University develops stewardship policy to curb deferred facility maintenance

Proposal calls for annual set aside to assure maintenance/renewal funding

A stewardship policy designed to assure funding for maintenance and renewal of University facilities was presented to the University's Board of Trustees at its Feb. 1 meeting. Request for action was deferred until the March meeting of the trustees.

Deferred maintenance -- the accumulation of a backlog of facilities renewal -- is a concern as the University currently has 98 buildings over 50 years old, the age at which they normally require replacement or renovation to meet changing academic needs.

Using a 50-year life cycle for buildings and based on a $4 billion physical plant (including athletic and agricultural facilities), $160 million is required in each biennium budget for renewal or replacement of facilities, said James Stevens, associate vice president for Physical Facilities.

While the academic and research programs at Ohio State are growing, so are their supporting facilities, Stevens said. Campus growth from 1990-2001 was just less than 3 million square feet. During that same period, 41 buildings were removed, 22 were renovated and 94 buildings were added.

To address the deferred maintenance issue, a stewardship policy has been drafted by Stevens and William J. Shkurti, senior vice president for business and finance.

"The policy is supportive of an attractive physical environment as a key element of the academic plan, recognizing that a large deferred maintenance backlog detracts from the goals of the academic plan," Stevens said.

The key points of the policy are:

• Plans for facilities and building renewal should be included as a component of the business plan for every new capital project over $1.5 million.

• Renovation and replacement of academic buildings continue to be given priority for use of state capital dollars.

• The University must manage the growth of space and recognize that the addition of space without funding for maintenance and renewal exacerbates future deferred maintenance problems.

• Attached to the policy are strategic principles that would apply to the maintenance and renewal of University facilities. An important element is annually setting aside 2 percent of the original construction cost or its equivalent for new space to assure sufficient resources are available.

The policy also suggests that President Brit Kirwan report annually to trustees on compliance with the stewardship policy.

Just how serious is $624 million in deferred maintenance? Stevens said a Facility Condition Index -- a measurement of the ratio of deferred maintenance and renewal to campus replacement value -- gives Ohio State a 16 percent average, a poorer rating than the national average (10.25 percent) and the Midwest average (12.58 percent). He recommends a goal of 11 percent, which would require the elimination of $258 million of the current deferred maintenance.

Stevens said that some deferred maintenance will always exist and is, in fact, normal.

"We can live with $275 million (in deferred maintenance) for the academic and academic support units and achieve the physical plant condition that would more fully support the academic plan's objectives," Stevens said.

Innovative medical research lab opens at Science Village

A festive atmosphere filled the air as medical researchers, lawmakers and news media gathered Jan. 31 to welcome the newest tenant to the Science Village research park, MicroMD Laboratory.

President Brit Kirwan, Gov. Bob Taft and Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman were among the dignitaries on hand to assist lab director Jon Gray and various MicroMD staff in opening the facility. Guests were given the opportunity to tour the state-of-the-art laboratory prior to the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

MicroMD is one of the nation's first technologically integrated facilities dedicated to developing micro- and nanotechnology devices for use in medical and biomedical applications.

Vice President for Research Brad Moore applauded the opening of the new facility.

"This is a great day for science, for engineering, for medicine and for the state of Ohio," Moore said. "This exceptional facility, built on the vision of (Ohio State) Professor Mauro Ferrari, makes Ohio the best place in the world to create microelectromechanical devices for applications in biology and medicine. ... This enables Ohio researchers to create things that cannot be made elsewhere."

Located on west campus at 1381 Kinnear Road, Science Village is one of four real estate offerings on the Science and Technology Campus. STC, a not-for-profit research park, is sponsored by Ohio State, the state and the city to commercialize research and develop business ideas in various fields of technology.

MicroMD will bring together corporate and academic researchers to provide new opportunities to tap the emerging potential of BioMEMS (microelectromechnical systems) for Ohio citizens.

Kirwan said MicroMD is a key investment toward helping Ohio transition to a knowledge economy, and reflects one of the six strategies of the University's Academic Plan -- to help build Ohio's future. Advancements in biomedical research, information technology and nanotechnology are vitally important for the future of the state. Through partnerships like Science Village, he said, Ohio State can become Ohio's revving engine.

"I see MicroMD as a microcosm of what can happen across the state of Ohio," Kirwan said.

MicroMD occupies about two-thirds of the first-stage building of Science Village. University and private technology organizations, including Honda and Battelle, are occupying the other third.

For more information, contact MicroMD at 688-3055 or MicroMD@osu.edu, or visit its Web site at www.micromd.org.

Ohio State outreach efforts help drive economic development

OSU-based research and programs are being applied to business and industry

The Ohio State Board of Trustees heard a report Feb. 1 on the impact the University's outreach and engagement efforts are having on economic development across the state.

Vice President for University Outreach Bobby Moser said considerable time has been spent over the last several months conferring with parties inside and outside the University and determining how Ohio State could enhance its already substantial impact on economic development in the state.

"Economic development is a huge topic, but we are thinking about it from three general perspectives," Moser said. "First, our contributions through education. Second, our contributions to growth through technology. Third, we are major players in community development efforts across the state, including everything from Campus Partners activities east of High Street to the Community Development arm of Ohio State Extension, which is active in all 88 counties of the state."

Three brief presentations gave trustees a clear picture of how Ohio State-based research and programs can be applied to specific businesses and industries, and thus have impact on the state's economy.

Hamish Fraser, Ohio Eminent Scholar, professor of materials science and engineering, and director of the Center for Accelerated Maturation of Materials, outlined how CAMM is helping to strengthen Ohio's economy. He said that the aerospace and automotive industries are among the economic strengths of Ohio, and that in these industries the use of new and optimized materials is essential.

"If you want to maintain that competitive edge, you have to develop technologies that provide new and improved materials at low cost and in short development cycles," Fraser said.

For example, he said the conventional development cycle is 10 or more years to develop and introduce new materials at unacceptable costs. Consequently, industry has reduced effort involving the development of new materials, and foreign sales of high-ticket items like aircraft and jet engines suffer.

The solution? Accelerated maturation of materials. Fraser said that with computer-based methods, it will be possible for engineers to develop new materials solutions within the same time frame as that required, for example, for new engine designs.

"The goal at CAMM is to transfer effectively the newly developed concepts on materials development to materials-based industries by developing effective research partnerships," Fraser said.

Toward that goal, CAMM is forming industrial partnerships that contribute to research funding; provide extended internships and recruitment of graduate students; and create opportunities for joint research using external funding. Industrial partnerships include those with General Electric Aircraft Engines, Timken and Honda -- companies with a strong Ohio interest.

Presentations also were given by Carol Newcomb, executive director of executive education at the Fisher College of Business, who discussed the economic impact of the executive education program and the Center for Excellence in Manufacturing Management on the business community; and by Ken Lee, professor and chair of Food Science and Technology in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and interim director of the Food Industry Center.

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