Campus Space Use Study Nears Halfway Point: Preliminary Results to Be Shared With Campus

Preliminary results of the Campus Space Use Study will be shared with campus stakeholders June 5-6 as the university reaches the halfway point for the study. 

The Campus Space Use Study began in January to evaluate how classroom, research and administrative space is used on campus.  Representatives from the U of A Facilities Management, the Office of the Provost and SmithGroup visited more than 100 buildings on campus to take photographs and verify details of campus physical spaces. Classroom and lab spaces were also evaluated as part of the Educational Adequacy Assessment portion of the study, which included analyzing environmental quality, layout, furnishings, technology and tools in instructional spaces. 

In addition to the campus visits, feedback was collected from faculty, staff and students regarding how they use classrooms, labs, offices and other physical spaces on campus. This feedback was collected through virtual stakeholder meetings with colleges and non-academic units on campus and through the MapMyCampus survey, which was sent to all faculty, staff and students in March. 

On June 5-6, SmithGroup will visit campus to present preliminary results on the campus data collected thus far. Findings will be presented to campus stakeholders and will focus on the current state of physical spaces. SmithGroup will also share a preliminary utilization report of the university's classroom and lab spaces. 

"The campus space use study supports the university's 150 Forward Strategic plan and our three strategic pillars of student success, research excellence and being an employer of choice," said Colleen Briney, vice provost for planning. "This analysis of physical space will allow us to see exactly how each space is utilized on campus and how we can optimize these spaces to best support the needs of our students, faculty and staff as well as support the university's current and future growth.  

"This study has been a highly collaborative process with multiple units across campus," said Natalie Emmons, campus project coordinator. "We are immensely grateful for the feedback and engagement from our campus partners and recognize the important role this has played in getting us to this milestone in the project."  

The next phase of the study will involve modeling future-state scenarios of different types of campus spaces. SmithGroup will also conduct a benchmark analysis comparing our space-use practices and policies against our peer institutions, as well as examining best practices. SmithGroup plans to return to campus in the fall to share additional findings, with final results and recommendations to be delivered at the conclusion of the study in December 2024.   

For more information on the Campus Space Use Study, contact Natalie Emmons, campus project coordinator and director of strategic academic affairs, at nemmons@uark.edu.  

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.