Feasibility Study for a Graduate Professional Student Studies Center at U.Va.

Report of the Subcommittee on Quality of Life Issues

Academic Affairs Committee of the Faculty Senate

Submitted April 11, 2002 by Richard Warner, Subcommittee Chair

Executive Summary

Not one square foot of space is presently dedicated to the collective activities of the graduate and professional student community at the University of Virginia. That surprising and somewhat alarming fact served as the motivation for this study. The University's post-graduate students are one of our richest resources. Their contributions to the academic, scholarly and teaching mission of this University cannot be underestimated. If our purpose is to continue as a leading public university and one of the top 25 research institutions in the United States, we must support efforts to recruit the highest quality graduate candidates and then provide them with a high-quality graduate experience that rivals our peer institutions. Financial issues, including an increased level of support for stipends, fellowships, and health coverage, are certainly priorities. But we must also substantially increase of level of commitment to the quality of life of our post-graduate students. The need for a centrally located, multi-functional space dedicated to graduate and professional students is clear.

One graduate student, when asked about the need for such a centralized space, replied

"A graduate student center is long overdue at this university. The current graduate community (if we can even call it that) is fragmented into isolated departmental groups. In addition to simply fostering better esprit d'corps, a graduate student center would potentially lead to better interdisciplinary academic work. The intellectual cross-fertilization made possible by a communal meeting space for graduate students would be, it seems to me, invaluable to the greater university community."

An informal email survey of the graduate community indicates that U.va. post-graduate students support the creation of a centralized facility dedicated to graduate and professional students. A second analysis which evaluated the graduate resources of four peer institutions reveals that U.va. is significantly behind in the physical plant and administration resources that it offers the graduate student population.

To remedy this deficiency, and in recognition of the critical role of a strong graduate student population in support of the University's missions, the Faculty Senate offers the following three-point plan.

That office space for the Graduate Student Council be established by the start of the Fall, 2002 semester. This space should be centrally located and must accommodate Council meetings and service the basic administrative needs of the Council's officers.
That the University create a social/study space dedicated exclusively for the graduate/professional student community, somewhere on Central Grounds, by the end of the 2002-03 academic year.

That the Administration and the Board of Visitors embark on the creation of a Graduate and Professional Student Studies Center as part of the South Lawn Project. This facility should be comparable in function to the graduate centers at Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania. It should be a high visibility, multi-functional facility designed to meet the needs for office, study, recreational and professional space and staffed with full time administrative personnel.

The new Center will serve to promote interdisciplinary/interdepartmental interactions between graduate schools, particularly when considered in tandem with the North Grounds Connector to enhance interactions between the University's graduate and professional schools.

Introduction

This subcommittee of the Faculty Senate's Academic Affairs was asked to investigate issues that affect the quality of life of the graduate student community at the University of Virginia that are unrelated to the level of funding support (as this issue is being addressed by a separate subcommittee). Throughout this report, the term "graduate student" implicitly refers to all post-graduate students at the University of Virginia. We invited several graduate student leaders to join the committee. Todd Price, President of the Graduate Student Council, informed us that one of the most pressing needs of the graduate students, beyond increased financial support and health coverage, was space. The committee discovered that there is no existing space currently dedicated to collective graduate activity at the University. This includes office space for council meetings, social interaction, and study areas.

Guided by Mr. Price's ideas and recommendations from the Faculty Senate Retreat in September 2001, we began a fact-finding study on the feasibility of a graduate student center. We adopted a preliminary description of this space from John Lyons' "quality of life" table report from the retreat that calls for the creation of a Graduate Studies Center in a central and conspicuous location, that would provide the following functions

To give graduate studies visibility at the University;
To provide administrative space for a number of central and overlapping functions of different schools regarding graduate and professional life;
To create a physical space for intellectual activities of an interdisciplinary/interschool nature;
To foster social interaction among graduate and professional students; and
To give faculty and graduate students a place to meet and lunch together.

