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POLICY ON ALLOCATION AND UTILIZATION OF SPACE

ORIGINATOR: Vice President for Administration

DATE: January 2005

POLICY #05-1

1. GENERAL

All University of Rhode Island land, facilities and buildings belong to the University as a whole. The University has the authority and responsibility to allocate space to specific users for certain periods of time, to review these allocations periodically, to assess utilization, and to reallocate space as needed to support the University’s Academic, Strategic and Master Plans.

2. SPACE ENHANCEMENT, DESIGN & ALLOCATION COMMITTEE FUNCTIONS

The committee charged with the responsibility to allocate space is the Space Enhancement, Design & Allocation (SEDA) Committee. The primary focus of the Committee is to consider the space needs of the community, the planning and feasibility of new projects, and the future priorities of the University in order to make informed decisions about space allocation and design of space that meet program needs. The SEDA Committee is not responsible for event scheduling or assignment of space for events or classes. Decisions regarding space are made in alignment with the Campus Master Plan, the University’s Academic and Strategic Plans, and in communication with the Master Plan Review Team (MPRT) and the Joint Strategic Planning Committee (JSPC). As necessary, the President reviews space allocation and/or enhancement plans before they are implemented. To sort out competing demands, a series of tools have been developed: a space policy, allocation guidelines, and procedures for allocating and reallocating space.

The policy and allocation guidelines apply to all four campuses. The Graduate School of Oceanography Narragansett Bay Campus has a space allocation policy and space committee specific to that campus. Both this policy and the GSO policy shall be used jointly to guide space use on that campus.

3. SPACE ALLOCATION GOALS & CRITERIA

The following criteria and goals will be used to guide the allocation process:

Space should be allocated equitably.

Space allocations are made to units, not individuals.

Departmental and unit allocations should be as contiguous as possible, unless interdisciplinary research, teaching or work group needs dictate otherwise.

Existing space allocations must be utilized as fully as possible, as assessed by the University Planner and SEDA, before additional allocations are made.
Requests for space will be reviewed against the allocation guidelines and adjusted accordingly.
Requests will be reviewed according to priorities for academic programs, research, and support services as established by the President and Provost and by the Academic, Strategic and Master Plans of the University.
When possible, a designated use should be allocated to space that meets functional design requirements in order to minimize renovation costs, e.g., a user requiring wet lab space should not be allocated dry space in a non-lab building if wet lab space is available elsewhere.
Classrooms and other teaching facilities shall not be depleted as a result of space reallocation.
The scheduling of space allocated to a unit is the right and responsibility of that unit. Space allocated and scheduled by a unit should be made available for other units when not in use (i.e., conference rooms, seminar rooms, etc.). Space scheduling practices will be reviewed periodically by the University Planner and SEDA.
Space that becomes vacant within a college or vice-presidential unit can and should be reallocated by the Dean or Vice President within that unit; however, the reallocation plan must be directly forwarded to SEDA for review, recommendation, and approval by the President before implementation.
Space specifically allocated by SEDA for time-limited uses (i.e., grants) reverts to unassigned status after completion of the specified time period, and must be vacated by the user. Extensions will be considered as needed if the space remains available.

4. DEPARTMENTAL/UNIT PLANNING RESPONSIBILITIES

Departments and units are responsible for engaging in strategic planning on a regular basis and ensuring that their strategic plans have been approved by their Deans and the Provost or Vice President for conformance with the College and/or University’s strategic plan. The strategic plans of each department and unit must contain explicit space and facilities provisions. These provisions require consultation with the University Planner to ensure they are coordinated with the long-range planning of the University.

The University is committed to providing facilities for activities that advance the mission and goals of the University, but the University cannot guarantee that space, or funds to renovate space, will be available within the time frame requested. Applications for grants and other funding initiatives must specify space needs and any required renovations prior to submission so that planning for them can occur before the award. Advance planning is critical to meet needs within requested timeframes.

5. PROCEDURE FOR REQUESTING SPACE PLANNING SERVICES

Department/Unit/Program generates space planning need.
Request is reviewed by Dean and/or Assistant/Associate Vice President. Supported requests are signed and submitted to the Provost and/or Vice President for review, prioritization, and approval. Provost and/or Vice President ensures that the unit has done a recent strategic plan and that is has been vetted within the College and University’s strategic plans.
Request is forwarded to the University Planner for review of request and strategic planning documentation.
The University Planner works with department on space planning, which may result in a request for a space allocation.

6. PROCEDURE FOR REQUESTING SPACE

Please note that the process described below can take months, or even years, so submittals of requests should be made with as much lead time as possible. Inadequate lead times may result in an inability to meet requested timelines.

