For at least a decade prior to the 2000 approval of a separate Student Facilities Fee by the board of trustees, funds had annually been set aside in the Facilities Services budget to upgrade classrooms throughout the campus. The committee, initially chaired by Dr. Faye Julian, then serving as dean of undergraduate studies, utilized a two-year study of classrooms and their conditions conducted by the provost’s office in establishing criteria for selection of classrooms to be upgraded, devising standard levels of technology to be installed and standardized classroom furniture selections, moving away from the traditional tablet armchair for general purpose classrooms.
The initial complement of upgrades included 21 rooms in humanities and social sciences and four rooms in the Alumni Memorial Building (under renovation at the creation of the committee). Priorities for selection of rooms to be upgraded with the approximately $800,000 generated by the fee were general purpose classrooms in which the greatest number of undergraduate students received instruction, improvements to rooms within the same building or buildings within close proximity, standardization of technological equipment and training, exclusion of buildings designated as capital outlay projects in the immediate future, upgrades in discipline-specific rooms, matching funds provided by colleges or departments, and unforeseen needs. In order to be considered for upgrading, the room had to be scheduled by the registrar and be accessible to the handicapped.
The committee became a subcommittee of the Facilities Fee Committee and emphasized modifying classrooms to promote collegial learning, adopting a standardized “node” chair that could be rolled into a variety of classroom configurations, and interactive technology. Its early signature project was the makeover of classrooms and gathering spaces in the Humanities and Social Sciences Building.