Procedures

The committee decided that a fact-gathering phase was necessary to establish short and long-term needs and goals. We felt it was important to determine

If the graduate students themselves believed that a studies center would be of any value to their daily lives at the University and
If our peer institutions provided this type of dedicated space for graduate social and administrative functions.

Two surveys were designed to collect data on these questions.

Todd Price, through Graduate Student Council, conducted a survey of the current graduate students (survey questions can be found in Appendix A).
Subcommittee members collected and compiled information from four peer institutions Indiana University, The University of North Carolina, Cornell University, and The University of Pennsylvania. (Survey questions can be found in Appendix A) We did not intend for either survey to be comprehensive or exhaustive. The study simply served to organize and shape our ideas on the need for collective space and the structure and content of that space. Seventy-three graduate students responded to the Graduate Council Survey. Even though this number represents a small percentage of the graduate and professional population, the departmental representation was significantly broad-based. We also believe that the positive data supporting a center gave us a clear indicator of student sentiment.

Survey Results

Graduate Council Survey - designed and analyzed by Todd Price

The respondents were overwhelmingly supportive of the creation of a graduate studies center that would serve both the academic and social needs of the graduate community. The need and desire for a space devoted to graduate students clearly exists at the University. Of the handful of students who did not support a graduate studies center, most cited distance from their department as the reason they would not use the facility. Others thought it was a good idea, but felt there were more pressing needs of the graduate community, such as higher stipends or extension of health insurance benefits. Student opinions from Law, Business and Education were not available prior to the report draft deadlines. This was due in part to a lack of interest for this project from the students. The committee believes that this should be investigated in more detail. One of the essential challenges is to discover effective ways to provide a collaborative, interdisciplinary environment for both the graduate and professional student.

Question 1 What would you like to see in a Graduate Studies Center?

The general response can be summed up by the answer of one student "Ideally a place where we can both study away from undergraduates, but also somewhere that is not so serious that we don't feel like we can talk or interact". In other words, graduate students want a location that serves both their academic and social needs. There is a strong sense that the U.va. graduate community is severely fragmented, and many hoped that a central meeting place might help improve this state of affairs.

Specifically, on the academic side, students are looking for a place to study during the day. The basic needs would be comfortable chairs and good light. Internet connections, computers (perhaps with scheduled times so that students could use them to write), and basic office equipment (i.e. fax, photocopier) were frequently mentioned. Several students asked that career related materials be posted there. Also, a bulletin board that would serve as a clearinghouse for all graduate-related information was suggested. Meeting rooms for student groups and small study sessions were suggested by many.

On the non-academic side, the need for food, perhaps wine and beer, were recognized as essential to the success of such a space. While the availability of light lunch items would be welcomed, coffee was universally seen as the sine qua non of a graduate space. Also the availability of newspapers, darts and other games were offered as incentives that would draw students to such a space. The real dreamers wondered if a pool table might be installed. In the evenings, students would like the space used for performances and lectures. Open mike night and poetry readings could be held. Students could present their research papers to their peers.

Question 2 Should the space be restricted to graduate students?

There was an overwhelming consensus that a space should be devoted exclusively to graduate students. Many students noted that the undergraduates already have many spaces on grounds, while the graduate students have none. Also, there was a concern that a mixed space would soon become an exclusively undergraduate space. Students were open to inviting undergraduates into the space, such as for office hours.

(Appendix B contains a sample of representative student responses. Appendix C provides a breakdown of survey respondents by department.)

Peer Institution Analysis

To date, the committee has collected information on the following peer institutions Cornell University, The University of Pennsylvania, The University of North Carolina, and Indiana University. It was clear to us that every one of these schools offered better services and a greater range of resources to its graduate population. Cornell and UPenn had multifunctional graduate centers that serve both academic and social functions and effectively function as a hub or core of activity for the graduate populations. All four institutions had dedicated space for their graduate councils and social spaces for the exclusive use of their graduate students. All four schools had a full time staff and faculty administrators to create and implement graduate functions such as the Graduate Orientation Days and one-credit workshops in Teaching, Mentoring and Grant Writing at UNC. Graduate students served as representatives on many university committees and their graduate councils were given operating budgets that allowed these organizations to provide many essential services.