Department/Unit/Program completes REQUEST FOR ALLOCATION OF SPACE form. Request is reviewed by Dean or Assistant/Associate Vice President. Supported requests are signed and submitted to the Provost or Vice President for review, prioritization, and approval.
Approved requests are forwarded to the University Planner, entered into a requests database, and reviewed for completeness.
Requests are brought forward to SEDA for discussion, prioritization, and direction for further action. SEDA communicates as necessary to JSPC and MPRT.
Proposed scenarios are reviewed with requestor.
Scenarios are reviewed by SEDA for recommendation
Vice President for Administration reviews SEDA recommendation and presents to President, as necessary.
Allocation is approved/denied.

If the newly allocated space requires renovation that will be requested through Asset Protection funds, the Asset Protection request process must be followed. If other funds are available for renovations, this should be indicated on the Request for Allocation of Space form.

7. SPACE AUDITS & UTILIZATION ANALYSES

Space audits will be conducted on a regular basis by Property & Inventory, who maintain the official Space Inventory; by University Planner to review utilization; and on an as needed basis for specific requests and projects.
Space audits will minimally consist of an updating of the space inventory records, walkthroughs of space with department representatives, and other survey instruments as needed.
Departments and colleges may be asked to provide information on FTE’s and headcounts of faculty, staff and students, teaching schedules, research/grant funding and duration, and any strategic planning documents.
Inappropriate and/or inefficient uses, such as vacancies, labs used for office space, offices or labs used for storage, study space or other non-office or lab functions, multiple offices for faculty or staff, space assigned to non-supported graduate students, or dead storage, as well as hazardous conditions, will be noted and reviewed with the unit with a goal of increasing utilization.

8. SPACE ALLOCATION GUIDELINES

Senior Administration Offices

President: 400 - 450 NASF (Net Assignable Square Footage)
Provost: 350 - 400 NASF
Vice Provosts/Presidents: 180 - 225 NASF
Deans/Associate/Assistant Vice Provosts/Presidents: 175 - 200 NASF
Chairs/Unit Heads/Directors: 150 - 180 NASF

FACULTY OFFICES

Faculty should not have more than one office on the same campus; in certain cases hoteling arrangements may be made.
Whenever possible, faculty offices should be single offices with windows.
Adjunct faculty and per course lecturers should be housed in shared offices with at least one other person.
Emeritus faculty who still carry teaching loads and/or advise graduate students may keep a single office, when possible. Other emeritus faculty should share an office or hoteling space, when possible.
Faculty offices should be in the range of 120 - 140 NASF. In some cases room sizes may fall outside of this range due to current building configurations. Faculty in disciplines that do not require additional research space may be provided with offices larger than the range, when possible.

TEACHING

Classrooms and other teaching facilities shall not be depleted as a result of space reallocations.
With the exception of very specialized teaching labs, all teaching spaces should be generally assigned, i.e., allocated to and scheduled by Enrollment Services.

RESEARCH

Space allocated for time-limited uses (i.e., grants) reverts to unassigned status after completion of the specified time period, and must be vacated by the user.
Research activity will be reviewed as part of periodic space utilization analyses.

STAFF OFFICES

Staff should not have second offices on the same campus; in certain cases hoteling arrangements may be made.
Staff offices may be private, shared, or open landscape, as appropriate. Clerical and secretarial staff spaces should be in the range of 60 - 120 NASF. Specific allocations will depend on duties of the individual. Offices for administrative staff that require private offices should be in the range of 120-140 NASF.

DEPARTMENTAL/UNIT SPACE

Department spaces typically include chair/director’s office; administrative and clerical support space; copy/file/mail/work rooms; break rooms; commons; and conference rooms. The need and size of these shall be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

GRADUATE STUDENT OFFICES

Graduate students who are supported through either teaching or research assistantships should be provided with desk space in shared offices.
Graduates students should be assigned between 45 - 60 NASF.

POLICY ON ALLOCATION AND UTILIZATION OF SPACE

ORIGINATOR: Vice President for Administration

DATE: January 2005

POLICY #05-1

1. GENERAL

2. SPACE ENHANCEMENT, DESIGN & ALLOCATION COMMITTEE FUNCTIONS

The policy and allocation guidelines apply to all four campuses. The Graduate School of Oceanography Narragansett Bay Campus has a space allocation policy and space committee specific to that campus. Both this policy and the GSO policy shall be used jointly to guide space use on that campus.

3. SPACE ALLOCATION GOALS & CRITERIA

The following criteria and goals will be used to guide the allocation process:

Space should be allocated equitably.

Space allocations are made to units, not individuals.

Departmental and unit allocations should be as contiguous as possible, unless interdisciplinary research, teaching or work group needs dictate otherwise.

Existing space allocations must be utilized as fully as possible, as assessed by the University Planner and SEDA, before additional allocations are made.

