I doubt it, since that would completely crush the amount of on-campus housing, plus when UC changed its capital spending rules, it was done in part to prevent another Sawyer mistake. The money has to be there before they are allowed to so much and use a hammer these days.

I don't really understand why they would close them both at the same time.  It doesn't seem like there's that much extra capacity in the other dorms on campus, but I guess there must be.  This might shed some light on more to come on that side of campus.  The college of business is currently being slightly renovated (mostly just new paint), and some have predicted that the out-of-place alumni center (small 2-story building and parking lot surrounded by greenspace) will be demolished.

If the university comes into some money you can expect to see the Alumni Center torn down with a new dorm building built in that area.  The Alumni Center no longer serves much of a purpose now that the Lindner Center has opened in Varsity Village.

 

I also remember seeing that the long-term plan is for UC to tear down all 3 of the those dorms along Jefferson and replace them with more buildings similar to the new ones further South along Jefferson.  It is an attempt to modernize the dorm spaces, and visually reconnect East/West campuses.  We'll see though.

it would be nice to see the alumni center, business school and garage all demolished and totally re-do that section of campus.  it would be cool to see main street taken all the way down there.  if money wasn't an issue....*sigh*

Here are the next priorities for UC:

 

 

from http://www.magazine.uc.edu/0904/constWhatnext.htm

 

• College of Applied Science

Because of fast-growing technical programs, CAS is expected to double in size. That amount of expansion -- 300,000 square feet -- can't fit on its Victory Parkway campus.

 

• College of Business

Recent creation of a master plan for COB reveals the need for an additional 103,000 to 215,000 square feet for predicted undergrad and graduate program growth.

 

• McMicken College of Arts and Sciences

The largest college at UC, its programs are scattered among several buildings on West Campus. A&S needs to literally pull itself together, to be recognized as one college.

 

• Raymond Walters College

RWC's popular veterinary technology program is housed in the UC Medical Center on East Campus. That's quite a few miles from the college's Blue Ash site.

 

• Medical Center

"The College of Pharmacy needs and deserves state-of-the-art facilities. With increasing enrollment, the College of Allied Health Sciences will need expanded accommodations. And, yes, someday in our future, the College of Nursing will move from our perimeter to the central academic corridor of the Medical Center."

 

 

I don't know where UC would put a new building for the College of Arts & Sciences.  They could get rid of McMicken Circle and build something between McMicken Hall and Clifton Avenue maybe?

^There have been rumors around that UC is interested in buying the Hughes HS building across the street...that could potentially be a fit.  I also know that DAAP has been looking to expand and possibly create an Arts only building.  If Crosley Tower ever gets torn down...that would seem to be a logical expansion area for DAAP.  But as for A&S...I just don't know.

Here are the next priorities for UC:

 

 

from http://www.magazine.uc.edu/0904/constWhatnext.htm

 

• College of Applied Science

Because of fast-growing technical programs, CAS is expected to double in size. That amount of expansion -- 300,000 square feet -- can't fit on its Victory Parkway campus.

 

• College of Business

Recent creation of a master plan for COB reveals the need for an additional 103,000 to 215,000 square feet for predicted undergrad and graduate program growth.

 

• McMicken College of Arts and Sciences

The largest college at UC, its programs are scattered among several buildings on West Campus. A&S needs to literally pull itself together, to be recognized as one college.

 

• Raymond Walters College

RWC's popular veterinary technology program is housed in the UC Medical Center on East Campus. That's quite a few miles from the college's Blue Ash site.

 

• Medical Center

"The College of Pharmacy needs and deserves state-of-the-art facilities. With increasing enrollment, the College of Allied Health Sciences will need expanded accommodations. And, yes, someday in our future, the College of Nursing will move from our perimeter to the central academic corridor of the Medical Center."

 

 

I don't know where UC would put a new building for the College of Arts & Sciences.  They could get rid of McMicken Circle and build something between McMicken Hall and Clifton Avenue maybe?

 

UC won't build between McMicken and Clifton Ave, it is one of their "Main" Entrances into the school.  Perhaps Arts &

Sciences can use the old Wilson Memorial Hall.  I believe that it is not being used at the moment, but I think I heard somewhere that DAAP is interested in using the building.  I don't think there can be much done to centralize A&S. 

