Classrooms piling high
Administration searches for answer to tight classroom space in fall 2007
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The University of North Florida's Space Committee is finding new ways to accommodate classes during the Student Union construction planned for summer 2007.
Currently, nearly 100 classes are in need of space for the Fall 2007 semester. Committee members said they are
confident finding spaces for the classes will not be
a problem.
"We're in as good of shape as we can be," said Joann Campbell, associate vice president for academic affairs.
Over the course of campus construction, which has included the demolition of Building 11 and future removal of the portables near lots 3 and 4, many classrooms have been eliminated or made unavailable for student use, said Shari Shuman, vice president of administration and finance. To compensate for the missing classrooms, the Space Committee has planned new areas of
campus to be used for
academic purposes.
At a recent meeting it was announced the east and west side rooms of the Robinson Theater have been reserved to hold classes on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. The rooms hold 150 people each.
"The space was designed to be flexible," said David Crabtree, associate director of Student Life. "It only makes sense to use it for classes when it is needed."
Graduate classes, which tend to be smaller in size, will move into unused conference rooms in buildings around UNF. Deans of each college have been asked to suggest other places where they think classes can be comfortably held, the committee said. For now, class locations are marked as "to be announced" on
course schedules.
The committee said construction of the Student Union is planned to last approximately 14 months and the new classrooms added during this time will be available for the displaced classes. Plans to purchase the AOL building on Kernan Boulevard are in the works, and there are plans to use the building for
class space.
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UNF faculty lowest paid in state
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Professors at the University of North Florida are the lowest paid out of all 11 public universities in the state, according to a study by UNF computing professor Dr. William Klostermeyer.
The study showed UNF ranked last among the other 11 schools with an average salary of $59,466, more than $10,000 below the state average of $71,994. During the Fall 2006 semester, 503 professors were employed at UNF, according to data from the Office of Institutional Research.
Klostermeyer said the lower salaries affect how the university builds its staff.
"It makes it harder to recruit new faculty and to retain existing faculty members," Klostermeyer said. "It's demoralizing that people at comparable institutions are being paid more."
Joann Campbell, associate vice president of academic affairs, and Rachelle Gottlieb, associate vice president of human resources, assisted Klostermeyer with the study.
Campbell, who does the budget and personnel work for the academic affairs division, compiled the UNF faculty salary information based on data from the State University System.
"The data was all public record," Campbell said. "It showed our salaries are not compatible to our sister SUS [State University System] institutions."
President John Delaney commissioned the study, and its information was obtained from the state of Florida, Klostermeyer said. He worked for more than two weeks to assess the data.
"We prepared the study at the request of the president," Klostermeyer said. "The information was given to him, and it was shared with the Board of Trustees [March 12]."
Klostermeyer said the importance of increasing faculty members' salaries includes easing the difficulty of hiring
new faculty.
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What's going on in the state legislature?
A look at proposed bills that could affect you
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HB 905 Academic fee
- A new fee may be instituted at each university to support an academic enhancement program approved by the Board of Governors. The University of Florida has requested and been approved for one.
STATUS
- Similar bill filed in the Senate (SB 1710). In committee.
SPONSOR
- Rep. Charles Dean.
SB 228 Bright Futures
WHAT IT MEANS
- Students may apply Bright Futures Scholarship money to summer classes.
- Students may use summer grades to raise GPAs for scholarship eligibility.
STATUS
- Identical bill filed in the House (HB 1067). In committee.
SPONSOR
- Sen. Evelyn Lynn.
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