Description of Request

Submitted By: Dr. Dilpreet Bajwa, Department Head, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering

The Mechanical & Industrial Engineering department serves more than 1,400 undergraduate and graduate students and continues to experience enrollment growth. With 43 faculty members and increasing demand for meetings, thesis and dissertation defenses, and academic presentations, the department currently lacks an appropriately sized conference room to accommodate groups larger than 15 individuals. To address this need, the department requests that Roberts 317 be designated as a conference room. The space is currently occupied by the Engineering Mechanics Learning Center, which will relocate to Barnard Hall as part of the approved Barnard backfill plan, leaving Roberts 317 vacant. The room can comfortably accommodate approximately 25–30 individuals and is well suited for conference and presentation use. Conference rooms are considered a university asset and would remain available for use by other campus entities, with Mechanical & Industrial Engineering receiving priority scheduling. The department understands the space will be monitored to ensure effective utilization.

Resolution

Date: May 1, 2026

Space Management Committee has approved the change in use of Roberts 317 from a student resource facility into a conference room.