 

^Rando, Hughes is a heavily used school for CPS.  Where would all those kids go?  Hughes would be a great addition to UC because of it's size and being only across the street from the Main Campus. 

I hope they start doing any more type of construction until after I graduate.  I already pay an arm and a leg, plus all my student loans for the next 10-15 years....

There have been rumors around that UC is interested in buying the Hughes HS building across the street...that could potentially be a fit.

 

I don't know how likely this actually is, but this would be awesome.  The Hughes HS building looks like it needs some work, and UC buying it and renovating it would be huge for the area.  Plus it's not too far from McMicken Hall.

 

As for the other projects, the northeast side of campus is probably the best area to expand once the current alumni center & parking lot is gone.  They could expand the college of business into that space or possibly add on to the current building, which looks quite outdated on the outside.  I just hope UC plans ahead and does not end up demolishing these dorms just a few years after they get done renovating them, or building over the greenspace they just created.

A&S was going to knock down Wilson Auditorium and build a new building for A&S social science folks (who are mostly in Crosley) and the A&S offices, but they had to have all the money up front and it got squashed dead in the budget mess. Then Crosley was going to come down. Last I heard, Hughes is getting redone in the mega-schools plan, though the annex may go.

 

A&S will get its new building around the time hell freezes over.

as a first year UC student, what amazes me about UC facilities is that they are either absolutely state of the art, amazing buildings, or they are simply awful. There are only a few examples of buildings that are middle ground, CoB being one. McMicken could use alot of work inside with things like the restrooms and corridors. Even DAAP is really showing it's wear inside and out. The stucco on the outside is faded, and cracked everywhere. Science buildings like Rievschl are AWFUL and totally inappropriate for as big and well-ranked as UC in these programs.

I really love the Engineering building, inside and out. I think that's my favorite bulding at UC.

UC builds in spurts and Ohio hasn't really funded basic upkeep very well. So they tend to build pretty buildings every generation or so and the let buildings go until they needed to be gutted because you can't do anything else - Old Physics and Baldwin, or tear them down - CCM, and start over.

 

It really is stupid. You should have seen McMicken before they bought new windows 2 or 3 years ago.

 

I don't care about the building as much as the fact that McMicken professors are incompetent; the tenure professors I've had are extremely arrogant and would rather throw curves at the end of the quarter than teach material that will be on the test for the sake of making themselves seem smart when they prattle on about random stuff every class. Maybe it's just my experience.

 

My economics professor said a good economy is based on the protestant work ethic; I told him that's juxtaposed to the Keynesian theory he described the previous class. I told him that telling people they should save then spend is like telling them to sit and stand at the same time! Then he changed the subject. Our economy skyrocketed ever since the pampered baby boomers like him started spending. I guess the protestant work ethic sounds nice at a time when labor was exploited through slavery and indentured servants.

Econ folks are over at Crosley Tower, maybe it is something in the water or air over there. Those of us who live in McMicken-proper are much fairer and smarter.

Did they put the Econ professors in a Commie tower out of spite?

That's a good question.

George Vredeveld was my Microeconomics professor at UC.  I thought he was great.  His office was in Crosley Tower.

 

The Protestant Work Ethic isn't really about economics as much as it is about politics and history.  Max Weber was a sociologist.

 

 

At UC, research+industry = $$

BY CLIFF PEALE | March 7, 2008

 

Research at the University of Cincinnati can help power cars with leftover cooking oil, heat and cool a house with hot water, even alleviate writer’s cramp.  But without companies to make, license or sell the product, the research won’t do much for the university’s bottom line.

 

That was the point of Showcase 2008 Friday at UC, trying to connect with industry to get UC ideas to market and collect that revenue.  “This is how it should work,” said Bob Voorhees, president of MeasureNet Technology Ltd., formed nearly a decade ago with a technology program to help with chemistry experiments.

 

Read full article here:

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080307/NEWS01/303070074

UC freshman class to add 300 students

BY CLIFF PEALE | March 19, 2008

 

The University of Cincinnati will expand its freshman class by 300 students, or about 7 percent, this fall.  With applications at an all-time high and space closed in many popular programs, UC was faced with the choice in February of closing admissions. Instead, it decided to find the space, which will cost $1 million and put more strain on faculty and facilities.

 

UC filled its freshman class of about 4,150 students last year and closed admissions in June. [glow=yellow,2,300]UC's total student body might reach 38,000 this fall and should reach 40,000 in the next several years, UC President Nancy Zimpher said.[/glow] The enrollment report was presented to UC trustees Tuesday morning.