Requests for space will be reviewed against the allocation guidelines and adjusted accordingly.

Requests will be reviewed according to priorities for academic programs, research, and support services as established by the President and Provost and by the Academic, Strategic and Master Plans of the University.

When possible, a designated use should be allocated to space that meets functional design requirements in order to minimize renovation costs, e.g., a user requiring wet lab space should not be allocated dry space in a non-lab building if wet lab space is available elsewhere.

Classrooms and other teaching facilities shall not be depleted as a result of space reallocation.

Space that becomes vacant within a college or vice-presidential unit can and should be reallocated by the Dean or Vice President within that unit; however, the reallocation plan must be directly forwarded to SEDA for review, recommendation, and approval by the President before implementation.

Space specifically allocated by SEDA for time-limited uses (i.e., grants) reverts to unassigned status after completion of the specified time period, and must be vacated by the user. Extensions will be considered as needed if the space remains available.

4. DEPARTMENTAL/UNIT PLANNING RESPONSIBILITIES

5. PROCEDURE FOR REQUESTING SPACE PLANNING SERVICES

Department/Unit/Program generates space planning need.

Request is forwarded to the University Planner for review of request and strategic planning documentation.

The University Planner works with department on space planning, which may result in a request for a space allocation.

6. PROCEDURE FOR REQUESTING SPACE

Please note that the process described below can take months, or even years, so submittals of requests should be made with as much lead time as possible. Inadequate lead times may result in an inability to meet requested timelines.

Department/Unit/Program completes REQUEST FOR ALLOCATION OF SPACE form. Request is reviewed by Dean or Assistant/Associate Vice President. Supported requests are signed and submitted to the Provost or Vice President for review, prioritization, and approval.

Approved requests are forwarded to the University Planner, entered into a requests database, and reviewed for completeness.

Requests are brought forward to SEDA for discussion, prioritization, and direction for further action. SEDA communicates as necessary to JSPC and MPRT.

Proposed scenarios are reviewed with requestor.

Scenarios are reviewed by SEDA for recommendation

Vice President for Administration reviews SEDA recommendation and presents to President, as necessary.

Allocation is approved/denied.

If the newly allocated space requires renovation that will be requested through Asset Protection funds, the Asset Protection request process must be followed. If other funds are available for renovations, this should be indicated on the Request for Allocation of Space form.

7. SPACE AUDITS & UTILIZATION ANALYSES

Space audits will be conducted on a regular basis by Property & Inventory, who maintain the official Space Inventory; by University Planner to review utilization; and on an as needed basis for specific requests and projects.

Space audits will minimally consist of an updating of the space inventory records, walkthroughs of space with department representatives, and other survey instruments as needed.

Departments and colleges may be asked to provide information on FTE’s and headcounts of faculty, staff and students, teaching schedules, research/grant funding and duration, and any strategic planning documents.

8. SPACE ALLOCATION GUIDELINES

Senior Administration Offices

President: 400 - 450 NASF (Net Assignable Square Footage)

Provost: 350 - 400 NASF

Vice Provosts/Presidents: 180 - 225 NASF

Deans/Associate/Assistant Vice Provosts/Presidents: 175 - 200 NASF

Chairs/Unit Heads/Directors: 150 - 180 NASF

FACULTY OFFICES

Faculty should not have more than one office on the same campus; in certain cases hoteling arrangements may be made.

Whenever possible, faculty offices should be single offices with windows.

Adjunct faculty and per course lecturers should be housed in shared offices with at least one other person.

Emeritus faculty who still carry teaching loads and/or advise graduate students may keep a single office, when possible. Other emeritus faculty should share an office or hoteling space, when possible.

Faculty offices should be in the range of 120 - 140 NASF. In some cases room sizes may fall outside of this range due to current building configurations. Faculty in disciplines that do not require additional research space may be provided with offices larger than the range, when possible.

TEACHING

Classrooms and other teaching facilities shall not be depleted as a result of space reallocations.

With the exception of very specialized teaching labs, all teaching spaces should be generally assigned, i.e., allocated to and scheduled by Enrollment Services.

RESEARCH

Space allocated for time-limited uses (i.e., grants) reverts to unassigned status after completion of the specified time period, and must be vacated by the user.

Research activity will be reviewed as part of periodic space utilization analyses.

STAFF OFFICES

Staff should not have second offices on the same campus; in certain cases hoteling arrangements may be made.

DEPARTMENTAL/UNIT SPACE

Department spaces typically include chair/director’s office; administrative and clerical support space; copy/file/mail/work rooms; break rooms; commons; and conference rooms. The need and size of these shall be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

GRADUATE STUDENT OFFICES

Graduate students who are supported through either teaching or research assistantships should be provided with desk space in shared offices.

Graduates students should be assigned between 45 - 60 NASF.

FORMS