(See Appendix D for more detailed descriptions of peer institutions' graduate resources.)

Conclusion

Based on the above analyses and committee discussion, we have determined the current needs, in priority order, to be

office space for the Graduate Student Council;
social space exclusively dedicated to graduate students to include a lounge and/or bar, and an informal meeting area; and
space for study, writing, and meeting with undergraduates.

Strategies

Newcomb Hall

Bill Ashby, the director of Newcomb Hall, was invited to our January 25th meeting. Mr. Ashby updated us on the status of the "new student center" project at Newcomb. This proposal, initiated by a group of undergraduates, addresses what they perceived to be a need for social space and does not currently include space for graduate activities. Mr. Ashby informed us that a committee has been organized to review this proposal. During our meeting, he invited Todd Price to recommend a graduate student to become a representative on the Newcomb Hall expansion committee. Their mission is to examine and refine ideas on Newcomb Hall additions and on the use of existing spaces. Our hope is that Mr. Ashby and Ms. Patricia M. Lampkin, Interim Vice President of Student Affairs can help us to solve the immediate need for two spaces 1) an office for the Graduate Council, and 2) a dedicated graduate social space. In early April, a survey was initiated by Ms. Lampkin's office that is part of a feasibility study for a student center. This project should provide valuable information on space planning and analysis.

South Lawn Project

Richard Warner had two productive meetings with Joe Grasso, Coordinator for Planning on the South Lawn Project. Mr. Warner described the Committee's concerns to Mr. Grasso, sharing research on centers at Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania (See Appendix D). Mr. Grasso understands the need for graduate space and has included our ideas for a Center in the preliminary planning phase of the South Lawn Project. Graduate leaders have already met with the project planning consultants.

Recommendations

Short Term Goals

The subcommittee recommends that an office space for the Graduate Student Council be established prior to the beginning of the Fall, 2002 semester. Ideally this space should be centrally located with phone and internet connections. It should be able to accommodate council meetings and be equipped to service the administrative needs of the council officers.

Mid Term Goals

We recommend that the University create a social space for the graduate community in the near future, preferably by the end of the 2002-03 academic year. The space should be located on Central Grounds and dedicated exclusively to graduate student use. It should provide them with a comfortable area to relax and talk, a food service area and bar, and a quiet area with computers for study and/or small meetings.

Long Term Goals

The subcommittee strongly recommends that the Administration and Board of Visitors support the establishment of a Graduate and Professional Student Studies Center. This Center should be multidimensional to meet the needs of our graduate population for office, study, recreational and professional space. It should be centrally located to provide reasonable access for graduate and professional students throughout the University. Furthermore, it should have a visible presence commensurate with the newfound importance the University of Virginia places on graduate education. Resources for teaching enhancements, funding and career opportunities and interdisciplinary activity should also be considered essential to this Center. Such a facility would create a space where our graduate students could establish cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural exchanges. It should provide our graduate populace with intellectual as well as social programs. It would become a conspicuous and potent recruitment vehicle.

Subcommittee Members

Robert Davis, Associate Professor, Environmental Sciences Chair, Academic Affairs Committee

Jad Donohoe, Graduate Student - English, PhD Program

Aaron Laushway, Assistant Dean of Students

Charles W. McCurdy, Professor and Chair, History

Laurence Pettit, Professor, McIntire School of Commerce

Jill Phillips, Graduate Student - English, PhD Program

Todd Price, President, Graduate Student Council Spanish, PhD Program

Richard Warner, Chair, Subcommittee Associate Professor, Drama

Appendix A - Surveys

Graduate Student Survey on a Graduate Studies Center

The Faculty Senate, in conjunction with members of the College of Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Council, has been exploring the possibility of a graduate student center. In order to determine whether and how such a center might be used by the graduate population, we ask that you please answer the following questions.

