Colleagues,

On April 26, 2004 I asked Professor Frank Greulich to chair an Ad Hoc Forest Resources Library Space Work Group to consider and propose alternate uses for the space to be vacated by the Forest Resources Branch Library later this year.

The ad hoc group submitted their report and recommendations to me on June 15, 2004.

I wish to thank all members of the Ad Hoc Forest Resources Library Space Work Group as well as additional authors of the report which includes faculty, staff and students of the College. I endorse their recommendations and will ask the Provost for his support to move this forward.

A summary of the report is reproduced below.

Summary Statement: To meet the learning needs of students involved in the new instructional initiatives within the College of Forest Resources (e.g., the new ESRM curriculum, the Urban Ecology IGERT, etc.), we see the coordinated development of the space formerly allocated to the Forest Resources Library serving two integrated, complimentary functions: (1) innovative instructional space meeting the student needs of the core courses and (2) technologically advanced support for the core courses as well as other student teaching and research functions. The melding of these two activities into one functional space will address major deficiencies in College instructional space and technology support. An innovative design that captures the synergism between active learning and diverse educational and computer technologies will allow us to best capitalize on current opportunities and simultaneously maximize efficient use of resources to meet multiple needs.

For our college to succeed in its implementation of the newly approved ESRM curriculum, the College's flagship teaching and learning endeavor, the curriculums core courses must facilitate class and studio sizes of 20-to-70 students in a highly collaborative, technologically enhanced setting that allows presentation (including live video), full class discussion (not just dialog with the instructor), and highly focused small group (4-6 student) discussions and data analyses. The architectural setting must be exciting, professional, and 'theatre like' in its feel. A teaching and learning facility with these characteristics will provide the College a cornerstone to become a truly world-class educational leader and the University with an observable unit that embraces an active learning pedagogy.