October 21, 2002

More than half of Pam Roelfs' new office was stacked high with cardboard boxes, representing only a small portion of the work she and the staff of the Office of Institutional Research had produced over the years. Down the hall, in offices dedicated to Roelfs' staff, the picture was nearly identical.

After seven years on the lower level of the Mechanical Arts Building on North Eagleville Road, Roelfs and her staff last week moved into the newly renovated first floor of Budds Building. The move encompassed more than just people and desks; it also involved moving years of federal and state mandated statistical information, faculty ratings, and more.

Moving company employees unload their truck outside the Whetten Graduate Center, after ferrying office furniture across campus in one of the moves that took place during the last few weeks. Photo by Dollie Harvey

"They've done a really good job with the renovations," said Roelfs. "And being in the center of campus is a plus. It allows better access for everyone."

OIR's move was one of several during the past few weeks, as the wave of renovations facilitated by UConn 2000 continue to upgrade the University's infrastructure. The OIR move also opened up the first floor of the Mechanical Arts Building, allowing workers to complete the job of turning the brick structure, located between Storrs Congregational Church and Lakeside Apartments, into an Islamic Center. That job began several months ago, when the Reserve Officer Training Corps moved from the second and third floors of the building to Hall Dorm, opening up those floors for the Islamic Center.

Budds Building also became the new home of the University Senate office and the offices of Business Technology Services, a new department.

Across campus, the Research Foundation, Office of Sponsored Programs, the Office for Research Compliance, and the Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Education moved from the former Fleet Bank property on Dog Lane, and from temporary offices on the second floor of the Nathan Whetten Graduate Center, back to the renovated first floor of the Whetten Center.

"The move combines all the units that report to the vice provost for research and graduate education in one building," said Ilze Krisst, associate vice provost for research and graduate education. "It also makes it very convenient for faculty, who now can come to one place whether they're working with the Office of Sponsored Programs on external grants or with the Research Foundation on internal grants." Staff assisting faculty with issues related to intellectual property rights and animal care also are located in Whetten Center.