The University Space Priorities Working Group

A letter from NYU President John Sexton and Provost David McLaughlin to the NYU Community about the University Space Priorities Working Group, a body "formed to solicit meaningful input from our community."  (hat tip: Washington Square Village Tenants Association)

From: NYU President John Sexton and Provost David McLaughlin office.president@nyu.edu

Date: Fri, Oct 5, 2012 at 10:04 AM

Subject: The University Space Priorities Working Group


TO: THE NYU COMMUNITY

FROM: NYU President John Sexton and Provost David McLaughlin

RE: The University Space Priorities Working Group


While we endeavored for the past several years to provide extensive information about the NYU Core Project which secures a spatial endowment for the University, we recognize that many members of the community feel there was insufficient consultation. We appreciate the depth of their concerns.

It is now clear that segments of the NYU community hold differing views about the plan: some want more information, others express concerns, still others express strong opposition. This comes against the backdrop of grappling with the pressing space needs for many academic units and programs.

The University Space Priorities Working Group—first announced at the May 2012 meeting of the University Senate, made up of faculty representatives appointed by the schools and the Faculty Senators Council, as well as representatives from the Student Senators Council and the Administrative Management Council—has been formed to solicit meaningful input from our community. With the zoning envelope now defined, the Working Group will take up the task of giving definitive guidance to the University Administration on implementation; of taking account of the existing, pressing space needs of academic units and programs; and of listening to the implications of the NYU Core Project for members of the University community.

Its work will be transparent, and it will include solicitation of opinion and sentiment from the NYU community. The Working Group will maintain a website with regular reports of meetings, documents under review, and the capacity to receive advice and comments from faculty, students, administrators and staff. The Working Group will also develop its own strategy for consultation with the NYU community. Moreover, the University will not undertake any construction authorized by the NYU Core Project, beyond routine maintenance or any required grounds improvement projects, before the receipt of the Working Group’s report in May 2013.

The charge to the working group will include:

» identifying ways to continue to increase the efficiency and usage of existing space;

» submitting criteria and key principles to apply to the development of the spatial endowment we have been granted under the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), including providing a crucial voice on plans for the initial building on the southern block;

» establishing the criteria to consider in the selection of an architect and on a process to receive comments on designs as the project proceeds;

» specifying which future academic programs are most important to locate close to the core NYU neighborhood;

» providing specific advice on NYU's proposals to improve open space; and

» using the resources allocated to minimize the inconvenience of construction, determine the elements of the University proposals to provide amenities or accommodations.

In May 2013, we will transmit the final report of the Working Group to the Board of Trustees.

The working group will be chaired by Associate Professor Ted Magder from the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, who also serves this year as the Chair of the Faculty Senators Council. The other members of the Working Group are listed below.



MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY SPACE PRIORITIES WORKING GROUP



CHAIR



Ted Magder

Associate Professor, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development



FACULTY



John Billings

Associate Professor, Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service



Mary Cowman

Associate Provost for Program, Planning and Development; Professor, NYU-POLY



David Engel

Chair, Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, Faculty of Arts and Science



Allyson Green

Associate Dean, Institute of Performing Arts, Tisch School of the Arts



Wen-Jui Han

Professor, Silver School of Social Work



Perri Klass

Professor, Faculty of Arts and Science



Marty Kurth

Assistant Curator and Department Director, Division of Libraries



Laurence Maslon

Associate Arts Professor, Tisch School of the Arts



Panos Mavromatis

Associate Professor, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development



J. Anthony Movshon

Professor, Faculty of Arts and Science; Director, Center for Neural Science



Anthony Saunders

John M. Schiff Professor of Finance, Stern School of Business



Rosemary Scanlon

Clinical Associate Professor, School of Continuing and Professional Studies



Andrew Schotter

Professor, Faculty of Arts and Science



Jalal Shatah

Professor, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences



Matt Stanley

Associate Professor, Gallatin School of Individualized Study



Larry White

Robert Kavesh Professor of Economics, Stern School of Business



FACULTY SENATORS COUNCIL



Sewin Chan (Spring only)

Associate Professor, Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service





Rajeev Dehejia (Fall only)

Associate Professor, Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service





Angela Kamer

Associate Professor, College of Dentistry





ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT COUNCIL



Barbara Albrecht

Director of Facilities and Administrative Services, Stern School of Business



David Vintinner

Senior Director of Institutional Research, Faculty of Arts and Science



STUDENT SENATORS COUNCIL



Corey Blay

Graduate Student, Stern School of Business



Mariam Ehrari

Undergraduate Student, College of Arts and Science



UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION



Robert Berne

Executive Vice President for Health



Diane Yu

Deputy President