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The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) currently provides for the orderly operation and maintenance of the institution’s physical facilities with two planning documents: the Capital Improvement Program, which consists of the Capital Improvement Plan and the Annual Capital Budget, is required for all components of The University of Texas System (1), and the Campus Master Plan, which is required of all higher education institutions in Texas by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) (2). The Campus Master Plan is updated annually; the Capital Improvement Program is updated biennially.
The Capital Improvement Plan is a six-year projection of component and system-wide revenues and projects that will be funded from these revenues. Projects included in the Capital Improvement Plan correspond to the highest priority needs identified in the long-range strategic planning process and institutional capital renewal plans. The Annual Capital Budget is composed of major construction projects, renovation and repairs, and library and equipment purchases for the fiscal year at UT System component institutions. Projected cash flow requirements from all funding sources for new and ongoing projects are also included. The Institution must maintain a current written physical facilities master plan that provides for orderly development of the institution and relates it to other institutional planning efforts.
The THECB maintains an integrated campus planning system. The Texas Education Code defines THECB duties and its essential responsibilities to Texas higher education institutions. In regards to a facilities inventory, THECB must assist institutions in efficient use of its construction funds and the orderly development of physical plants to accommodate projected college student enrollments (3a) (3b). Higher education institutions in Texas submit and maintain an inventory with the THECB for the purpose of: assessing campus-wide facilities summaries by type of space, function, and program area; calculating program use and space costs; and assessing the effective use and management of its physical plant. A summary report is generated for the System and by individual campus that consists of:
Building Size and Cost Data
Room Inventory by Building
Space by Classification of Instructional Programs
Campus-wide Space Summary and Campus-wide Summary by Instructional Areas
Campus-wide Space by Room Type
Total Campus Space by Building Condition
Location (on or off campus or remote)
Condition
In 2007, UTMB reported 157 buildings, 17,388 rooms, and 1,509,994 square feet devoted to educational and general usage. Of those listed as “remote,” the majority are clinics associated with the Regional Maternal and Child Health Program (RMCHP) or affiliated clinics that provide clerkship sites for medical students. Of the 157 buildings, 119 (76%) are rated as Satisfactory, suitable for continued use with normal maintenance; 24 (15%) as Remodeling A, requiring restoration to acceptable standards without major room changes, alternations, or modernizations; 7 (4%) as Remodeling B, requiring major physical updating and/or modernization; 3 (2%) as Remodeling C, requiring major remodeling; 2 (1%) rated as Demolition to be demolished or abandoned; and 1 each (< 1%) Termination (planned for termination of occupancy for reasons not related to structure) and Mothballed, not currently in use (4). All of those rated for demolition, termination, or mothballing are shops or storage facilities with no associated educational or general activities.
Among the general policies of the Capital Improvement Program are the following:
Each institution will give first priority to maintaining the quality of ongoing programs and to preventing the deterioration of the physical assets, buildings, equipment, and libraries that support them. The support of new programs normally will receive lower priority than the elimination of major deficiencies in the support of ongoing programs.
The allocation of building space among programs and activities on a campus will be reviewed periodically and reassignments made as appropriate. Capital improvement funds may be used to remodel space in order to facilitate such reallocation.
Each institution will develop and maintain a long-range Capital Renewal Plan based upon an assessment of the current conditions of each building and upon the normal useful life of those components (e.g., roofs, HVAC, electrical).
The UT System Board of Regents approves the Capital Improvement Program and authorizes the component institutions to proceed with development of formal Project Building Program documents. An integral part of the Capital Improvement Plan includes an analysis of degrees awarded and enrollment for the preceding five years and projected enrollment and program inventory changes expected in the next five years. The proposed land use plan indicates the location of any proposed changes or improvements to be made within the next five years. The action plan includes a listing, in order of highest priority of need, of new construction projects, repair and rehabilitation projects, and land acquisitions that are projected during the next five years. It also includes a listing of deferred maintenance projects that are identified as either critical or non-critical (5).
Priorities for both the Capital Improvement Program and the Campus Master Plan are generated by UTMB’s Office of Facilities Planning with recommendations, review, and approval from the department chairmen, campus executives, University of Texas System Offices, Board of Regents, and THECB. The Office of Facilities Planning assists the top campus executives in the integration of campus facilities planning into the strategic initiatives of the university. In addition, the Office of Facilities Planning coordinates campus facilities planning with program and fiscal planning and fulfills the campus planning requirements of the University of Texas System and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
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