs within," Morelli said.

Briefing trustees on building operations and maintenance, Associate Vice President for Physical Facilities Jim Stevens said building commissioning is a new tool the University is carefully evaluating to insure that buildings work as intended. Commissioning allows Physical Facilities to work with building tenants and designers to discuss operational and maintenance issues before they commit to a final design, thus greatly reducing the chances of system malfunctions and discontent in new buildings.

"The Fisher College of Business was first and, while the program started after the design phase, operational improvements have been realized in working out the intricacies of five complex buildings," Stevens said.

Commissioning costs are estimated to be 2 percent to 4 percent of the systems commissioned, he said.

While commissioning occurs at the launching point, Stevens said the other end of the spectrum in a building's life is deferred maintenance -- a result of constant aging, continued growth and limited budgets. He said building condition audits conducted for all the University's major buildings on a five-year cycle identified $103 million in urgent maintenance projects. Additionally, the current combined deferred maintenance for both the systems repair projects and the overdue whole-building renewal is $240 million. Stevens estimates that 51 major buildings will require whole-building renovations or replacement in the next 20 years.

"The challenge the University faces is finding additional funds to meet our biennial need. We are running $12 million short each biennium," Stevens said.

Stevens said that, working within the state capital budget, the University has the capability to renew the 12 deferred buildings scheduled over the next decade. However, he said the decade after that will be more challenging, with 30 buildings requiring renovation or replacement at a price of $428 million.

"To give you an idea of the magnitude of need, the next decade would require the total commitment of state capital to renew the next 30 buildings arriving at 50 years of age," Stevens said.

He said it is important that new buildings added to the campus come from funding sources outside the state capital process, and suggested establishing a separate endowment for system repair and eventual renewal.

Construction highlights

Significant campus construction is scheduled to occur between 2002 and 2004, including:

• A new Larkins Hall will be constructed in two phases on the current site, with construction expected to begin in spring 2002.

• Under study is renovation of the Main Library, which would bring the facility up to date and restore some of its architectural wonder.

• Construction of a Life Sciences Research Building will include 123,000 square feet of laboratory and office space.

• The Botany and Zoology Building will be renovated for use by the College of Biological Sciences and other academic areas.

• Renovations are planned for Hagerty and Page halls.

• The future site of the Knowlton School of Architecture is marked by the columns adjacent to Tuttle Park Place garage.

• An Oval restoration project, now in the design phase, aims to reclaim the area's historic qualities.

Ohio State faculty earn honors from APS, IEEE

The American Physical Society (APS) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) have recognized eight members of the Ohio State faculty for their contributions to research and education in physics, astronomy and engineering.

"I am pleased for the new recipients of this prestigious nomination," said Robert Gold, dean of the College of Mathematical and Physical Sciences. "I am proud of the progress that the physics and astronomy departments continue to make towards increased national recognition."

David Ashley, dean of the College of Engineering, said that the new IEEE fellows "exemplify our commitment to excellence and demonstrate the wide range of engineering research under way at Ohio State."

The American Physical Society elects as fellows "only such members who have contributed to the advancement of physics by independent, original research or who have rendered some other special service to the cause of the sciences."

The following four faculty were named fellows of APS:

• Gordon Aubrecht, professor of physics, for his many contributions to physics education over the years, including his work with high school teachers, his work with the Contemporary Physics Education Project, and his book Energy.

• Eric Braaten, associate professor of physics, for his contributions to the understanding of finite temperature and heavy quark quantum chromodynamics, and, in particular, for the development of hard thermal loop resummation techniques and nonrelativistic quantum chromodynamics.

• Junko Shigemitsu, professor of physics, for her contributions to determining properties of the Standard Model using the methods of Lattice Gauge Theory.

• David Weinberg, associate professor of astronomy, for outstanding research in studying the gravitational instability theory of structure formation in the universe and its confrontation with experimental data.

IEEE provides recognition to individuals whose "contributions to the art and science of electro- and information technologies worldwide have improved the quality of daily life."

The following four faculty were named fellows of IEEE:

• Bharat Bhushan, Ohio Eminent Scholar and professor of mechanical engineering, for his pioneering contributions to, and dissemination of knowledge of, the tribology and mechanics of magnetic storage devices.

• Roberto G. Rojas, associate professor of electrical engineering, for his contributions to the understanding of high-frequency electromagnetic radiation and scattering.

• Mukesh Singhal, professor of computer and information science, for contributions to algorithms for distributed systems.

• Stephen Yurkovich, professor of electrical engineering, for his contributions in the application of control systems technology and leadership in engineering education.

For more information

• The American Physical Society: www.aps.org

• The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers: www.ieee.org

Cosby to address graduates

Actor and comedian Bill Cosby will be the speaker for Ohio State's spring commencement, set for June 8 on the Oval. Cosby was chosen in consultation with student leaders and faculty members.

"He is a renowned speaker, a wonderful person, and I know he has a long history of giving great commencement speeches," said B.J. Schuerger, president of the Undergraduate Student Government (USG).

Ohio State President William E. Kirwan agreed. "I expect Bill Cosby's address will leave a lasting impression on our graduates and guests," Kirwan said. "He's an ideal commencement speaker because in addition to being one of the world's great entertainers, he has a strong sense of community and a deep and sincere commitment to education that reinforce the spirit and values of The Ohio State University."

Ron Meyers, president of the Council of Graduate Students (CGS), said this spring commencement will be special for the students. "Bill Cosby really emphasizes the importance of being a good citizen and having a good time," Meyers said.

Another student leader echoed his sentiments. "I really believe that Bill Cosby is a person a lot of people can identify with," said Todd Armen, president of the Inter-Professional Council (IPC).

A self-proclaimed "late bloomer," the 63-year-old Cosby admits that he underestimated the value of a formal education until after his first few days of boot camp in the U.S. Navy.

"When I got out of the Navy, I hit the ground running from Norfolk, Va., and immediately enrolled at Temple University in Philadelphia," Cosby said.

After achieving much of his success in the entertainment world, Cosby returned to college to earn his master's degree and his doctorate in education. During his career, Cosby has donated funds to a wide range of universities and has delivered numerous commencement addresses to emphasize the importance of education.

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