 

Read full article here:

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080319/NEWS0102/803190357/1058/NEWS01

ugh, I hate Nancy...

^Yup makes sense she has worked at increasing enrollment, significantly improving academic standards, worked hands-on with Gov. Strickland to freeze tuition, has worked very hard to return UC to fiscal responsibility, oversaw a transition to the Big East conference where athletics across the board have improved greatly, while also increasing the dollar amounts of grants and donations.

 

Sounds like a pretty terrible president to me.

UC's Unique Architecture Draws a Global Following

BY M.B. REILLY | UC NEWS

March 19, 2008

 

 

UPTOWN - UC’s celebrated collection of architecture is drawing international groups to campus – groups of architectural and design leaders that are deliberately choosing to meet at UC because of the building masterpieces to be found here

 

For five days beginning April 23, about 400 international architectural historians will be meeting in Cincinnati and on the University of Cincinnati campus as part of the annual conference of the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH).

 

Members of this prestigious group of scholars, researchers and practitioners representing the disciplines of architecture and architectural history, art history and historic preservation lobbied to hold their 2008 conference in Cincinnati, according to Pauline Saliga, SAH executive director.

 

“One site kept coming up time and time and time again. The members wanted to come to the University of Cincinnati because their role is to study and chronicle the world’s most important and influential architecture, and UC’s architecture is quite definitely history in the making,” stated Saliga.

 

Even her group’s conference program proves that point. Its front cover and almost every interior page is filled with views of the UC campus, views and buildings that will draw SAH members here from as far away as Asia and the Middle East to study, up close, the university’s unmatched collection of modernist architecture by the leading practitioners of the century. Architects represented on UC's campus include Henry Cobb, Peter Eisenman, Frank Gehry, Michael Graves, Charles Gwathmey, George Hargreaves, Thom Mayne, Bernard Tschumi, Buzz Yudell and others.

 

Said Saliga, “There are few, if any, places on earth that can boast such an impressive concentration of first-rate buildings by such a diverse group of leading architects. You don’t find this on the ordinary university campus.”

 

Indeed, this world-class collection is considered so historically significant that UC is one of the few campuses to receive a prestigious grant from the Getty Foundation to plan for the preservation of the campus’ modernist sites and structures.

 

The Society of Architectural Historians is not the first or only professional group connected to the world of design to elect UC as the best possible setting for a national or international meeting. Last summer, the Association of University Architects met on UC’s campus, bringing hundreds of the nation’s college and university architects to the region. 

 

In addition, on April 22, the Board of Trustees of the Design Futures Council – a national industry group representing architects, interior designers, industrial designers, engineers and related professions – will hold its next regular session on UC’s campus.

 

Board member Gerry Hammond, president and CEO of Steed | Hammond | Paul, a regional architecture, design and engineering firm, lobbied for UC as the site of this session. In this instance, however, it wasn’t quite so much the case of UC’s campus architecture per se that appealed to this group so much as the multidisciplinary approach to education within UC’s top-ranked College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning.

 

Said Hammond, “The purpose of the Design Futures Council is to spot and analyze trends that will affect our professions. DAAP’s multidisciplinary education is already internationally recognized as among the world’s best. That type of education will definitely influence the future of our professions. So, it was an easy sell to have our board meet here.”

 

And, of course, as architects, engineers and designers, the group will tour campus’ buildings along with others in the city. Hammond stated, “Yes, the architecture here is a can’t-miss opportunity for the group.”

 

National and international groups that have or will come to UC because of the university's architecture:

• Administrators Conference of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning in April 2005.
  
• The Association of University Architects met on campus during summer 2007.
  
• The Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (will meet in Northern Kentucky but visit UC) in October 2008.
  
• Design Futures Council Board of Trustees’ meeting in April 2008.
  
• Society of Architectural Historians will meet at UC and in downtown Cincinnati during April 2008.
  
• Global design firm Studios Architecture will hold a retreat on campus during summer 2008.
  
• The Yale University School of Architecture Dean’s Council meeting in May 2008.
  

I've also heard that they are finally starting to invest in A/S faculty for the first time this millenium. There will be quite a number of hires next year across A/S departments, grounded on the fact that these departments have shrunk substantially and enrollments are up.

