Space Planning | Summer Update | Finance and Admin | School of Public Health

Dear Members of the SPH Community,

We are writing to update you on space planning for the School. The Dean’s office continues to work with Brown University leadership (Office of the Provost, Facilities Management, and University Space Committee) to identify short- and long-term space solutions for our community while addressing our current needs.

As the University community was preparing to return to campus in the summer of 2021, it became clear that the School’s space needs exceeded our available space at 121 South Main. Drivers of the School’s growth include the University’s continued investments in the School expansion of the important research of our faculty and our growing student population. This has resulted in a dynamic, vibrant community but has also unfortunately resulted in strain upon our physical space.

You have worked patiently with us as we have experimented with sharing offices and hybrid work assignments this past year. This has been an enormous logistical challenge, and members of our operations team have worked tirelessly to accommodate this unusual setup. Although the University continues its Future of Work assessments to examine long-term solutions, we recognize there is a need for surge space in the short term. We understand that this process has been confusing and frustrating, and we appreciate your patience as we work towards a solution for our community.

An Update on Long-Term Plans

Since the fall of 2020, the School of Public Health has partnered with University Facilities Management to conduct an extensive study of growth plans in order to determine the best long-term solution for the School. A building project for the School of Public Health is on the University’s Capital Plan and is an identified need in the University’s Operational Plan for Growing the Research Enterprise. Several options are in consideration, and the Dean’s Office will continue the planning process this fall with the President and Provost and consult with the School’s leadership accordingly. All options being considered would not be in place until 2026 at the earliest.

Short-Term Surge Space Plans

The School will be approaching surge space in 3 phases:

Phase 1 (Summer 2022): Identify a limited group of individuals to move to 200 Dyer, 1 Davol Square, and to fully remote status
Phase 2 (Winter/Spring 2023): Move an entire unit(s) to more suitable locations for faculty groups. The options continue to evolve, but we are currently considering the first floor of 155 South Main Street.
Phase 3 (Summer 2023): Rearrange assignments within 121 South Main Street to create student-centric spaces and continuity for departments and centers.

Our most immediate work has focused on Phase 1. The University has made space available in 200 Dyer to take some initial pressure off our space needs. In consultation with the executive committee, chairs, center directors, and administrative staff leads, the Dean’s office has created space assignment guidelines and criteria to help departments identify groups to work remotely or from surge spaces based on extensive internal and external data. The criteria are based on the job's nature and function as well as leaders' feedback.

Using this information, the administrative core leads identified groups of people that met the criteria and presented recommendations to department leadership (faculty center directors & chairs) to discuss the viability of their options. Based on their input and suggestions, we have fine-tuned the details, and have identified individuals to move during this first phase, i.e., either 200 Dyer, 1 Davol Square, or working remotely.

While we expect some of this work to continue as new needs are identified, the initial group of individuals will be notified by July 27th, and detailed planning will follow.

As with all our planning, our work is governed by the following priorities:

Foster Community - enrich the school’s sense of community and create a new physical identity.
Flexibility - enable efficient and creative use of space by embracing flexibility.
Open and Equitable - provide the SPH community with equitable access to building functions, services, and spaces.
Connectivity and Collaboration - create a dynamic space for researchers, faculty, staff, students, and other collaborators at the school and across the broader Brown University community.
Healthy and Sustainable - ensure the new space will consume less energy, have a low carbon footprint, and be eco-friendly and sustainable.

Thank you and again we appreciate your patience throughout this process.

Sincerely,

Aubert Signature

Ronald Aubert Ph.D.
Interim Dean, Brown University School of Public Health

Sara Walsh Signature

Sara Walsh
Executive Dean of Finance & Administration
Brown University School of Public Health