The physical facilities operated and maintained by Athens State University (ASU) support the institutional mission and goals by serving the needs of all institutional programs, services and activities. In maintaining its physical resources and facilities, the University strives to achieve a balance that preserves the historical integrity of the campus but also provides the necessary infrastructure and technology to support the University’s programs and services.

The facilities of the main campus of the University occupy 81.16 acres within the Athens city limits. Most of the University’s facilities are located on contiguous University property, but some are adjacent to the main campus property.

The physical facilities and property footprint of the University has changed considerably over the last ten years due to a variety of construction projects and land purchases. The renovations and purchases have provided additional classroom space to accommodate the growth in student enrollment, and much needed office space for the associated growth in the number of faculty and staff. The recently completed renovation to Sanders Hall transformed the facility from a small dormitory building to modern offices and work space for the College of Business. The major renovation to Waters Hall, to be completed in spring 2010, will equip the facility with state-of-the-art technology, equipment, laboratories, offices and classrooms to support the science and mathematics programs offered in the College of Arts and Sciences. A project to renovate McCain Hall, which houses faculty and staff offices and workspace for the College of Education, is just beginning with a projected completion date of spring 2011.

In addition to the major projects undertaken to improve and expand campus facilities, the University constantly strives to maintain and update all campus facilities. Internal physical plant documents show that the University has consistently made needed improvements and repairs to building fixtures and equipment to ensure a healthy and safe environment for all members of the campus community.

In accordance with Alabama State Board of Education Policy 505.01 and the corresponding policy guidelines, the ASU Maintenance Department maintains a comprehensive and current facilities inventory. This inventory documents each building’s construction and/or renovation square footage, and the type of space and how the space is utilized. The University’s facilities inventory must be submitted in odd-numbered years to the Chancellor of the Department of Postsecondary Education in the format required by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE). From these inventories, ACHE periodically compiles and publishes aggregate facilities data on the ACHE website for all public universities in the state.

In addition, the University must submit a Facilities Master Plan to the Chancellor and State Board of Education annually. The Facilities Master plan includes information on capital requirements, deferred maintenance and other facility needs. The format for this Master Plan is determined by ACHE and this information is also disseminated on the ACHE website.

The development of the Facilities Master Plan is facilitated through the planning, assessment and budgeting process. As described in detail in the narrative for Core Requirement 2.5, all academic programs and administrative and support organizational units have identified a set of performance indicators and have formulated target outcomes based on their specific function. The Physical Plant Department, under the Office of the Vice President for Financial Affairs, has identified goals and priorities set forth in the Long Range and Short Range Plans specific to physical resources and facilities. The Department conducts assessment activities annually, reports findings, and develops course(s) of action to address areas in need of improvement as identified through the assessment process. These action strategies are then used to develop facility maintenance, renovation and expansion master plans for the University’s physical facilities. Additional information on planning and assessment concerning physical facilities can be found in the narrative for Comprehensive Standard 3.3.1.

In addition to the planning and budgeting process for the Physical Plant Department, the University seeks the input of faculty and staff into facility needs via the Campus Facilities Committee, one of the standing committees of the University. This Committee is charged with helping to coordinate improvement and renovation efforts, establishing and coordinating facility usage procedures, providing input into plans for the campus grounds plans, and providing input into the long-range building plan and conducting campus-wide storage assessment. Moreover, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Committee provides input to the facilities master plan concerning improvements for facility accessibility issues.

As the only upper-division institution in the Alabama Community College System (ACCS), the University also maintains a physical presence at Off Campus Centers at several System community colleges so as to further support the primary institutional mission to serve transfer students from community colleges in the System. In addition, ASU operates a Center at the U.S. Army Garrison at Redstone Arsenal to better serve active duty military personnel and civilians employed by the Department of Defense. The instructional sites used by the University are approved annually by the State Board of Education in accordance with Alaba ama Commission on Higher Education guidelines. The physical facilities utilized by ASU at these Centers are arranged in advance as needed with the host institutions, and may vary from term to term subject to student demand. At the three University Centers (Northeast Alabama Community College – Rainsville, Redstone Arsenal – Huntsville, Wallace State Community College – Hanceville) ASU provides offices and facilities for both traditional and distance education courses. At the three Distance Learning Centers (Northwest Shoals Community College – Muscle Shoals, Snead State Community College – Boaz, Wallace Community College – Selma) ASU provides offices and facilities for distance education courses, where less than 50% of the course requires face-to-face contact between students and instructors. While the University is responsible for furniture and equipment for the offices at the Centers, the classrooms and physical facilities are maintained and operated by the host institution and are provided to Athens State free of charge.

Responses to questions related to physical facilities in the Graduating Senior Exit Survey (GSES) indicate a high level of satisfaction in the classrooms, campus environment, and parking facilities provided by the University.