The Task Force on Facilities was charged to: 1)survey and assess the current condition of physical facilities including all buildings, current space allocation and utilization, and maintenance; 2) determine types and levels of utilization such as classroom, laboratory, and office usage; 3) develop criteria for assessment of facility use for planning and management; 4) project future needs in all areas of facilities utilization in light of educational, technological, economic, and demographic trends and 5) recommend capital construction and renovation of facilities when justified. Direct observation and evaluation of facilities, comments from the CSU community through interviews and meetings and examination of the literature facilities were used to provide input for task force deliberations.

This task force and several others found that the teaching/learning mission of Chicago State University is to a great extent dependent on the operation and maintenance of the physical plant and grounds. These aspects of the university influence how outsiders see it as well as how the stakeholders see themselves. The condition of classrooms, lecture halls, laboratories, offices, meeting rooms and other "official" spaces is critical as the university seeks to carry out its societal and intellectual mission. These facilities, as well as such service areas as washrooms, common hallways and storage rooms, must be clean and well-maintained. Efficient and concerned custodial and maintenance staff must be available to respond appropriately to routine as well as emergency situations. The maintenance and overall appearance of the grounds must reflect thoughtful planning and a desire to please the eye, ear and spirit. Sufficient numbers of modern, technologically-equipped classrooms, lecture halls, laboratories, offices and support rooms must be available for university-sanctioned uses.

An ongoing schedule of major and minor maintenance, renovation and building projects should become part of the planning and budgeting processes. Major repair projects and replacement or upgrading of equipment necessary for proper maintenance of air conditioning and heat, air movement, filtration and humidity, and building integrity (i.e. roofing, glass, brickwork) should be planned for and budgeted. Maintenance must not continue to be deferred. The amount of deferred maintenance is an overriding concern and fear of most university personnel. The task force found that most of its respondents felt that elimination of these physical conditions must be the number one priority of the strategic planning process.

There is general agreement in the university community that a strong library is absolutely crucial to the proper functioning of both undergraduate and graduate programs. In addition, the reputation and academic image of the university are dependent on its library. Also, there are many limitations to the library building that must be corrected through the construction of a new facility. Moreover, library science has evolved significantly since the construction of the current CSU library. Modern information technologies have revolutionized the storage and retrieval of information on university campuses. Therefore, CSU must have a new library designed and built in the knowledge age with sufficient cabling and other electronic infrastructures to support the needs of the university in the next century. Severe needs were found in information technology including both hardware and software upgrades. Personnel need updating of skills for efficient and effective on-line searches and other computer-based library skills. Students and faculty expressed great concern about the lack of adequate library and associated learning resources. The task force indicated that the level of support has decreased dramatically in the last several years. More materials of every type are needed as are greater on-line capabilities, as well as more modern copiers and other information related technology.

CSU is the only public university in the state of Illinois that does not have a facility sufficiently large in which to conduct graduation. Currently, CSU must rent a building at some other campus in the Chicago area for its graduation exercises. There are many other occasions in the life of the university when its entire community must be able to come together to celebrate, to learn, to engage in some shared process that reinforces its cohesiveness.