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In order to adequately support the learning, engagement, and discovery missions of the university, there must be adequate infrastructure in facilities and administrative operations. With the approval of the restructuring act, the university will gain greater authority over many of its administrative processes, which will allow for more effective management of the university as a whole, as well as over the areas of facilities, information technology, and business services. As the university continues to grow at a rapid pace, several key choices must be addressed to ensure the most effective management of the university’s infrastructure and physical environment. The objectives in this section are consistent with the Campus Master Plan and are intended to enable the university to respond to requirements necessary to become a top research university.
Goal I. Effectively manage the university’s space and land resources for learning, living, and work.
With the substantial amount of research growth, existing facilities are either at capacity or outdated and in need of renovation to meet basic academic and research space needs. More and better quality classrooms are needed to enhance undergraduate education. Structurally, many of the older buildings do not support the economical installation of leading advancements that are essential for safe and operable laboratories. The university has become more dependent upon the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center (CRC) to provide overflow research space. A comprehensive space management system is needed to merge all current systems related to infrastructure and to track both on- and off-campus space. This system will allow the university to better manage space and land as the campus grows, as well as provide a mechanism to ensure that the maximum amount of indirect costs can be recovered on sponsored projects. In conjunction with the development of the Campus Master Plan, the university needs to work to maintain the pedestrian nature of campus and to continue to implement safety measures. Parking structures will need to be constructed in the near future. With the expansion of campus and the relocation of some programs to the CRC, the need for adequate transportation is heightened.
Strategies:
Goal II. Enhance health, safety, and security operations to support the university’s discovery, learning, and engagement endeavors.
With the university’s emerging participation in the biological and medical fields comes the need for higher security. Currently, the university has stand-alone security systems that are hard to manage centrally. A comprehensive security system for all areas that addresses varying levels of security is necessary. A committee was established in fall 2005, and work is under way to develop a university-wide Emergency Preparedness Plan outlining the university’s procedures for managing major emergencies that may threaten the health, safety, and security of the campus community or disrupt its programs and activities. A budgeting plan to address the priorities and strategies outlined in the university’s Hazard Mitigation Plan must also to be developed. Further, as the university constructs additional buildings and conducts significant renovations of existing structures, security and safety measures need to be incorporated into each aspect of the infrastructure.
Strategies:
Goal III. Promote robust and integrated information technology strategies that advance Virginia Tech’s excellence.
The university’s emphasis on greater levels of research has generated several information technology initiatives: maintaining a secure environment is essential for a healthy and productive university network; allowing faculty to be exposed to and to incorporate new forms of technology into instruction has a direct relationship on the effectiveness and efficiency of learning; upgrades to the university communications infrastructure, both on campus and regionally, will provide the computing power needed to support learning, discovery, and engagement; enhancements to data access and distributing data files are important elements of increased efficiency, relieving faculty and staff from tedious and time-consuming processes; and advancements in high-performance computing will support faculty discovery. The university has been a leader in the information technology arena, and with investments in the following objectives, the university will be poised to continue to remain on the cutting edge.
Strategies:
Goal IV. Advance and implement initiatives to improve operational efficiencies and enhance customer service.
The restructuring act will provide the university with greater authority over financial and administrative operations. Competing resources require that administrative operations continue to look creatively at developing new strategies for gained efficiencies. Further, as technological advancements are enhanced, processes should be streamlined. Attention to all customers, whether they are students, campus visitors, faculty, or staff, is a priority, and improved customer service should be incorporated into enhancements as they are made.
Strategies:
Performance Metrics per the Higher Education Restructuring Act
Scholarship Domains
Foundation Strategies