University Business - March 2007 - (Page 18)

Warning : session_start : The session id contains invalid characters, valid characters are only a-z, A-Z and 0-9 in /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php on line 9 Warning : session_start : Cannot send session cache limiter - headers already sent output started at /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php:9 in /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php on line 9 Warning : Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by output started at /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php:9 in /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php on line 10 B E H I N D the NEWS Healing Old Wounds AIMING TO HELP THOUSANDS OF FORMER New Orleans residents return home, a corps of students is gathering this month to work on houses that were destroyed by the hurricane and must be gutted for rebuilding. The Katrina Corps, which will bring as many as 25,000 students to the city to work in one-week shifts between now and April 6, will gut up to 5,000 homes. More than 10,000 families are currently waiting for their homes to be gutted. “We’re asking young Americans to do what they’ve always done, change the world, this time with hammers and wrecking bars,” says Pam Murtaugh, Katrina Corps Management Team leader. Institutions interested in sending student volunteers to New Orleans through Katrina Corps can visit www.katrinacorps.com for information. Meanwhile, several institutions based in the Big Easy continue to struggle with the decisions they made in the aftermath of Katrina. Tulane University, the University of New Orleans, the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Southern University at New Orleans, and Loyola University of New Orleans shuttered departments and laid off faculty members post-Katrina—and now the American Association of University Professors is preparing to issue a harsh report criticizing them. A draft of the report is critical of them for acting in haste, failing to give proper notice to faculty who were fired, and even using the storm as an excuse for streamlining programs. —C.M.F. SENSE OF PLACE Thompson Hall’s weather vane originally hid a time capsule related to the construction project. It was exposed and discovered in the 1950s after a hurricane. Along with a new time capsule covering the restoration, the box was placed in a corner turret in 2006. PHOTO BY DON FARRELL, COURTESY OF SHAWMUT DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION U Thompson Hall at the University of New Hampshire THOSE FAMILIAR WITH THE UNI versity of New Hampshire often hear its name and first think of Thompson Hall. UNH’s original building, circa 1892, stands out on campus and appears everywhere from on letterheads to online. It’s listed on the national historic registry, too. • FUNCTION: Today, the 37,000square-foot building holds administrative offices, including the president’s office. • CHALLENGES: With only minor renovations and maintenance work over the years, Thompson Hall was showing its age. From inside, “you could definitely tell what the weather was like outside,” says Brenda H. Whitmore, a project manager in the Facilities Design and Construction department. The original windows were operational but single-pane and leaky. The arch window in the president’s office was shifting. Steel was holding some exterior joints and bricks in place, as the building was starting to creep. Maintenance requests were tough to keep up with. Yet a complete restoration of an administrative building is tough to justify. And with more than 100 staff there and limited swing space on campus, Thompson occupants would have to stay put during such a project. • SOLUTIONS: Leaders saved for more than five years, drawing from UNH’s overall repair and renovation fund until money was available. Keeping the building open and occupied was the biggest challenge, notes Stuart Meurer, a project executive with Shawmut Design and Construction. “We had to work very closely with school administrators to minimize staff and student disruption.” Temporary portable air conditioning units and additional power were needed, and engineering controls monitored the air constantly to ensure safety, Whitmore says. As the new roof and windows were installed and other repairs made outside, the building was wrapped in scaffolding and green netting. Group meetings and a newsletter helped keep everyone informed. Pieces of the slate roof were replicated at a Canadian mine and turret bricks by a North Carolina manufacturer. Architects hired a stained glass consultant for windows in the main stairwell. “People used to hurry to use the elevator, but now people are walking the stairs,” Whitmore says. And around campus, drivers are going out of their way to pass Thompson Hall. “It’s just breathtaking. It’s stunning,” she says. • PROJECT COST: $4.7 million $5.3 million was projected to account for unknown factors • TIMELINE: Planning began in 1995; constructed started in March 2006 and was completed in November 2006 ahead of schedule • PROJECT TEAM: Goody Clancy served as design architects; Shawmut Design and Construction served as construction manager both of Boston —M.E. The Katrina Corps rebuilds New Orleans. 18 | March 2007 www.universitybusiness.com Update03.indd 6 2/21/07 3:04:08 PM Warning : Unknown : The session id contains invalid characters, valid characters are only a-z, A-Z and 0-9 in Unknown on line 0 Warning : Unknown : Failed to write session data files . 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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - March 2007

Contents
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Editor's Note
Stats Watch
Sense of Place
Viewpoint
Marketing
Human Resources
Financial Aid
Money Matters
Community Colleges
Title IX Turns 35
It’s Electric
Lost in Space
Transportation Trends
Details of Retail
Business Technology
What's New
Calendar of Events
Direct Connect
End Note

University Business - March 2007