CIHE Accreditation Self-Study Report February 2006

Standard Eight: Physical and Technological Resources

Description

New Hampshire Technical Institute [NHTI] is a single site institution built on 240 acres, including a small island in the Merrimack River in Concord, the capital city of the State of New Hampshire. The college's many physical resources, including laboratories, materials, equipment, and buildings and grounds, support its programs of instruction and co-curricular activities. These physical resources are designed, managed, and maintained to serve institutional needs as defined by its mission and purpose.

Campus buildings include the Library building (which also houses the Learning Center and Bookstore), four classroom buildings (Little Hall, MacRury Hall including the new Allied Dental Education Wing, Farnum Hall, and Sweeney Hall), the Child and Family Development Center, the Dr. Goldie Crocker Wellness Center, three residence halls (Strout, South, and North Halls), and the new Student Center; these buildings provide space for instruction, administration, archives, residence life, recreation, storage, other support functions, and campus activities. Several smaller buildings house the Business Office, Campus Safety, Maintenance, information technology support, and a new site for hazardous medical waste collection. In addition to these buildings, the campus community includes the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium, the Administrative Offices of the New Hampshire Community Technical College [NHCTC] System, and the New Hampshire Police Standards and Training Academy complex.

Campus buildings are well spaced and connected by broad, landscaped lawns and a system of roads and walkways leading to several large and small parking areas. The Seekamp Walking Trail circles Fort Eddy Pond and connects to conservation land and trails at the north end of campus.

The campus facilities are constructed and maintained in accordance with all legal requirements to ensure access, safety, security, and a healthful environment with consideration for environmental and ecological concerns. In addition, the college continues to participate in a ten-year energy performance contract offered through the Governor's Office of Energy and Community Services to provide capital improvements to campus buildings for the purpose of energy conservation; NHTI was selected for this opportunity by the Governor's Office as a model program for energy conservation in all State facilities.

Instructional space includes 30 general purpose classrooms, one auditorium and four lecture halls, 23 computer labs providing approximately 400 student-access workstations, two newly expanded dental clinics, three dark rooms, and the following laboratories: two x-ray, one dental materials, two biology, one nursing simulation, one paramedic, one drafting, one CAD/CAM, one fabrication, three electronic, one chemical milling room, one chemistry, one physics, one mechanical, one heat-treating, one automation, and one lab for general science and material science use. Additional resources include LCD computer projectors in all classrooms and A/V equipment, a videoconferencing classroom, and an outdoor classroom. In addition, several courses are offered off-campus through Kimball-Jenkins Estate Art School and Petit Papillon (dance studio).

Many facilities are available to meet the non-academic needs of the campus community and the community as a whole. The three residence halls provide more than 300 living spaces for those students choosing to live on campus. Dining facilities are open to all members of the campus community and campus visitors. In addition, recreational facilities, including the Dr. Goldie Crocker Wellness Center and many athletic fields, are utilized by both the campus community and outside groups. A newly constructed 16,000-square foot Student Center opened in November 2005. The auditorium in Sweeney Hall and all other campus facilities are available for community functions through lease arrangements.

All Allied Health programs maintain clinical affiliations with appropriate agencies throughout New England. In addition, non-health programs utilize numerous internship sites. Faculty periodically visit off-campus sites to ensure that the facilities are well-maintained and appropriate learning environments for students. Examples of off-campus sites are listed in the catalog.