If the graduate population were given a space on central grounds, say hypothetically the basement of Cocke Hall, would you use it?
How would you like to see such a space used? What type of facilities would you include?
Would you only be interested in space dedicated exclusively to graduate students, or would you use a space that serves both the graduate and undergraduate population (e.g. the Café in Alderman Library)?

Peer Institution Survey

I am writing to you on behalf of the Faculty Senate of the University of Virginia. I am the chair of the subcommittee on Quality of Life Issues for Graduate Students at the University. We are conducting a feasibility study on plans for a graduate studies center. Please answer the following questions

Do you have a center for graduate students?
Describe the facilities and functions that it maintains.
What resources does your university offer to its graduate students? 4) Does your university have any comprehensive recruitment plan for its graduate candidates?

Appendix B - Selected Answers to Graduate Student Survey

Selected answers to Question #1

"A Graduate Student Center is long-overdue at this university. The current graduate community (if we can even call it that) is fragmented into isolated departmental groups. In addition to simply fostering better esprit d'corps, a grad student center would potentially lead to better interdisciplinary academic work. The intellectual cross-fertilization made possible by a communal meeting space for graduate students would be, it seems to me, invaluable to the greater university community."

"If the grad student population at UVA has difficulty collectivizing, it's partly because we lack the necessary infrastructure --i.e., a physical space in which to interact, to engage in meaningful interdepartmental exchanges, and to sort out our shared interests. A grad studies center would be an important step in the right direction, a way of establishing a kind of grad student public sphere."

"I think that it would be a great way to encourage interactions between graduate students in various departments. As an engineering grad student, it would be nice to interact with students in other schools."

Selected answers to Question #2

"Perhaps a division between more serious concerns (dissertation and career advice - some sort of grad student library of academic and career resources, and of course computer terminals with appropriate software) and a more "relaxed" area for grad students to mingle among departments, chat, have coffee, etc., perhaps with chess sets and other assorted board games (some people really do like those!), and perhaps a pool table, table tennis, that sort of thing. And of course, appropriate sources of junk food and drink."

"Well lit, quiet study areas. Desks where grad students can work on projects together or meet with students occasionally. A copy machine or two (with perhaps purchased copies on cards), a fax machine, a coffee machine. Maybe a social area with chairs, etc. Grad student bulletin board. Announcements, events, roommate-listings, pertinent school announcements etc. Maybe along these lines include a "teaching opportunities" section and a "UVA Grad Student Profile" section. No computers. Computers turn all rooms into computer rooms."

"The space should be a place where we can meet casually and chat or read; but it should also be the kind of place where we can hold organized parties (perhaps end of the semester bashes). Yale, I know, holds keggers in their student union - though one wonders about the legal liability of such an event. One last request - there should be some regular reading material provided for our use The New York Times, The Post, The New Yorker, The Chronicle of Higher Education, etc."

"Facilities a place to get drinks and light snacks. Coffee, tea, smoothies, wine and beer, and maybe some kind of salad/sandwich/pasta bar and daily soups would be nice. I think if it doesn't serve any alcohol, the place is unlikely to attract much attention, and will fail to be a social hub in the evenings. There should be areas for private conversations, as well as a lounge where we could study and/or meet friends. A few computers where we could email/print would also be useful. Getting fancier, maybe a billiard table or something else along those lines."

"Coffee shop, whisky bar, reading rooms, pool tables, soup kitchen…a place where grad students could actually slow down and look one another in the eyes…"

