A new method of setting priorities for capital construction projects was adopted by the Board of Governors Friday.
Beginning with the UNC system's 1997-99 budget request, all UNC system construction and renovation projects will be prioritized on one list.
Until now, budget requests have included lists of proposed construction projects from each individual campus and no formal attempt was made to compare the importance of projects from the various campuses.
Bill McCoy, the UNC system's vice president for planning, told board members at a work session last week that legislators have had a difficult time evaluating the relative importance of projects.
"They have had a hard time dealing with that and would like more prioritization," he said.
That's what the new system was designed to do.
Among the draft plan's key features:
*Capital projects would be listed by campus by type, as defined under broad "program priority categories," such as core support facilities, research or technology. During each two-year budget cycle, these categories would be ranked by the Board of Governors to reflect current priorities. Projects from individual campuses would be ranked within each category.
*Space standards would be established in an effort to quantify which campuses have shortages in areas such as classroom and office space.
*A long-range systemwide capital plan would be developed that included all projects expected to be needed during a period of six-to-eight years or longer.
*Planning for construction projects would be tied more closely to academic planning. Requests for new academic programs should include descriptions of expected space requirements.
*The capital budget request should be simplified to include only two line items--one for repairs and renovations and another for major capital improvements such as new buildings or land purchases. The board's capital budget requests now feature five line items: repairs and renovations, projects to improve access for the disabled, N.C. Public Television projects, land acquisition and capital improvements.
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