Resources 3.11.3 (adequate physical facilities)
The institution operates and maintains physical facilities, both on and off campus, that are adequate to serve the needs of the institution’s educational programs, support services, and mission-related activities.

Compliance
North Carolina State University is in compliance with this standard.

As of 2001, the university maintained 6,950,434 assignable square feet of space distributed by function as indicated in Table 1.  This includes about 1.3 million square feet in off campus facilities, most of which is assigned to the NC Cooperative Extension Service.

Table 1.  2001 NC State University Space

Source: The UNC Commission on Higher Education Facilities, Facilities Inventory and Utilization Study (pdf) (fall 2001), Table 15, p. 96.

NC State University is committed to ensuring its facilities are of an appropriate size and quality to adequately support the university’s mission.  To ensure an accurate, independent assessment of existing facilities and plan for future needs, the UNC system Office of the President hired a consultant in 1999 to prepare a comprehensive “Facilities Profile and 10-Year Capital Plan for The University of North Carolina.”  The study examined the resources of the system’s 16 constituent institutions and summarized all facilities-related information and capital needs for NC State University. 

The study also observes, “North Carolina State University has developed a comprehensive facilities management program, which incorporates all of the best practices of contemporary higher education facilities management.”  

To address the facilities needs outlined in the 10-year capital plan, the UNC system planned a multi-phase, higher education bond referendum.   Phase I of the bond referendum was passed in 2001 and provided $468,256,655 for North Carolina State University to build new facilities and upgrade those facilities already in place.  The university is adding $57,332,071 from gifts and other sources to the bond funding for a total of $525,588,726 in new capital spending.  This funding is in addition to $480,000,000 of other construction projects in process. 

In a time when many universities are retrenching due to poor economic conditions, NC State University is moving steadily forward in its building and renovation programs.  Examples include the new Undergraduate Science Teaching Laboratory, a comprehensive renovation of the Harrelson classroom building, and a technology infrastructure expansion.  Plans are currently being formulated for Phase II of the higher education bond referendum, which is designed to address the growth needs of the university and is expected to go before the voters between 2006 and 2008. 

Guiding this development is the NC State University Physical Master Plan, which was most recently revised in 2000.  The physical master plan outlines a vision, guiding principles, design guidelines, and construction guidelines for renovations and new construction across campus. Using the master plan and space standards (pdf), the university allocated bond-financed space consistent with planned growth in enrollment and research programs.

The considerable facility resources that the university maintains are adequate to support its broad mission.  This assertion is supported by a comparison between NC State University’s space holdings and those of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), the only other research university in the UNC system and the only peer for which we have comparable data.

Using the same data as Table 1 (but excluding the College of Veterinary Medicine), Table 2 compares NC State University and UNC-CH on space per student.  This evidence suggests NC State University is comparable with UNCCH in total space per student. 

Table 2.  Comparison of Assignable Square Feet (ASF) per Student

Source: The UNC Commission on Higher Education Facilities, Facilities Inventory and Utilization Study (pdf) (fall 2001), Table 15, p. 96.

1. ASF do not include the NC State University College of Veterinary Medicine
2. ASF do not include the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine
3. Student enrollment refers to the total enrollment of NC State University for 2001 excluding students enrolled in the College of Veterinary Medicine (N=28,878)
4. Student enrollment refers to the total enrollment of UNC-Chapel Hill for 2001 excluding students enrolled in the School of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, and Pharmacy (N=22,571)

Comparisons within individual space category ratios may be misleading due to the differences in mission and the coding of space.  For example, NC State University maintains 46.1 ASF/student of laboratory space, which is consistent with its applied science and agricultural research missions, whereas UNC-CH, a primarily liberal arts institution, has only 18.7 ASF/student of laboratory space. 

Typically, NC State University’s program for repairs and renovations (R & R) to existing buildings is funded by the NC General Assembly and allocated to the university through a formula used for all public buildings in the state.  This formula calls for a legislative appropriation at an amount equal to 2% of the total replacement value of all public buildings.  That appropriation is allocated to state agencies and the UNC system on a pro rata, square foot basis, and the UNC system typically receives about 46% of the total state R & R appropriation.  The UNC Board of Governors allocates this appropriation to the 16 constituent institutions with a formula reflecting quantity and quality of space; NC State University receives about 20% of the UNC appropriation. 

In recent years, due to state revenue shortfalls, the legislature did not fund the R & R program.  However, in 2002-03, the legislature approved a $300 million bond for R & R for all state agencies.  The exact amount for NC State University has not yet been determined at present.

To help identify and assign priorities to R & R capital projects, Facilities Planning and Design (FPD) conducts regular facility audits by inspecting buildings and noting repair needs.  This information is maintained in a database indicating the condition and repair needs of each facility, as well as the estimated cost and a date when needed repairs should be completed.  The current value of identified R&R needs is $192,136,000, including facilities funded through both appropriations and receipts.

Because of the importance of classrooms, FPD has also developed several strategies to ensure that they remain in good repair.  Each year the staff sends classroom improvement requests to deans, directors, and department heads.  The cost of each project is estimated and compiled for consideration by the Classroom Environment Committee, a broadly representative team chaired by a faculty member.  The committee establishes priorities for an annual budget of $350,000 to be spent on classroom improvements.  FPD also uses a hotline where faculty and academic administrators can report immediate repair needs.   This hotline is staffed by an administrator who can arrange solutions to reported problems quickly.

References

• Building and renovation programs (http://www.ncsu.edu/facilities/bondprojects/index.htm)

• Building Information (http://www.ncsu.edu/facilities/buildings/index.htm)

• The Classroom Environment Committee (http://www.ncsu.edu/provost/governance/other_committees/CEC/)

• The classroom improvement request process (http://www.ncsu.edu/facilities/classroom/request.htm)

• Facilities Planning and Design (http://www.ncsu.edu/facilities/fpd/home.htm) 

• The Physical Master Plan (http://www.ncsu.edu/facilities/masterplan/)

• A summary of capital improvements/enrollment projections (http://www.ncsu.edu/facilities/masterplan/projections.htm)

• The UNC Board of Governors’ Facilities Inventory and Utilization Study (http://intranet.northcarolina.edu/docs/pres/2001study.pdf) and an overview of their space standards (http://www.ncsu.edu/facilities/univ-arch/const-guide/00702_space_standards_r1-02.pdf)

N.C. State University
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