NHTI recognizes that ongoing evaluation is required to ensure that physical resource planning is consistent with its Mission/Values/Vision Statement and that changes to the strategic plan may become necessary to accurately reflect and respond to the needs of the campus community. The college demonstrates the effectiveness of its policies and procedures in ensuring the reliability of the systems, the integrity and security of data, and the privacy of individuals through the following means:

• The college has four separate networks (VLANs): administrative, academic, student (residence halls), and wireless. The administrative network can reach resources on the academic network but the academic network is isolated from the administrative network. The student network and wireless network are both isolated from all other networks except for certain servers on the academic network where assignments, handouts, and other such material are stored;

• At the NHTI border, a router/switch with access control lists protects the college from ingress from off-campus. Additionally, at the System MIS Office maintains a Checkpoint Firewall that protects all computers, including NHTI's, from unauthorized Internet access;

• Administrative data are kept on a server with RAID5 drives. It is fully backed up to tape once a week with off-site storage. The data are also fully backed up nightly to two different Snap Servers in different buildings. Access to the server is based on username and password, and access is only given to users to the extent needed to do their jobs;

• Most academic data are kept on a Snap Server that is mirrored to a second Snap Server nightly. In addition, all academic faculty are encouraged to keep backups of data stored on the academic servers on their local drive;

• All other student data, including grade information, are stored on a server in the System Office that is accessible only from the administrative network and requires a user name and password. Access is limited, and permission is given on an individual basis only to those areas of the server and the associated database(s) that are needed by the user;

• All servers are on Uninterruptible Power Supplies [UPS] to minimize the loss of data due to short term power interruptions;

• 100% of the NHTI campus currently has a wireless network installed in all academic buildings, outside the Quad area, and all residence halls;

• The college employs a 24-hour-a-day security force to ensure the safety and security of the members of the campus community and its physical resources. In addition to scheduled inspections of campus elevators, fire extinguishers and alarms, and radiation equipment associated with the radiologic technology, dental hygiene, and dental assisting programs are inspected by appropriate agencies, and the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services responds to requests to evaluate and verify the safety and healthfulness of the campus and its physical resources;

• Electronic student medical records are not maintained, and the data is kept in hard copy format under lock and key and maintained for seven years. Because NHTI is not a covered entity under the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act [HIPAA], the Health Services Office is exempt; however, the Allied Dental Education clinics conform to HIPAA requirements.

The Safety Team responds to safety-related questions submitted by members of the campus community and observations brought forward by team members. An Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] compliance officer, who serves on the Safety Team, works to identify and recommend remedies for potential EPA violations on campus. In addition, the Safety Team, in conjunction with the Coordinator of Disabilities Services and the Civil Rights/Equity Coordinator, works to ensure facilities are in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act [ADA]. Resident Directors and the Director of Residence Life also solicit and review information concerning individual student access needs and forward such information to the team.

Planning for physical resources is closely linked to academic, student services, and financial planning. NHTI is required to observe local, State and Federal building codes regarding access, safety, and environmental concerns. The New Hampshire Department of Public Works is legislatively mandated to closely supervise the design, bidding, and construction processes involved with the Institute's major physical resources. Curriculum planning and review, on-site visits by accrediting agencies, and informal internal reviews of the physical plant are all used to determine the adequacy of existing physical resources and to identify and plan specific resolution of deferred and future needs. The participatory design of NHTI's governance structure ensures involvement of all campus constituencies in physical resource planning. The Institute Advisory Board, Institute Leadership Team [ILT], Institute Forum, academic and nonacademic departments, Institutional Technology Team, Student Senate, the Safety Team, Green Team (recycling team), and the Landscape Oversight Team, among others, all provide input to determine NHTI's academic, student services, and financial planning needs.

When operating and capital budgets are developed, recommendations from the various departments concerning their physical facilities needs are provided to the appropriate Vice President, who then submits the requests to the President. Following prioritization of the requests, the budget requests are forwarded to the NHCTC System Office, which has recently created the position of Civil Engineer IV to oversee new construction and critical maintenance projects. NHTI's current governance structure provides the mechanism for long-range physical resource planning as evidenced by the planning processes for new buildings, such as the Library, the Child and Family Development Center, the Allied Dental Education wing of MacRury Hall, and the new Student Center. In fact, NHTI has undertaken its first annual capital campaign to expand capacity with resources other than state support. As of February 2006, $2.4 million of the $3 million goal has been raised for the proposed 56,000-square foot Academic/Career and Health Education Center. The college's strategic plan is sufficiently flexible to accommodate unanticipated short-term physical resource needs, as when, for example, during the summer and fall of 2005, resources were allocated to correct a drainage problem in North Hall, a residence hall built in 1989. In addition, capital dollars in the amount of $965,000 have been allocated to meet the needs of specific projects identified under deferred critical maintenance.