Appendix C Tabulation of Results- Departmental Breakdown

Anthropology = 3

Archeology = 1

Art History = 1

Biochemistry = 1

Cell Biology = 2

Classics = 4

Economics = 2

Education = 1

English = 10

Environmental Sciences = 3

Interdisciplinary Biophysics = 1

Landscape Architecture = 1

Mathematics = 6

MD/PhD = 1

Nursing = 1

Pharmacology = 1

Philosophy = 2

Politics = 4

Psychology = 9

Spanish = 7

School of Engineering

Biomedical Engineering = 1

Computer Science = 1

Electrical Engineering = 3

Engineering Physics = 2

Material Sciences and Engineering = 1

Systems Engineering = 1

Department not specified =1

Total number of responses 73

Number of participating departments 27

Appendix D Graduate Student Resources

Cornell University

The graduate student center is known as the "Big Red Barn". Built in the 1870's, it is one of the oldest existing structures on campus. The Barn was converted to a social center by Cornell alumni in the 1950's, and underwent a complete renovation in 1991. It is located in the heart of the Cornell campus and houses facilities that can be reserved by any graduate student organization or graduate student. The rooms are flexible and can accommodate small meetings, as well as large conferences. The spacious main portion of the building includes a "stunning but cozy" mezzanine. In addition to tables and chairs, lounge seating surrounds a large fireplace. A greenhouse has additional seating and can be closed off for special functions. Recent renovations have made it handicapped accessible. There is regular programming such as the weekly social T.G.I.F. (Tell Grads It's Friday) and an International Coffee Hour. One section makes available current newspapers and magazines and a "book swap" table.

University of Pennsylvania

The graduate student center states as its mission 1) To empower graduate and professional students to create and participate in a graduate community at Penn. 2) To transcend school and department affiliations, and facilitate cross-disciplinary, cross-cultural exchanges through intellectual and social programs. 3) To provide graduate and professional students with a centrally located home that includes a lounge, computer lab and meeting and event space. The center offers grad students a lounge, study area, computer services, coffee bar. Any graduate student organization can reserve a meeting area. Several areas offer large screen with AV capabilities for Power Point presentations and Web demonstrations, as well as DVD, VHS and CD players. The meeting/lecture area can accommodate 32 around a table and up to 65 people in a theater configuration. The center has a permanent, full-time staff that includes a Director, an Assistant Director and a Graduate Student Fellow in seven areas TA/PhD Support, Lectures, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Career and Life Skills, Film, and Web Site Support. Resources connected to the center range from Teaching and Career Services to International Student Support and Psychological Counseling.

University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

The Graduate and Professional Student Federation has a number of programs to support quality of life for graduate students. The agenda for this past year's initiatives were centered on a campaign to "S.T.R.I.V.E." for excellence. This related to concerns in these areas Scholarships/stipends - investigate ways to alleviate financial hardships related to educational expenses. Technology/information - increase the number of high quality computing stations for grad students. Recruitment/retention - improve recruitment and retention of students, scholars, educators from diverse backgrounds.

Increase interaction between various graduate and professional programs. Voice and visibility - provide an environment where students can voice their issues and concerns and to increase awareness of Graduate Federation activities. Employment- increase participation of businesses and institutions seeking graduate and professional students at career fairs. UNC has hired a full-time associate dean whose office functions solely and exclusively to facilitate graduate quality of life activities.

University of Indiana

The mission statement of the Graduate and Professional Student Organization reads, "the GPSO is to advocate for the rights of graduate and professional students. The GPSO acts as a united voice to express the rights of graduate and professional student concerns to the administration, the general student body and the Bloomington community." In terms of actual activities, the GPSO hosts a series of brown-bag lunches with invited faculty speakers, invites occasional outside speakers, and administers a program by which alumni return to campus for talks. Most of the GPSO's activities seems to be devoted to social events and orientation programs for new students. Less publicly, The GPSO also appoints graduate students to serve as representatives on various university committees. At present they have representatives on the Dean Search Committee, Human Subject Committee, Budget Committee, and Faculty Government. The organization is staffed by an Administrative Advisor, usually one of the assistant deans. Grad assistants work approximately 20 hour per week and receive standard grad assistant benefits. The GPSO is housed in spacious offices in a university-owned building consisting of two rooms approximately 250 square feet. Funding for GPSO activities comes from two sources 33% of its operating budget comes from the Research and University Graduate School, which also covers the funding for special events. The remaining funding comes from a student activity fee. This year the budget was roughly $33,000.