University Business - July 2007 - (Page 24)

BEHIND the NEWS Hoping to Restore FAMU’s Glory IN THE HOPE OF BRINGING stability to Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, its trustees selected James Ammons to become the 10th president James in the university’s history. Ammons He took over July 2. Ammons, who has served as the chancellor of North Carolina Central University in Durham for six years, is a former FAMU provost and an alumnus. He will succeed Interim President Castell Vaughn Bryant, an alumna whose aggressive approach in taking on FAMU’s financial and organizational troubles since her appointment in January 2005 has garnered mixed reactions. During her leadership, Bryant has had some success stories, such as fixing an athletic department rocked by NCAA sanctions, removing the names of “ghost employees” from the payroll, and restoring the university’s standing with the National Science Foundation. Unfortunately, FAMU’s ever growing and unresolved financial mess shadowed her presidency. In March, the Florida Board of Governors formed a task force to examine spending at Florida’s only historically black public university, according to media sources. Also that month, sources reported that the state’s lawmakers called for taking more drastic measures, including a possible criminal investigation, during a discussion of an audit of the university’s operations. Bryant departed from her position on May 31. FAMU’s board approved paying $4.3 million to four IT consulting companies that have worked without contracts or payment since January 1, according to a news release; it notes that Chief Operating Officer Larry Robinson and the trustees didn’t know about the obligation until a meeting, during which Chief Financial Officer Grace Ali apologized to the board and said the debt would be paid from the current budget. —M.H. SENSE OF PLACE U Cadet comforts: The new school year means a new dorm for Mass Maritime students. Dormitory Complex at Massachusetts Maritime Academy LOCATED ON THE CAPE COD CANAL, THE MASSACHUSETTS MARI time Academy campus has spruced up its cadet dorms while making room for more students by adding floors to its existing complex. • FUNCTION: Six interconnected buildings serve as the only on-campus housing for Mass Maritime cadets. • PROBLEMS: As enrollment grew at Mass Maritime—a public, co-ed maritime college in which the regimented lifestyle of cadets has traditionally required students to live on campus—it became clear that more beds were desperately needed. In fact, this school year nearly 1,000 students had to occupy a circa 1968 dorm complex designed to accommodate 880, reports Allen Hansen, vice president of Student Services. Even with students residing in every recreation room and study lounge, administrators still had to break tradition and allow a handful of students to commute. And with just one location on the 55-acre campus available for expansion—which officials hope to use for a new library complex—it seemed that a vertical expansion of the existing complex was the best bet. • SOLUTIONS: Adding two stories to parts and upgrading the exterior and interior of the entire complex would result in at least 150 new beds as well as ensure equal housing accommodations for all cadets. Yet early indications showed that the project would require vacating the existing complex for a year, says Steve Allen, a principal at architectural firm Prellwitz Chilinski Associates. With only one cadet residence, Hansen explains, “We didn’t have any choice but to reside while building.” PCA hired an engineering firm to evaluate the situation; since concrete gets stronger over time, there might be an alternative solution. Testing concluded that the building had about 50 percent more structural capacity than when it was built. So PCA and project builder Erland Construction were able to do most of the necessary structural upgrades—disruptive, noisy ones—during summer break. Once the school year began, the team worked out times when the noisiest work could be done, for the least disruption to students, and by mid-October the building was enclosed, Allen reports. The entire complex has new baths and lounges, expanded laundry rooms, improved accessibility, new ceilings, and new sprinkler and fire alarm systems. As for the exterior, a new roofline and the new floors provide a more polished look, Allen says. It’s a green project, too; the building was designed for LEED Silver certification and may qualify for Gold. • COSTS: $3.5 million for upgrades, $13 million for two-story addition • COMPLETED: Spring 2007 • PROJECT TEAM: Prellwitz Chilinski Associates, Cambridge, Mass., architects; Erland Construction, Burlington, Mass., builder —M.E. 24 | July 2007 www.universitybusiness.com http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - July 2007

Contents
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Editor's Note
People Watch
Sense of Place
Marketing
Viewpoint
Human Resources
Money Matters
Financial Aid
Community Colleges
Seeds of Scandal
Controlling the Flow
Special Delivery
Presidential Progress
Best Foot Forward: SOX and Financial Standards
Business Technology
What's New
Calendar of Events
Direct Connect
End Note

University Business - July 2007