Testimony to the Maryland General Assembly Presented by Dr. Wallace D. Loh President, University of Maryland, College Park March 2014 I am pleased to provide testimony to the General Assembly for our FY 2015 capital budget request. We greatly appreciate the State’s on-going support of our capital requests. However, space renewal and space shortages remain our greatest long-term programmatic and fiscal challenges. Space Renewal. Our deferred maintenance backlog is about three-quarters of a billion dollars (about $650M for buildings and about $100M for infrastructure outside buildings such as utilities and roads). One-third of our state-supported space (1.8M NASF) has not had major renovation for more than 40 years and one-sixth (0.9M NASF) has not had major renovation for more than 50 years. Additionally, we have almost two-thirds (2.0M NASF) of the USM state-supported space that was originally built more than 50 years ago. This is more than the total amount of state-supported space of all ages at every other USM institution except UMB which has a total of 2.2M NASF of state-supported space. Space Shortages. Our current space shortage of 1.8M NASF is almost the size of the entire UMBC campus (2.0M NASF). Looking at it another way, we are about 25 buildings short of space. A large portion of this shortfall is in research space. We are currently 910 research labs (820K NASF) short of space. With an existing inventory of about 7.4M NASF, these space shortages are very significant. Detail regarding our space shortages is attached. The projects recommended for funding this year are critically needed to help address both our space renewal and space shortage problems. The St. John Center/Chemistry project will also help advance the State’s 55 percent college completion goal and the State’s strategic goals for the economy and workforce, in particular in the STEM fields.
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Edward St. John Learning and Teaching Center and Chemistry Building Wings 1 & 2 Replacement/Renovation Phase I ($18.3M for Final Planning and Initial Construction) While these are shown as two separate projects in the Governor’s CIP, they really are one. The St. John Center will contain general purpose classrooms serving multiple majors across campus, and the Chemistry Building Wings 1 & 2 Replacement Phase I will expand the St. John Center to add general chemistry labs and classrooms. These will be used by many STEM students across campus, since general chemistry is a requirement for a number of majors. This central campus location is the right place for these functions, and the site has just enough room for them to be integrated into one building. We allocated $1.5M of institutional funds last year to begin designing the Chemistry functions into the building. While we are planning to construct it that way, the funding schedule in the Governor’s CIP does not allow for that. Funding for the Chemistry expansion lags behind funding for the St. John Center. Constructing both of these simultaneously as part of a single, integrated building would be more cost effective—saving an estimated $5.6M—and less disruptive for users of the St. John Center. I urge the General Assembly to accept the recommendations of the legislative staff and fund this project on a schedule that allows us to construct a single integrated building. This building will provide high-impact improvements to our instructional facilities and enhance our ability to help meet the State’s 55 percent college completion goal and the State’s strategic goals for the economy and workforce. The Edward St. John Learning and Teaching Center will provide nine modern general purpose classrooms, seven small seminar rooms and support space. Many of our existing classrooms are woefully sub-standard. For example, we are still teaching classes in a 60-year old former rifle range that has low ceilings which prevent the installation of modern computer and A/V equipment, and columns in the seating area that block the view of the chalkboard. The Chemistry expansion will add nine general chemistry class labs, four classrooms and support space for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. These will replace six general class labs in the Chemistry Building that are woefully inadequate. Maryland high schools have better labs than many of these. The wing will also provide additional class labs and classrooms to accommodate projected student growth in this vital STEM field. The expansion will not only serve students majoring in Chemistry or Biochemistry, but also students in other STEM fields such as Engineering and Animal Sciences, which require introductory chemistry courses. Over 80 percent of the credit hours taught by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry are to students in other majors. This unified building will provide state-of-the-art improvements that will benefit almost every one of our 25,000 undergraduate students who we expect will take multiple classes in this new facility during their stay at UMD.
