Washburn University Accreditation - Public Comments
March 10, 2008
Mabee Library – Challenge, Identified by the 1998 Accreditation Team, Ignored
In 1998, the accreditation team identified Mabee Library as a challenge area that Washburn University should address prior to the 2008 visit. Concerns were raised regarding staffing levels that did not meet the ALA staffing guidelines, space limitations that constrained collection development, and the need to implement capital improvements and expansions to the library. These challenges of funding, staffing, and space were identified as major concerns that would escalate unless addressed by the University.
In the meantime, the Dean of Mabee Library has been hired and has resigned since the 1998 visit and the position is currently filled with its second interim dean since 2006. The staffing level has not changed significantly since 1998 and the operating budget remained flat during FY 02 through FY 04 and increased by $18,000, $5,000, $60,000 and $58,000 respectively from FY 05 through FY 08. During this same budget period, the administration found $850,000 for the new Transformational Experience graduation requirement. Capital improvements have not been significant, with monies spent on maintenance of the building exterior and HVAC systems, carpeting, and furnishings.
The administration has failed to respond to the students’ cries for longer library hours. Platforms in the student government elections complain of lack of computers and accessibility, lack of space and an out-of-date atmosphere. The $14.8 million proposal in 1997 to construct and equip an 80,000 sq. ft structure linking Mabee Library and Henderson Learning Resources Center seems to have been usurped by the $58 million spent on residence halls, the student wellness center, the Art Building, Stoffer Science Hall, Stauffer Commons, and various other renovation projects and the $11.5 million that has been allocated and/or spent on athletic projects. Even WEA, the entity providing fundraising support for the university, took over $2.25 million of university funds for a building project that could have been utilized for Mabee Library improvements.
Significant capital improvements in Mabee Library are not included in the fundraising priorities for WEA, nor are they included in any of the university’s capital plans. While the prior accreditation team believed that the major challenges faced by Mabee Library should be addressed by the University, the current administration has turned blindly away from these problems.
Since a university library is considered to be the “heart and soul” of any university, the neglect displayed by this administration in addressing the challenges put forth by the prior accreditation team illustrates this administration’s lack of support for the strategic goal of emphasizing student learning.