As part of the NHCTC System's Strategic Capital Plan 2006-2011, NHTI published a list of plans for new buildings and major improvements to existing buildings, along with their budgetary requirements.

Representing a proactive approach to planning for campus development, NHTI applied for the Land and Water Conservation Grant from the Federal Bureau of Parks and Recreation, planning to match those funds with funds from Concord Express, a non-profit youth organization serving the Greater Concord area. This grant includes expanding recreation facilities and protecting open space, as well as construction of new tennis courts, basketball courts, softball fields, soccer fields, bicycle trails, picnic areas, and a boat launch.

A physical plant inventory of the entire campus indicating the type, useable square footage, and equipment contained is available at the Business Office.

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Appraisal

NHTI is composed of a single-site campus that is visible and easily accessible to the surrounding community. Furthermore, faculty, staff, and students recognize the importance of the physical environment to maximize learning. The college has continued to provide a learning and working environment consistent with its mission and purpose, but at 88% of collective room usage (well above the national norm), as determined by a study in the spring of 2005, there is no room to expand our course offerings. However, expansion of physical facilities is directly dependent on the planned maximum student enrollment of the college. One way that NHTI has adapted creatively to the lack of physical space in which to grow is by developing partnerships with other facilities, such as the Kimball-Jenkins Community Art School and Petit Papillon (a local dance studio).

The general perception expressed by respondents (including faculty, staff, and department heads) to a self-study physical resources survey completed in the spring of 2005 was that physical resources overall were very good to excellent. Most of the inadequacies cited by the faculty and staff reflect a general perception of the need for more space, whether it be for teaching, more private office space or common areas, and designated Faculty/Staff parking areas. The Library and adjoining Learning Center, which opened in the spring of 2001, are already limited by lack of space. These problems can be traced to two main factors: growth in enrollment, which has increased steadily over the last several years, and fiscal restraints imposed by the State Legislature. Another commonly cited inadequacy was the heating and air conditioning control systems, leaving work areas either too cold or too warm. The lack of and/or inadequacy of building directories, general signage (e.g., directional, etc.) were also cited by the faculty, staff, and visitors. However, NHTI continues to improve some of the items identified by this survey and the last appraisal, including the placement of directories in some buildings and better signage campus-wide. In addition, campus safety has been addressed by speed plateaus, added to the college's access roads, and safety lighting and emergency phones in parking lots and other locations across the campus. A current proposal to enhance campus lighting features a student design to utilize solar panels to power stand-alone PV lights at strategic locations on campus. In order to provide more security and safety, Code Blue Phones connected to Campus Safety have been installed at strategic locations throughout the campus, and the Student Senate has recently approved the purchase of three additional boxes for additional locations.

While the various existing classrooms, laboratories, and other facilities are generally appropriately equipped and adequate in size, some improvement is needed as academic programs change and as facilities age. For example, the Computer Integrated Manufacturing [CIM] lab in Little Hall is in need of updating, and the Mechanical/Manufacturing Engineering Technology Department is considering several options for doing so. However, several steps have been taken to improve existing facilities. For example, in Sweeney Hall classrooms, old furniture that was impractical for use by adult students has been replaced. Also, a new Civil/CAD lab in Little Hall became operational in the fall of 2005, and a former storage room has been converted to an instructional technology lab for use by students and faculty in the Education program. In addition, recently enacted legislation that frees the college from state-mandated equipment freezes will alleviate some problems with timely acquisition of needed laboratory and computer resources.