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Campus Wide Building System and Infrastructure Improvements ($10M for Planning and Construction) This is the fourth phase of a $135M plan to provide UMD annual capital funds to help address a portion of our three-quarters of a billion dollar deferred maintenance backlog. $5M of State funds was provided in 2011 and $10M ($5M of State funds and $5M of USM Academic Revenue Bonds) was provided in 2012 and in 2013. This request is for $10M for the fourth phase of this project. We are extremely grateful to the State and USM for their past support of this critical need, and urge the General Assembly to continue its support and fund this request. This multi-phased project addresses needs in two general categories, building systems and infrastructure. Building systems include electrical gear, fire protection systems, HVAC equipment and elevators. Infrastructure includes work outside buildings, such as underground utilities, roads, bridges, storm water management ponds and exterior security lighting. This work is critically needed to improve safety and protect lives, prevent major service interruptions and reduce on-going maintenance and repair costs. For this phase, we plan three fire safety improvement projects totaling $0.8M, two electrical gear improvement projects totaling $0.5M, three HVAC projects totaling $6.6M; one repair of a failing bridge totaling $0.6M; one water line replacement totaling $0.6M; and repairs of failing elevators in four buildings totaling $0.9M. Fire protection systems in many buildings are obsolete and unreliable, and many campus buildings have inadequate fire sprinkler systems or none at all. Aging and inadequate HVAC and electrical systems limit the type of research that can be conducted, interfere with instruction, and hinder our ability to meet strategic goals. Failing bridges endanger pedestrians and vehicles. Failing water lines can cause floods and shut down restrooms, showers and kitchens. Failing elevators can trap passengers and compromise safety. Although we have access to operating funds for facilities renewal, historically these have been inadequate to maintain the University, which essentially has the infrastructure needs of a small city. Much of the campus infrastructure is past its useful life and was never intended to meet the needs of our energy-intensive world. While the Regents have set a goal to spend 2 percent of replacement cost annually on facilities renewal, this does little to address the reality of an overwhelming, existing backlog.
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H.J. Patterson Hall Wing 1, Floors 2, 3 and 4 Renovation ($11.7M for Final Planning and Construction/Equipment) This project will renovate the second, third and fourth floors of Wing 1 of H.J. Patterson Hall to create office space for eight international units. Five of the eight units are currently located in Holzapfel Hall and must be relocated for the construction of the St. John Learning and Teaching Center, a project that will support our ability to help meet the State’s college completion and workforce goals. H.J. Patterson Hall Wing 1 was originally built in 1937 and remains largely unchanged since then. The space to be renovated in H.J. Patterson Hall is vacant, dilapidated and obsolete and cannot be assigned to new occupants until renovated. This project will recover this unusable, centrally located space to help meet the University’s space needs. Also, consolidation of these eight international units in this central campus location will enhance their ability to collaborate and strengthen their programs. This will support one of our major strategic initiatives, continued growth of our international character and global connections. We want to make UMD the best globally networked university in the nation and College Park a capital of international education. This is one of our highest priorities. We have unbelievable programming in place and we are ideally positioned to pursue these goals. For example, we are the only public research university within the immediate orbit of the nation’s capital. Internationalizing our university could not be more vital to our students, faculty and to the State of Maryland as a whole. Our job is to prepare our students to be global citizens and to forge alliances that will keep our state and nation at the forefront of technological and intellectual development. In summer 2013 the five units that were in Holzapfel Hall were temporarily relocated to cramped surge space on the edge of campus, and will remain there until H.J. Patterson Hall is renovated for them. Faculty members are doubled up in offices and part-time faculty and staff quadrupled -- more in some cases. It is vital that this project be funded as scheduled to relieve these programs from this highly undesirable situation, as it impacts their ability to meet their mission and goals.
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SPACE DEFICIENCY FACTS Below are the current and projected space deficits on campus based on Fall 2012 data. Current Projected FALL 2012 FALL 2022 MAJOR ROOM USES Deficit (NASF) Deficit (NASF) Classrooms Class Laboratories Research Laboratories Office Subtotal Study Spaces Other Room Uses* TOTAL
(70,126) (51,708) (819,511) (204,448) (1,145,793)
(61,877) (85,502) (1,189,976) (200,406) (1,537,761)
(393,745) (212,440)
(504,411) (259,491)
(1,751,978)
(2,301,663)
* Special Use, General Use and Support Facilities - e.g., lounge, storage
NOTE: Projections are predicated upon full funding of the USM Strategic Plan for fiscal years 2013 and beyond. In addition, the projections take into account the projects in the last Governor's CIP. The total current inventory is 7,440,800 NASF (main campus). The current space deficit (1.8M NASF) is almost the size of the entire UMBC campus (2.0M NASF). Looking at it another way, we are currently about 25 buildings short of space and this shortfall is projected to grow to 33 buildings by 2022 (based on building size of 70,000 NASF, about the size of the Bioscience Research Building). We are currently 45 teaching labs short of space, and this shortfall is projected to grow to 74 teaching labs by 2022 (based on average lab size of 1,150 NASF). We are currently 910 research labs short of space, and this shortfall is projected to grow to 1,322 research labs by 2022 (based on average lab size of 900 NASF).
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