UCBA is constructing a new building designed for more classrooms and more offices. The building is slated to be finished in the summer of 2017 with construction slated to begin sometime in 2016. WCPO ran a story about the project in October. According to Robert Knarr in the WCPO article, “the building will house 20 faculty offices and eight classrooms and sit to the west of the Flory Center and southeast of the Veterinary Technology Building.”
The project is designed to expand the campus and is just a little part of a long initiative designed to improve the campus with more classrooms and office space. The need for more classrooms is important because the school is getting larger. Enrollment size is increasing from past years.
Marc Watson, director of business administration on UCBA, commented on the increasing school size, stating there is a slight increase from this year to the prior years. This means that the campus needs to fulfill the needs of the larger enrollment by providing more space to learn as well providing for the space needs of the large number of professors and staff members on campus. The new building will give UCBA more space to have more regular offices.
The building is being funded by UC reserves, Watson explained, “The construction is being funded by reserves (savings) that the college has built up over the last several years. At the end of the fiscal year, the college transfers any net income from operations into reserve funds both to save for the classroom building and for other unforeseen expenses that may occur in the future.” That might sound a little bit complicated but it is actually pretty simple. The school uses any money it has earned from net income after the fiscal year, and it uses that extra money for the project.
The new building is important for the expansion of the campus and it is something to look out for in the coming months. With the already restricting classrooms and somewhat congested hallways the building will be a breath of fresh air for the entire enrollment as well as the large faculty and staff populations.
The building will give the staff a much needed enlargement to office space, opening up with the 20 extra offices. It is an important and underrated function to the efficacy of the campus. New professors constantly demand more office space with some administrators even having to double up and share offices.
In addition to the offices, the new classrooms also give the opportunity for more classes and possibly more time slots. The new building is an overall important step to the growth of the campus, so by the time 2017 rolls around make sure to fill out your classes early so you have the opportunity to spend your days in this 16,000 square classroom and office building.