Future Use of the Brooks Building

The UAF Master Planning Committee has reviewed your letter of October 25, 1999 and the supporting materials concerned with Planning for Lower Campus, and it addresses herein the first of your two requests by submitting a recommendation on the proposed theme for the Brooks Building. The MPC will address the second request in a separate communication.

We believe that the proposal of July 15 1999 from the Native Programs Facility Users Group (ad hoc) and the September 13, 1999 report by Ted DeLaca's committee provide a useful starting point for a discussion and planning for the Brooks Building. The final plan should be as inclusive as possible in serving the needs of all Alaskans.

Recommendation
The theme for the Brooks Building should focus on instruction and service to rural and Native Alaskans, consistent with the UAF 2000 Strategic Plan and an acknowledgement that functionality and the academic and service missions of UAF are first priorities. The Brooks Building should provide a logical home and appropriate environment for University departments, programs, and offices that serve the aforementioned theme. This could include programs of the College of Rural Alaska, the College of Liberal Arts, and services provided by the Division of Student Services.

At the same time, academic facilities in the Brooks Building should be an integral part of the whole UAF campus, with classrooms available for general academic use in the same manner as other classroom space at UAF. This would yield greater functional use of the space and increase the interaction of the rural and Native community with the greater UAF community. Specialized classroom and other needs should not be provided if they would supersede or duplicate functions provided in existing academic departments (e.g., chemistry laboratories) or other appropriate services at UAF. It is expected that a "smart" auditorium classroom will be included in the classroom construction schedule.

The historical origins of the building associated with the mining industry and the School of Mines should be acknowledged at the entrance, as per the MPC recommendations of May 27, 1999: "The historic significance of the Brooks Building must be evident within the building. The MPC recommends that a display of Alaska mining history be located in a common area such as a conference room or the first level corridor. Additionally, naming the auditorium after a prominent figure in Alaska mining history should be considered." It is further recommended here that the first-floor auditorium be named after a prominent Alaskan miner who made an impact on the UAF School of Mines and the Alaska mining industry.

A formal building committee should be created to address the issue of what specific academic departments, programs, and services are to be located in the building. The recent positive experience with an outside facilitator for the Rasmuson Library should be taken into consideration This committee should include representation from the College of Rural Alaska, the College of Liberal Arts, UAF Student Services, the community, and some impartial representative (facilitator?) with no stake in the outcome. The committee, with its recommended building composition (unhampered by outside constraints), should then work with the Office of Space Planning and Management to evaluate all space resource needs (present and anticipated future needs) to fashion an immediate and longer-term plan for the interested parties.

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University of Alaska Fairbanks
Tanana Valley Campus
PO Box 8040-UAF

Phone: +1 907 474 7920
Fax:    +1 907 474 6725
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