With
the hope of creating an on-going discussion between Frostburg State University
(FSU) students and the administration, a public forum was held for FSU President
Jonathan Gibralter to answer questions from students in a Q&A format. Due
to a family emergency, Gibralter was unable to attend; Dr. Tom Bowling, Vice
President of Student and Educational Services, took Gibralter’s place. Bowling
gave an overview of the plans for the university and then opened the floor to
questions. Discussion points included additions to the building plan, plans to
develop more academic programs, and changes to FSU’s food service provider.
“We
are in the process of completing the largest capital project the university has
had,” Bowling said on the Center for Communications and Information Technology
(CCIT) building. Bowling stated that the original plan was for the CCIT
building to be in FSU’s hands at this point, but the construction is slightly
behind schedule. He affirmed that it is “not unusual” for that to be the case for
such a large building. The building will be the home of several departments,
including mass communications, math, and computer science. The planetarium, a
multimedia center, FSU-TV3, and FSU’s public radio station, WFWM, will also be
housed in the building.
Noting
that FSU’s current public safety building was built in the 1950s and is now outdated,
Bowling stated that plans for a new public safety building are being developed.
Its replacement will better accommodate a modern police force. In addition,
SafeRide may have an office located in the building.
A
new apartment style residence hall is also in the works, though its location
has not been decided on. Bowling stated that the hall will likely be on the
downhill side of campus. Also among the building plans is a building for
Education and Health Sciences. Plans for this building are being developed.
Possibly
housed in this building is a pharmacy technology program that may be developed
soon. This is one of several programs that may be started at FSU. There are
also discussions of offering a master’s program in nursing. The experiential
learning programs will also see an increased emphasis.
“There
is a committee looking at, as a graduation requirement, being involved with
experiential learning,” Bowling said. He continued, “Employers are looking for
people with hands-on experience. This would give great meaning to ‘A world of
experience.’”
Bowling
also spoke on recent, on-going, and future renovations to the residence halls. “The
uphill halls have been renovated, and a quarter of Cambridge hall has been
renovated, but the downhill halls are in desperate need of renovation.”
Bowling
announced that FSU has found a new dining service provider. The university will
be parting ways with Aramark. Chartwells will be the new provider of dining
services. Not all of the details have been announced, but it is known that a Moe’s Southwestern
Grill will be located in the greenhouse area of the Lane Center, and a survey
will be taken to decide which vendor will replace Java City. The three possible
replacements are Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Einstein Bros.
Several
students attended the forum and voiced their support of the discussion. “I
think it’s important that students know what is happening on campus so that
they are more invested,” said Howard Fooksman. He continued, “We hope this can
become a regular event.”
Jordan
Jones, who worked with Fooksman to organize the event, stated, “I think [having
a public forum] is important for students.” Fooksman and Jones would like to
continue this forum and feature a rotation of various other administrators to
answer student questions.
“Dr.
Gibralter is incredibly honest with students who want to ask questions, and he
will answer them,” said Fooksman. “We hope this is the first of a series of
events where students can talk directly with administrators.”
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