Resources

The University has effectively organized its human resources across several departments to develop and maintain the physical plant. Diversified sources of funding assure financial resources sufficient to support the University’s purposes.

Administrative Structure

In order to deliver effective and efficient service, responsibility for developing and maintaining physical facilities is distributed across multiple departments with the use of responsibility centers, which couple program responsibility with meaningful authority over resources. These responsibility centers or units are fully empowered to accomplish their programmatic and operational missions with central support from Educational Technology Services (ETS), Telecommunications, Public Safety, Occupational Safety and Health, Energy Management, Facility Planning/Engineering/Construction, and Specialized Trades (see Facilities Management Activities Responsibilities and Cost Comparisons [4.6A]).

Facilities developed with and supported by State funding are managed and maintained by Facilities Management. These include most academic buildings with their lecture halls and classrooms. However, academic departments are responsible for equipping, operating, updating, and maintaining safety in their laboratories, learning centers, student advising space, small-group meeting and conference rooms, and associated support of departmental facilities. In addition, Facilities Management takes responsibility campus-wide for Public Safety, Occupational Safety and Health Service, Grounds Operations, and Physical Planning and Engineering. The experienced staff (93 full-time) operates with minimal supervisory personnel (3) at low cost compared to other institutions. Our staffing level is low compared to peer institutions [4.6A], but the local area has a good pool of qualified candidates.

Facilities developed with and supported by designated student fees are managed by Retail Operations (MUB—Memorial Union Building, SDC—Student Development Complex, and other athletic facilities) or Residential Services (Residence Halls, Dining Services, and University Apartments). These two units resulted from the 1995 and 1996 reorganizations of the former Auxiliary Enterprises to create more decentralized, functional, flexible, and student-driven operations. Both units rely heavily on student personnel. Retail Operations employs 90 full-time staff and 200 students, and Residential Services employs 110 full-time staff and 374 students. Employee teams are used to enhance decision making.

Physical Plant

Our compact 200-acre main campus (see Figure 21) consists of a central campus mall with high-rise buildings which serve most of our instructional and research purposes, and an upper campus with the Forestry Building and SDC. We operate three residence halls and a 352-unit apartment complex. Total local University facilities comprise 60 buildings on 900 acres, including an Alpine ski hill, Nordic ski trails, and an 18-hole golf course. In addition, the University owns the Ford Forestry Center in Alberta, Michigan, 40 miles south of campus, with its 4,000-acre forest and 36 buildings.

FIGURE 21. Map of the Michigan Tech Campus.

Facilities Decision Making

Two University standing committees—the Long-Range Capital Planning Committee and the Space Committee—participate in decision-making about developing and maintaining the physical plant. New capital acquisitions involve significant planning and oversight. The Board of Control must approve significant capital acquisitions, and the State of Michigan Department of Management and Budget as well as the Legislature’s Joint Capital Outlay Subcommittee are both involved in prioritizing and funding new facilities. To assure that new facilities will serve the University’s particular purposes, facility programming committees and the structure’s anticipated occupants provide input into decision making from concept to completion.

Financial Resources

Diversified sources of funding assure financial resources sufficient to support the University’s purposes:

• State appropriations are used for general operations,
• designated student fees are used for auxiliary capital projects and general operations, and
• State capital outlays are used for capital projects associated with instruction and research.

Significant resources provided since 1988 are discussed under "Accomplishments".

Michigan Tech uses its resources very efficiently. We have the most efficient plant operation in the State, and state and national comparisons verify we have the lowest or near lowest cost in all categories [4.6A]. Realignment of resources has allowed operations and maintenance combined expenditures for the physical plant to drop slightly from 7.2% of total University expenditures in 1988 to 6.6% in 1996 [4.6A–B].

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