University of Cincinnati's incoming freshmen better academically

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/06/16/daily8.html

UC trustees praise financial recovery, reward Zimpher

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/06/23/daily16.html

 

Article Highlights:

• Cash reserves, which averaged about $40 million a month in fiscal 2007, jumped to roughly $100 million a month in 2008, representing significant progress toward UC's goal of keeping reserves above $160 million.
  
• Accumulated operating deficits, which peaked at $165 million in 2006 and remained there for the 2007 fiscal year, will decline into the "$140 million range" in the fiscal year ending June 30, Plummer said. Bond-rating agencies cited the deficits as a major concern in past reports on UC. Rimai said UC's recovery will not be complete until the deficits are paid down.
  
• UC announced an $800 million capital campaign this year and has raised $363 million of the total, with $140 million raised in the first 11 months of 2008. When the books close on the fiscal year, the fundraising total could approach $200 million.
  

^There have been rumors around that UC is interested in buying the Hughes HS building across the street...that could potentially be a fit.  I also know that DAAP has been looking to expand and possibly create an Arts only building.  If Crosley Tower ever gets torn down...that would seem to be a logical expansion area for DAAP.  But as for A&S...I just don't know.

 

What they should do is move the law school to a downtown site, so as to make it more convenient for the state and federal judges who work in Cincinnati to be adjunct professors.

Does anyone know the status of the University YMCA building on Calhoun?  It looks abandoned to me.

^It is, apparently CCM is interested in using the building as a CCM library.  There are also some water damage issues with the structure as the previous YMCA guy was upset about the building being sold and decided to leave the water running when he left...from my understanding he also took some very historically significant fixtures (i.e. chandeliers) out of the building.

 

The best bet is that CCM gets a hold of the building and uses it as their library space.

i've always thought that it would make a great space for the band.... but we just got a new facility. the YMCA building would provide a lot room for practice rooms and other things.

 

but unfortunately, that ship has sailed.

That would certainly be a vast improvement on its current facilities in Blegen.

^It is, apparently CCM is interested in using the building as a CCM library.

 

This sounds awesome...  But how likely is it that the YMCA or Wilson Auditorium will be renovated and used any time soon?  It's a little discouraging to see these two highly-visible buildings, both right on the edge of campus, sitting there abandoned.

We used to take final exams in Wilson Auditorium.  They would give you boards to put on your lap to write on!  Tear it down just for the memories!

 

Not very soon, Wilson was going to get torn down for a new A/S social sciences building (getting those folks out of Crosley), but there isn't any money for new capital improvements these days. A/S was going to have to raise nearly all the money up front. I'm not sure about the Y since CCM has deeper pockets than A/S (and classics is loaded and they might want to grow in Blegen).

I can't find the quote, but someone a few pages ago said that all of the buildings on campus are either brand new or dilapidated.  I agree, but I think UC is finally doing something to change that.  Look at what they've done since they completed the massive TUC/MainStreet/Rec Center reconstruction.  They are renovating the CECH buildings and Morgens & Scioto Halls.  They put some work into the College of Business.  Maybe they get it now, that if you maintain these facilities along the way, you don't need a massive reconstruction plan every 25 years.  Maybe Wilson Auditorium and the YMCA are next.  The new A&S building and CAS buildings on main campus probably won't happen until the next major construction project though.

The YMCA has lots of structural damage, Some UC students decided to do some urban exploring in the YMCA and one fell through the floor.  This happened at the end of spring quarter. 

 

I have talked to many professors at OCAS and most do not want to be moved to main campus.  This goes for the tenured professors, and the adjunct faculty.

I would say that very few buildings on UC's campus are dilapidated.  Swift, Braunstein, and others have all been renovated (very nice I might add).  Currently they are working on the Teachers College buildings.  Sure some of the dorms are dumpy, but that's true at most colleges.

 

Classics does want CCM out of Blegen, and CCM has deep pockets.  CCM also seems to like the historic buildings in their portion of campus, and this would seem to be a fitting extension of CCM's presence.  I think it will happen...Wilson Auditorium on the other hand will probably be torn down as soon as UC gets the money.

After the current round of renovation goes through, I would say Old Chem and McMicken could use some TLC. I've heard the science buildings by Langsam could use TLC, but I've only been in them to escape the rain.