Continued enrollment growth challenges the college's ability to provide adequate instructional and administrative office spaces. The administration has recently increased on-campus instructional space by reassigning one former office space, dividing a large classroom, and acquiring a mobile classroom. The administration has also explored rental space in various locations in the city. Increasing both on-site instructional space and administrative office space is perhaps the college's highest planning priority; progress toward this goal will be determined by the future decisions of both the NHCTC System Board of Trustees and the New Hampshire State Legislature.

A System-wide Facilities Assessment was prepared for the NH Bureau of Public Works in 2004, which presents a list of deficiencies and architectural issues identified during field visits and plan reviews. It identifies and prioritizes problems that are expected to be addressed within six years. A similar report was prepared for mechanical issues. NHTI's Environment Protection Agency [EPA] compliance officer, who serves on the Safety Team, has identified some safety concerns in some campus facilities including, areas in the maintenance buildings, such as limited capacity of the Hazardous Waste Shed and obstructed access to the shed.

The most significant recent capital improvements to the campus include the new Child and Family Development Center, which was completed in 2002, the new Allied Dental Education Wing of MacRury Hall, completed in the fall of 2004, and the new Student Center completed in the fall of 2005. All new construction is compliant with the ADA. Modifications to most of the existing buildings have been made to improve access for individuals with disabilities. Moreover, alternative accommodations, such as assistive technologies and specialized furniture, are available. The following modifications to buildings have improved access for individuals with disabilities:

• Fully automated doors with kick plates at North Hall and other campus building entrances;

• Fully automated sliding doors in Little Hall;

• Phones and call buttons at an appropriate height in elevators;

• Wider doors at entrances and stalls of bathrooms;

• Fully wheelchair-accessible thresholds.

Recently BANNER™ software was upgraded to improve access and security of student data, including grade information. NHTI recognizes the need for continuous evaluation, monitoring, and necessary improvements of campus network integrity and security of data. Because NHTI is not a covered entity under Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act [HIPAA], the Health Services Office is exempt from HIPAA regulations.

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Projection

NHTI will continue to exercise all means at its disposal to provide a fully accessible and healthful learning and working environment, including the use of the Governance Model to identify and plan the resolution of physical resource needs. The Institute Leadership Team will continue to work with the campus community, government and community leaders, and community organizations to identify physical resource needs and to suggest prioritization of their resolution to the administration.

Resolution of the deficiencies as cited in 2004 Facilities Assessment report on Architectural Deficiencies and Issues is, and will continue to be, directly related to funding, which in turn is directly tied to tuition income and General Fund appropriations from the State of New Hampshire. The public safety concerns indicated by NHTI's EPA compliance officer will be remedied to comply fully with EPA standards. The campus administration will continue to stress to the System administration and to the State Legislature that a proactive approach to maintenance of the physical plant will help maintain a welcoming physical environment, in accordance with the Mission/Values/Vision Statement. This proactive approach to maintenance will also keep repair and replacement costs down and protect the State of New Hampshire from possible legal claims resulting from noncompliance with new legal requirements, property damage, and/or personal injury. However, the Institute has every reason to be optimistic regarding State funding for physical improvements. Major proposals for the near future for which the college has received at least partial funding and/or bonding authority include the following:

• Construction of a new Academic/Career and Health Education Center

• Construction of new Residence Hall suites

• Renovation and expansion of the Sweeney Hall Bistro and Auditorium

• Renovation and expansion of the Little Hall Dining Facility

• Critical maintenance (e.g., residence hall renovations; waterline improvements)

All EPA compliance issues are periodically reported to the Office of the President for further review and actions.

NHTI will continue to exercise the effectiveness of its policies and procedures in ensuring the reliability of the systems, the integrity and security of data, and the privacy of individuals. In addition, the college will also continue to evaluate its physical resource needs and to modify its strategic plan as necessary.

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