McMicken has already been renovated and has all new electronic classrooms in the style of swift hall. However, Old Chem definitely needs some TLC. They have replaced the windows, which is nice, but there are holes in walls, it still has 70s era carpeted walls, and it just plain gross in some areas.

 

The science buildings by Langsam- are you referring to Rhodes? or Zimmer Auditorium? or Crosley? Those are the only buildings immediately near Langsam.

I guess McMicken is vastly better than 5 years ago, though the electronic classroom appliances are way to large for most of the classrooms in McMicken and make it very hard to teach there.

 

I guess Rhodes and Rieveschel though they did a good job on Baldwin.

Now I know I am officially old!

 

We were the first to have classes in Old Chem (72-73) after the first big remodel!  That carpet on the walls was a big thing back then!!!!!

I guess McMicken is vastly better than 5 years ago, though the electronic classroom appliances are way to large for most of the classrooms in McMicken and make it very hard to teach there.

 

I guess Rhodes and Rieveschel though they did a good job on Baldwin.

 

Oh... forgot about Rieveschel.... both Rhodes and Rieveschel need some serious work. Rieveschel houses all of the chemistry labs and chem lab offices. As well as a library. They need some SERIOUS updating.

 

We were the first to have classes in Old Chem (72-73) after the first big remodel!  That carpet on the walls was a big thing back then!!!!!

 

Those carpeted walls are hideous. In a couple of the rooms, they still have the enormous projectors attached to the ceiling. They look comical.

 

 

McMicken looks great from the outside, and yes, the classrooms are now up to date, BUT the public areas are horrendous, and these are some of the most heavily trafficked corridors on campus. The restrooms are just plain scary...i've used gas station bathrooms that are better than McMicken's.

 

and as far as the Y, I really do hope CCM takes it over. It's a really neat building that looks very prestigious and would make a great library. I have friends that use it for other, more herbal purposes though, haha...it's pretty much wide open to access as is Wilson.

 

Does anyone know if they are remodeling the other half of the Teachers building now? The first half that is near completion looks great.

 

Oh... forgot about Rieveschel.... both Rhodes and Rieveschel need some serious work. Rieveschel houses all of the chemistry labs and chem lab offices. As well as a library. They need some SERIOUS updating.

 

 

Rieveschl is one of the most depressing places on campus. It feels like a psych ward in a hospital. All they need are the padded walls.

 

Rhodes isn't horrible. It also has the issue that Rhodes houses a lot of labs for the College of Engineering, as well as CoE offices. It'd be rather difficult to remodel Rhodes and not have a serious impact on the Research Activities of the college. You don't want to hurt one of the money makers of the university, that's for sure. There's also the fact that most of the undergraduate labs are in Rhodes. Where oh where would Civil Engineering Pre-juniors break concrete, steel, and mortar? Where would Electrical and Computer Engineers do the things they do? Where would the geotechnical engineers do their fun work involving soils? A remodel of Rhodes would be an absolute nightmare. There are also undergraduate classrooms in Rhodes, but as a civil we were lucky and our classes were in the Rec Center or Baldwin. There are some perks to being the world's oldest engineering discipline.

 

I thought the other half of Teachers was already remodeled. I had a speech class in the other half of Teacher's and it looked a lot like Braunstein.

 

I think, at least from my experience as an engineering student, that Old Chem (save for Max Kade) and Rieveschl are the nastiest buildings currently on campus. I haven't been Dyer though, and McMicken could use a face lift.

If anything, those buildings would be replaced by new lab space which would mean serious capex.

William and Mary in Virginia is a lot like Miami for good or ill.

I agree, but it seems to me that its the other way.

I still hate Nancy....yeah i know she had nothing to do with UC/21...so lay off

 

I am glad to know that my tenure at UC was full of marked off corridors and fenced off areas.  I guess in about 20 to 30 years from now I will know that if my kids go to UC, they will be in the same situation that I am currently in. 

I believe Teachers is being remodeled in three phases, not sure which phase they're in right now.

I still hate Nancy....yeah i know she had nothing to do with UC/21...so lay off

 

I would still like to know the basis for this hatred towards Nancy.  Is it the stabilized tuition, increased enrollment, improved academic standing, improved athletics, or the wrap up to the construction mess on campus that has you angered the most.

I've been hearing that there is construction going on in/around McMicken and Langsam. Does anyone know what they are doing?